s protected throughout Australia. Other well-known marsupials are the burrowing wombat, bandicoot, and pouched mouse. The carnivorous Tasmanian devil, principally a scavenger, is found only on the island of Tasmania Rodents, bats, and the dingo, belong to a different order of mammals. The dingo is a doglike night hunter that also preys on sheep; it does not bark, but howls. When Europeans settled in Australia, they brought in many species of animals. But none of them will ever quite adapt to the seriously dangerous enviroment that the native animals mentioned above are used to.About 94 percent of Australias people are of European descent. The majority have a British or Irish heritage, but about 18 percent of the total population have other European origins. Asians, including Middle Easterners, account for about 5 percent of the population. Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders make up about 1.5 percent of the population. In 1991 the largest overseas-born groups were from Great Britain and Ireland, other European countries, and Asia and the Middle East. Before World War II (1939-1945) more than 90 percent of the people were of British or Irish origin. Since then, more than 2 million Europeans from other countries have migrated to Australia. Since 1975, about 125,000 Southeast Asians have been admitted to the country, most as refugees.When World War II came in Europe in 1939, Australia dispatched its small armed forces to assist in Britains defense. After the Pacific war between Japan and the United States broke out in 1941 and Britain was unable to provide sufficient support for Australias defense, the new Labor government of John Curtin sought alliance with the United States. Until the liberation of the Philippines, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur and his staff used Australia for their base of operations. Australians were psychologically affected because of their fears of a Japanese invasion. Again Australian industry was transformed by...
