'Aborigines' are the first or original inhabitants of a country. The Australian Aborigines have lived in Australia for over 40,000 years. At one stage in their history, there were possibly over a million Aborigines. However, -when the first white settlers arrived in the 18th century and stole their land, many Aborigines died fighting to protect it. Today, only about 100,000 survive. Although some still live a traditional life in remote desert areas of the Australian outback, many now live in poor conditions in cities and towns. They have suffered for two hundred years from white exploitation. However, the Australian government has recently given some land back to them including 'Uluru'. This huge rock, in the centre of Australia, is of great importance to theAborigines. Although winning back this land is encouraging, the Aboriginal people know there is a long way to go before they win back the rest of their land.
