Are you living outside the US, waiting with baited breath for the iPad to become available in your area? Your wait is almost over. In a press release issued today, Apple announced that the iPad would be made available in nine more countries this summer. The countries on the list include:

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Spain
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom

If you live in one of these countries, you can pre-order your favorite iPad model from Apple’s online store starting Monday, May 10. The iPad will officially be available in these select markets on May 28.

If US sales are any indication, the iPad is going to be an international sensation very quickly. Since its launch in the US less than one month ago, the iPad has sold over 1 million models. This huge number has taken the tech world by storm, making the iPad one of the industry’s fastest selling new gadgets. In contrast, the iPod took 74 days to reach the 1 million mark when it first launched. In addition, buyers have downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store, which they can conveniently connect to via the iPad’s web browsing option.

These nine countries are just the beginning of the company’s quest for global domination for their new tablet. In July, Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore will enter the scene as countries where the iPad can be purchased.

So how much is an iPad going to cost? Apple posted prices for consumers in the UK. Wi-Fi only versions will cost £429 for the 16GB model, £499 for the 32GB model and £599 for the 64GB model. Apple’s 3G iPads will start at £529 for the 16GB version, with prices going to £699 for the 64GB option. In the UK, consumers will be able to purchase iPads thorugh Apple Stores and some Apple resellers. Orange, O2 and Vodafone will be offering iPad dedicated data plans, but the cost for the 3G plan is still unknown.

This international launch could prove to be pivitol for the tablet’s success. While it has been incredibly popular in the US, in order to revolutionize compuitng, as some say it might do, the device must become internationally popular. Apple is banking that the depand for the product on May 28 will be as strong as it was when it launched in the US on April 3.