AUSTRALIA more information on 1-An-Overview-of-Australia.html.

AUSTRALIA

more information on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia http://www.helpforenglish.cz/cz/realie/australia/c2006080201-An-Overview-of-Australia.html

The Commonwealth of Australia

BASIC FACTSCapital: Canberra

Language: English

Population: about 20 million

Divison: six states and two territories

(incl. Australian Capital Territory)

Large cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide

Form of government: constitutional monarchy, practically parliamentary democracy

Head of state: Queen of the United Kingdom

Queen representative: Governer General

Head of government: Prime Minister

ECONOMYCurrency: Australian dollar

Australia belongs to the highly developed countries of the

world. The living standard there is very high.

Chief products

of agriculture: sheep, cattle, wheat, wool, milk, barley, timber

of manufacturing: processed food, beverages, iron and steel, chemicals, textiles, vehicles

of minig: coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, lead, zinc

Exported goods are: coal, wheat, wool, petroleum products.

FAMOUS PEOPLEMel Gibson is an actor, director and producer who starred in

many Australian movies.

Nicole Kidman, actress, has been honored with a number of acting awards including the US Academy Award.

Errol Flynn - hero of such films as Captain Blood, Sea Hawk and The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Kylie Minoque – a pop singer

AC/DC – a hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1973, has been successful all over the world. In 2004 a street in Melbourne was named after the band.

The abbreviation stands for “alternating current” and

“direct current”.

FAMOUS AUSTRALIANS

Nicole Kidman

Mel Gibson

HISTORYThe first inhabitants came from Asia about 50,000

years ago. Most probably they used land bridges. They gathered berries and hunted wildlife. In 1770 James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia. He named it New South Wales and claimed for Britain.

The remote area was not attractive until 26 January 1788 when a penal colony was established. This date became an Australian national day – Australia Day. Thousand of convicts were sent there to do their sentence. Most of them died because of illnesses and harsh conditions.

ORIGINAL INHABITANTSare called Aborigines. They lived in tribes. White

settlers treated them badly and their population decreased a lot during years. Nowadays the number of Aborigines is increasing although they are less educated and more unemployed.

Boomerang

an old weapon

Didgeridoo

Aboriginal musical instrument

Their traditional art became popular and many shops offer boomerangs (old weapons), didgeridoos (musical instruments) and other artefacts.

GEOGRAPHYAustralia occupies the whole continent on the southern

hemisphere. It means that seasons are inverted – summer comes at the same time when winter in the north.

The surface is flat with the highest point

Mt. Kosciuszko (7,310 feet) in the Australian Alps. Mountain ranges are in the west part while the centre and the east is desert.

The longest river is the Darling.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Ayers Rock/Uluru is a sandstone rock formation in central Australia – a sacred place of the Aborigines.

QUESTIONS 11. What is the capital of Australia?

2. How many inhabitants are there?

3. How is Australia divided?

4. What part of Australia is inhabited most?

5. What form of government is in Australia?

6. Who is the head of state?

7. Who leads the government?

8. What is the name of the Australian currency?

9. What are Australian chief products?

10. What goods do the Australians export?

11. What famous Australian people do you know?

QUESTIONS 21. Where did the first inhabitants come from?

2. What do you know about them?

3. Who made the first map of Australia?

4. What was the country originally used for?

5. What Australian provinces do you know?

6. When is Australian Day? Why is it celebrated?

7. Who are the original inhabitants?

8. What do you know about them?

9. Where on the map is this continent?

10. What is the highest point? Describe the surface of this country.