Australia and New Zealand

LEGISLATIVE

• two chambered parliament - House of Representatives

- Senate

EXECUTIVE

• federal executive council

JUDICIAL

• High Court of Australia

• other Federal Courts

6. PEOPLE AND LANGUAGES

• about 25 million inhabitants

• main and official language is English, however more than 200 languages are spoken throughout the country

• about 70 % of the population lives in the country’s large cities such as Sydney and Melbourne

• currency Australian dollar

7. SPORT

• most popular summer sport is cricket, other sports are rugby and soccer

• Australia has ideal conditions for divers and surfers

8. CITIES AND PLACES OF INTEREST

CANBERRA

• capital city

• located between Sydney and Melbourne

• political centre - headquarters of government

• many of the main Australian institutions

• Canberra in language of Natives means meeting place

• in Canberra you can find the Parliament House on Capital Hill or the Australian War Memorial, which commemorates Australian soldiers who died in wars all over the world

SYDNEY

• the largest and oldest city in Australia

• capital of New South Wales

• the city was built on the hills around Port Jackson, known as Sydney Harbour

• popular tourist destination because of its pleasant climate

• Sydney Opera House - designed by Danish architect, opened in 1973, 5 performance areas

• Sydney Harbour Bridge - the 5th largest steel arch bridge in the world, it stretches over a kilometre, visitors can climb over it and admire the view of the harbour and the Opera House

• The Rocks - historic part of Sydney with buildings from 18th century

• Bondi Beach - the most famous beach in Sydney

MELBOURNE

• the 2nd largest city

• capital of Victoria province

• Australia’s culture capital

• the largest tram network in the world

• 3 major international sport events - Australian Open (tennis tournament), Melbourne Cup (horse racing) and Australian Grand Prix (Formula One)

9. INDUSTRY

• over 70 % of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is service industry

• Australia is an exporter of beef, lamp, wood, sugar, fruit and vegetables

• the main industries are iron, steel, textiles, gold and silver

New Zealand

1. LOCATION AND BORDERS

• located in the South Pacific

• New Zealand consists of 2 main islands - North Island and South Island

• over 700 small islands

• the country is quite isolated - situated 2 000 km from east of Australia

2. PARTS AND SYMBOLS

• 1st main island - North Island

• 2nd main island - South Island

• the South Island is bigger than the North Island

• between the islands the Cook Strait

• Cook Strait - 22 kilometres wide, considered as the most dangerous waters in the world, named by James Cook and connects Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean

SYMBOLS

• flag - royal blue background with a small Union Jack (the flag of Great Britain) in the top left corner

- in the right side are four five-pointed red stars represent the Southern Cross star formation that is found in the Southern Hemisphere

• state emblem - Coat of Arms of New Zealand

• national anthems - God Defend New Zealand and God Save The Queen

• national animal - bird Kiwi