6. Australia

6. AUSTRALIA

• the official name is Commonwealth of Australia

• its capital city is Canberra

• the official language is English

• their currency is called Australian dollar

• the head of the state is the monarch of the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II.

  • she is represented by the Governor General

• Australia is famous for its wildlife and animals → kangaroo, koala, sheep, Tasmanian devil

GEOGRAPHY AND WEATHER

• Australia is a continent on the southern hemosphere between the Indian and Pacific oceans

• it’s made of 6 states and 2 territories → Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory

• the centre of Australia is a desert

• Australia’s climate is quite different from the rest of the world

  • in the north there are tropical regions with heavy rain

  • the south has hot summers and cool winters

• Australia’s the highest mountain is Mount Kosciuszko and the longest river is the Murray River

POLITICAL SYSTEM

• Australia is a federal state and a part of the British Commonwealth

• the head of the state is the monarch of the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II.

  • she is represented by the Governor General

• the most powerful position has the government which is led by the prime minister

  • the government in individual states is led by the premier

• the parliment has its seat in Canberra

  • and is consisted of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives

FLAG

• the Australian flag is dark blue with the flag of the United Kingdom in the upper left corner

• in the lower left corner there is one star known as the Commonwealth Star

• the rest 5 stars on the flag represent the Southern Cross constellation

SPORT

• cricket is the most popular summer sport

• other popular sports are rugby, football, soccer and surfing

FAMOUS PEOPLE

• NICOLE KIDMAN and CHRIS HAMSWORTH – actors

• CATHY FREEMAN – sprinter

PLACES OF INTEREST

• CANBERRA

  • is the capital city of Australia

  • it is unusual city because it was entirely planned and desined by an American architect

  • the city has geometric shapes like triangles and squares

  • in the centre of the city there is an man-made lake with The Captain James Cook Memorial Water Jet

  • Canberra is a political centre

    • on Capital Hill you can find the new Parliament House

• SYDNEY

  • is the largest and oldest city in Australia

  • one of the most famous buildings is the Sydney Opera House

  • another famous place f.ex. is Sydney Haurbor Bridge

  • the Rock is the historic part of Sydney with buidings from 18th century

• MELBOURNE

  • is Australia’s second largest city

  • it is also Australia’s cultural capital because of many musicans and comediants started there

• ULURU (AYERS ROCK) – is large sandstone rock formation

• THE GREAT BARRIER REEF – is the world’s lagest coral reef