Australia

Australia is the world’s smallest continent which is almost completely surrounded by ocean expanses. It is the sixth largest country in the world. Australia is lying south-east of Asia, between the Pacific and Indian oceans.

The east coast of Australia was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770. The name of the country comes from Latin word “australis” which means southern. Its total area is 7,692,208 sq.km. The population of the country is over 20 mln. people.

The continent of Australia is divided into four general topographic regions: a low, sandy eastern coastal plain, the eastern highlands, the central plain, and the western plateau.

Although Australia has a wide diversity of climatic conditions, the climate of Australia is generally warm and dry, with no extreme cold and little frost. It changes from comfortably mild in the south to hot in the central part and north. Australia is situated in the southern hemisphere and that’s why January is the hottest month in this country.

Australia is an amazing country; it has a great variety of flora and fauna. The animals in Australia have a lot of original, for example, dingoes (wild dogs), koala bears, kangaroos, cockatoos, emus and many others.

The Commonwealth of Australia is the official name of the country. The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of states. The Australian federation was formed on January 1, 1901, from six former British colonies, which thereupon became states.

Australia has six states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Each state has its own government. There are two territories in Australia: the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

Australia is a constitutional monarchy like Great Britain. Queen of Great Britain is the Queen of Australia and the head of the state. But she serves mainly as a symbol of long historical ties between Great Britain and Australia.

The nation is administered under written constitution. The Australian constitution combines the traditions of British parliamentary monarchy with important elements of the US federal system.

Powers of the federal government are enumerated and limited. The government consists of the British sovereign and the Australian Parliament. The Australian Parliament has two legislative houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The capital of the country is Canberra. Canberra became the capital in 1927; it is the seat of the Federal Government. Canberra is located in the southeast between the larger and more important economic and cultural centres of Sydney and Melbourne. Moreover, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and others are the ports of the country.

Australia has national flag consisting of a dark blue field (background) with the Union Jack in the canton and six white stars. The new flag was recognized by law on February 14, 1954, when it was approved by the British sovereign.

The official language of the country is English. The fundamental unit of Australian money is the Australian dollar ($A).

Australia is one of the world’s most developed countries. It is the world’s leading producer of wool, wheat and bauxite (the ore from which aluminium is made).

Australia produces and exports large amounts of minerals and farm goods. Income from the export enables Australians to have high standard of living.