Capital:
Canberra
Population: 20,090,437
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian
Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Climate:generally arid to semiarid; temperate in
south and east; tropical in north
Terrain:mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile
plain in southeast
National holiday:Australia Day, 26 January
(1788)
Festivals Celebrated: Australia Day, Anzac
Day
Australia is a continent and a country. It is known as the land
down under because it is below the equator.
It is one of the seven continents of the world.
The first people to live in Australia were aborigines (aboriginal
means first). They were like our Native Americans. They inhabit
Australia even today. Some live on reservations, some live on
ranches (called stations or property) or in cities.
Australia is made up of six states and two territories. The middle part of the country is called the outback. The outback does not get very much rain and therefore is very dry. Australians generally rear sheep in the outback.Not very many people live in the outback.
January and February are the warmest months.June and July are the coldest months, with an average July temperature of about 50° F, except in the Australian Alps, where temperatures average 35° F.
The most famous animals in Australia are marsupials. A marsupial is a mammal that has a pouch to carry its young. Some kangaroos can jump 30 feet. The koala sometimes stays in the same tree for days.
One of the remarkable feature of Australia is The Great Barrier Reef. It is made up of coral and algae. Coral are tiny invertebrate animals. The Great Barrier Reef is about 1250 miles long. There is a channel of water that separates the reef from the Queensland coast. It is the largest deposit of coral in the world. It is also the world's largest living structure with spectacular beauty.
Captain James Cook claimed Australia for England in 1770. It was first used as a prison colony by the English. The first free settlers landed in Sydney in 1793. Today Sydney is Australia's largest city. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most unique buildings in the world.
Australia's national sport is Cricket.Rugby and soccer are also extremely popular. Australia is also famous for the boomerang. The aborigines used the boomerang as a weapon.
