AUSTRALIA

Lying on the southern hemisphere is the driest continent in the world, a destination of many travellers.It is also home to kangaroos and koalas. Tropical paradises as well as dry and very hot areas or hosting the Olympic games 2000 are another remerkable facts about this country. I am talking about Australia – one of the most beautiful places in the world.


Australia is a part of the British Commonwealth. It is the driest continent in the world. Australia consists of seven parts. The whole western part is called Western Australia. In the middle are Nothern Territory and South Australia. The Eastern partis divided into Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The last part of the country is Tasmania, which is an Island located to the south of the east coast. An interesting thing for Europeans is that in Australia the seasons are just opposite to ours. This means that when in Europe i tis a cold winter, in Australia it is hot and sunny summer. If you travel there for Christmas, you will have an opportunity to spend it on the beach with temperatures higher than during summer holidays in our country.

HISTORY

Australian history goes hand in hand with its original inhabitants who are called aborigines. Australia has been inhabited for more than 176 000 years. The Sydney region, which local aborigines call Warrane, has been inhabited for 50 000 years. The west and north coasts of Australia were visited quite frequently by Europeans in the 17th century, but the east coast was first seen in 1770, when well-known Capitan James Cook came here. In the beginning, the whole area was a colony where Great Britain was sending its convicts. Since 1793 the population of Australia has increased. Transportation of convicts stopped in 1840. Shortly afterwards Sydney was declared a city. In 1901 the six British colonies in Australia formed a federation to become the Commonwealth of Australia.


AUSTRALIAN NATURE

Australia has a lot of unique wildlife . We can find there some very interesting animals that do not live anywhere else in the world
for example, kangaroos, koalas, emus or cockatoos.
The larger kangaroos are able to jump over six meters in one jump. The most interesting thing is that their mothers, is some sort of packet, carry babies till they are old enough to live alone. The kangaroo is Australia’s official national symbol.
The cute koalas are now a protected species. They live in trees and sleep most of the time. This is thanks to their food – a leaf from eucalyptus tree – which contains a drug that makes them sleep.
Eleven of the world’s top 15 poisonous snakes call Australia home. Australian spiders are very venomous and their bite is deadly.
Australia’s countryside can be divided into two main areas. One is the inner land that is very dry and sandy. Most of the population is in the second area – along the shoreline . The country is also well – known for its beaches , which is very popular among Australians and tourists. In Queensland, the most popular tropical part of Australia, is a set of coral reefs. It is called the Great Barrier Reef.
CANBERRA – THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL

Most of the people who have only an overall knowledge about the country think about Sydney as an Australian capital. What a surprise to say that even though Sydney is the largest city, the capital city is Canberra. Canberra was chosen for the national capital in 1910 as a compromise between Melbourne and Sydney. A competion for its design won American architect Walter Burley Griffin. Canberra was planned as a garden city of light. The designers from New York designed the present building of Parliament with its towering flagpole. Canberra is a city with public buildings, a wide boulevards and attractive soburbs. The centerpiece is Lake Burley Griffin. The lake provides perfect conditions for windsurfing, sailing. The commercial heart of Canberrais the Civic Center, which offer boutiques shops, restaurants and cinemas.There are many modern and historical buildings. There are also recreational facilities like parks, nature reserves. There are about 8 major festivals held in Canberra every year. The most popular of them is Canberra Festival in March and Floriade Festival in September.

SYDNEY is the capital of New South Wales and the oldest city in Australia. The most famous building in Sydney is the Opera House. The Olympic Games 2000 was held in Sydney.

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