AUSTRALIA
English Form 7
Valtu Basic
School
Tiina Tunnel
WELCOME TO AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIA
... is the sixth
largest country in
the world.
... is an island,
surrounded by
water.
... is located on the
smallest continent
in the world.
GEOGRAPHY
• Australia is the only nation to occupy
an entire continent.
• Its land mass of nearly 7.7 million km2
is the flattest and (after Antarctica)
driest of continents.
HISTORY
• In 1788, the British founded a prison
colony on the east coast of Australia,
in New South Wales. As more
Europeans moved to Australia, the
Aborigines were driven from their
land. Australia is still part of the
British commonwealth.
KEY FACTS
• Official name:
Commomnwealth of Australia
• Nickname: “ Land Down Under “
• Australia is also called Oz.
• Australians are also called Aussies.
• Population: 22 million
STATES and TERRITORIES
• Australia’s six states are:
New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (VIC),
Queensland (QLD), South Australia
(SA), Western Australia (WA) and
Tasmania (TAS).
•The mainland territories are:
the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
and the Northern Territory (NT).
CAPITAL
• Capital: Canberra
Canberra
Major cities: Brisbane, Perth,
Melbourne, and Adelaide.
Brisbane
Adelaide
Melbourne
SYDNEY
• Sydney - Australia one of
the World's loveliest cities
with a beautiful harbour
and surfing beaches.
•The Sydney Opera House a World landmark also the
Sydney Harbour Bridge,
affectionately known as the
Coathanger.
SYDNEY
Sydney Harbour
Sydney Ferries
Harbour Bridge
Darling Harbour
CITIES
• Over 70% of Australians now live in
cities or towns. Most of this population
lives in the eastern and southern
coasts, and around Perth in the west.
Perth
THE NATIVE AUSTRALIANS
… or Aborigines, have
lived in Australia
for at least 40,000
years.
The flag of the Aboriginals.
FLAG
• The flag of Australia is the only one to fly
over a whole continent. The small Union
Jack represents the historical link with
Britain, the large seven-pointed star
represents the six States and the Territories,
and the small stars form the Southern Cross a prominent feature of the southern
hemisphere night sky.
GOVERNMENT
• Australia was declared a federation in 1901
and now has a Federal Government, six
State Governments and two Territories which
are largely self-governing.
• The Parliament consists of The House of
Representatives and The Senate.
Parliament House
LANGUAGE
• Australia’s official language is English.
•Australian English does not differ
significantly from other forms of
English, although some slang
expressions are unique.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
• Australia’s national anthem is Advance
Australia Fair.
Australians all let us rejoice
For we are young and free
We've golden soil and wealth for toil
Our home is girt by sea
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare
In history's page let every stage
Advance Australia Fair
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australian Fair...
NATIONAL SONG
• Australia's national song – “WALTZING
MATILDA”.
•It is used at sporting events (tennis, the
Olympics, the Rugby Union World Cup,
etc.).
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy
boiled
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
NATIONAL COLOURS
• In April 1984 Australia
officially adopted green and
gold as its national colours .
COAT OF ARMS
• Australia’s coat of arms - the official
emblem of the Australian Government.
•The arms consist of a shield containing
the badges of the six States. The
supporters are native Australian fauna - a
kangaroo and an emu. A yellow-flowered
native plant, wattle, also appears in the
design.
NATIONAL DAY
• Australia’s national day, Australia Day, on 26
January, marks the date in 1788 when
Captain Arthur Phillip, of the British Royal
Navy, commanding a fleet of 11 ships, sailed
into Port Jackson (Sydney Cove). Phillip
formally took possession of the eastern part
of the continent for England and established
a settlement, now Australia’s largest city,
Sydney.
FLORA and FAUNA
• Isolation of the Australian island-continent
for 55 million years created a sanctuary for
the flora and fauna. Marsupials were saved
from competition with more highly
developed mammals. Birds unique to
Australia also survived, and distinctive trees
and plants developed.
PLANTS
• ACACIAS come in 700
different species.They
have brightly colouredflowers. Some of them
are small desert
bushes; some are tall
trees.
Acacia (Wattle)
Golden wattle
TREES
Eucalyptus
• There are about 500 EUCALYPTUSES, which
Australians call GUM TREES or GUMS.
•Gum trees are among the tallest trees in
the world.
•The most numerous are Forest Red Gum,
Snow Gum, Manna Gum and Ghost Gum.
NATIVE ANIMALS
• THE KANGAROO.
… is Australia's best-known native animal.
… there are more than 50 species of kangaroos
in Australia.
• THE KOALA.
Koalas can be spotted in national parks and
forests along the east coast, where they
climb high up in eucalyptus trees.
• THE WOMBAT.
Wombats live in grassland areas of Australia
and Tasmania.
Small and bear-like, wombats have a large
blunt head and short legs.
• THE DINGO.
Australia's native
dog, the dingo was
first domesticated
by the Aboriginals
over 5000 years ago.
They are different
from domestic dogs
as they howl rather
than bark.
• THE PLATYPUS.
The platypus is found in eastern Australia.
They live aside freshwater rivers or lakes.
They are good swimmers.
• THE SPINY ANTEATER.
The Echidna (also known as the Spiny
Anteater) is an egg-laying mammal that lives
in Australia.
• THE TASMANIAN
DEVIL.
It is a fierce animal
that lives on the
Australian island of
Tasmania. It eats
small mammals and
lizards. The
Tasmanian devil is
about 1 metre long
and usually black.
NATIVE BIRDS
• There are more than 700 different kinds of
birds.
•The birds of Australia
are very colourful.
•THE KOOKABURRA is one
of the best-known birds.
THE EMU.
The Emu is a large,
flightless bird from
Australia. It is the
second-biggest bird
in Australia and the
third-biggest bird
in the world.
LANDMARKS
• Australia’s landscape is different in
different parts of the continent.
• Large desert areas are often without rain for
many months or even years.
• The eastern and southeastern coasts get a
lot of rain and sunshine.
AYERS ROCK
• Uluru - Australia's most spectacular and
famous landmark, known as Ayers Rock.
• The rock is approximately 348 metres high
and is situated about 450 kilometres southwest of Alice Springs.
THE GREAT DIVIDING RANGE
• The Great Dividing Range runs between
the wet and the dry areas.
• The plantlife of this region is colourful and
rich.
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
• Off the northeast coast
of Australia is the Great
Barrier Reef. The Great
Barrier Reef is over
1,200 miles of coral. It
has developed over the
last million years, and
is now the largest living
structure in the world.
• It is home to many
sharks and
thousands of
different types of
tropical fish.
THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN
• Australia’s tallest peak is
Mount Kosciuszko, which is
2,228 km tall.
•It is located in
southeastern
Australia, near
Canberra.
THE LOWEST POINT
• Lake Eyre is Australia’s lowest point. It
is 16 m below sea level.
•Lake Eyre is located in South Australia.
THE LONGEST RIVER
• Australia’s longest
river is the MurrayDarling River, in
New South Wales,
which flows for
4,685 km into the
Indian Ocean.
THE LARGEST ISLAND
• Tasmania, located off the
southeastern coast of Australia, is the
largest island.
FAMOUS AUSTRALIANS
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
MEL GIBSON
A singer and
actress, best
known for her role
as Sandy in
‘Grease’.
Australia’s best known actor
(Mad Max, Braveheart, Lethal
Weapon, Ransom, Payback)
grew up in Australia, but he
was born in New York.
NICOLE KIDMAN
Nicole Mary Kidman
(born June 20,
1967) is a famous
American &
Australian actress.
She won the 2002
Academy Award
for Best Actress for
her performance
as Virginia Woolf in
The Hours.
CATE
BLANCHETT
Catherine Élise "Cate"
Blanchett (born 14 May 1969)
is an Australian actress and
theatre director.
Kylie Ann Minogue, (born 28
May 1968) is an Australian pop
singer, songwriter, and
actress.
KYLIE MINOGUE
SPORT IN AUSTRALIA
The most popular are
swimming, Australian
rules football, golf,
soccer, rugby league,
rugby union and cricket.
Australian rules
football or footy.
Ian Thorpe
Lacrosse is a sport
played by relatively
few people in
Australia.
Two Olympic Games have
been held in Australia; the
1956 Summer Olympics in
Melbourne and the 2000
Summer Olympics in Sydney.
ONLY IN
AUSTRALIA
See You in
Australia!