Australia-The land Down Under

1. Australia-The land Down Under • Kate Yatskivska • Inna Slukovska • Tanya Tsiopich • Kate Burla • Marina Yaremchuk • Elvira Zhvalyuk • Olha Kozeruk • Olga Lusyuk

2. Australia's landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi) is on the Indo-Australian Plate. Surrounded by the Indianand Pacific oceans, Australia is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. The world's smallest continent and sixth largest country by total area, Australia – owing to its size and isolation – is often dubbed the 'island continent and variably considered the world's largest island Australia has 34,218 kilometres (21,262 mi) of coastline and claims an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,060 sq mi). By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid lands commonly known as the outback. Australia is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils, and is the driest inhabited continent. Only the south-east and south-west corners of the continent have a temperate climate. The population density, 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, is among the lowest in the world, although a great proportion of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline. The landscapes of the northern part of the country, with a tropical climate, consist of rainforest, woodland, grassland, mangrove swamps, and desert. The climate is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia.

3. Who Discovered Australia ? The Dutch were the first Europeans to visit Australia. Many navigators found themselves on the west coast of Australia. But the Dutch did not know how far east the land stretched, and in 1642 Captain Abel Tasman was sent out to discover what lay in the east. Tasman sailed too far south and did not see the mainland, but he visited the island now called Tasmania in his honour . No careful explorations of the continent were made for another century or so. Then in 1770 the English captain James Cook named it New South Wales and reported back to England that much of New South Wales looked good for settlement. In May ,1787 , the first group of convicts and a few soldiers ( 11 ships and 500 men ) made the trip from England to Australia .Many convicts earned their freedom and stayed on in Australia. A lot of free English settlers saw the opportunities of the new continent ,several free colonies were founded at the beginning of the 19th century . The six early colonies grew and became states of modern Australia:New South Wales ,Victoria,Queensland ,South Australia ,Western Australia , and Tasmania ( the island state ).

4. Population The population of Australia is about 15 million. Most of the population lives in the cities of the east since the great deserts of central Australia occupy 2 million sqr kilometers. The aboriginal people represent not much more than one percent of the nation’s population but occupy an important place in its culture. After all they’ve inhabited the continent for at least 40,000 years. Some historians even believe that they came here 100,000 years ago.

5. Legislative branch Politics of Australia The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia consists of two chambers: The House of Representatives has 150 members, elected for a three year term in single-seat constituencies with a system of alternative vote known as full preferential voting. The Senate has 76 members, elected through a preferential system in 12-seat state constituencies and two-seat territorial constituencies with a system of single transferable vote. Electors choose territorial senators for a three-year term. The state senators serve for a six-year term, with half of the seats renewed every three years. The Politics of Australia take place within the framework of parliamentary democracy. Australia is a federation and a constitutional monarchy, and Australians elect state and territory legislatures based on the Westminster tradition, as well as a bicameral Parliament of Australia, which is a hybrid of Westminster practices with the uniquely federalist element of the Australian Senate. Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the Australian Labor Party

6. The executive branch Malcolm Turnbull MP, Opposition Leader of Australia and leader of the Liberal Party Reflecting the influence of the Westminster tradition of British government, Australian government Crown ministers are drawn from among the elected members of parliament.[3] The government is formed by the party or parties that have the confidence of the majority of members of the House of Representatives. In practice, this has equated to the party or coalition of parties that holds a majority of seats in that chamber. Political parties in Australia today The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is a social democratic party founded by the Australian labour movement and broadly represents the urban working class, although it increasingly has a base of middle class support. The Australian Labor Party currently governs.

7. National Symbols Australian National Dress Floral Emblem An article from Australia's Culture and Recreation Portal about modern Australian national dress. While Australia has no single uniform national costume, an Australian national dress style, based on specific local dress styles, has emerged in response to climate, lifestyle and identity. Links to online resources are provided. Australia's national floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth). This page contains further information about the significance, history, proclamation and use of the national floral emblem. Australian National Flag This page describes the protocol relating to flying the Australian flag. Includes how to fly the flag, half masting, commercial use of the flag and the history of the flag. It also links to images and templates of the flag that users can download.

8. Canberra • Canberra is the federal capital of Australia /1927/. It is also the administrative center of New South Wales. Its population is 280,000. The city is situated in a wide valley, scattered wit gum trees on the both sides of the dark blue Lake Griffin. The city was planned by an American architect. It is a “cyclist’s paradise.” Canberra is home of the Australian National University and the University of Canberra, Australian’s Parliament/1988/, a National Gallery, the National Library, the National Science and Technology Center, the High Court and the Old Parliament and 75 embassies.

9. Cities of Australia Australia consists of 26 cities, along with the capital city Canberra. Each cities have their own significance, in terms of their, locality, population, tourist attractions etc. Sydney, Australia is the largest populated city in the world, holds a 4,200,000 number of populace within its metropolitan area. Melbourne, Victoria, Brisbane and Sydney are the important Australian cities that posses cricket grounds, for international tournaments. Australian-attraction is incomplete without its beautiful beaches; especially Queensland beaches are famous for both of its eye-catching beauty and dangerous marine stingers. Some of the important Australian cities include:- Sydney Brisbane Canterbury Darebin Gold coast Southern Coast Central Coast Melbourne Adelaide Hobart Melbourne Perth WaggaWagga

10. Sydney is the capital city of South New Wales. Population of Sydney is over 3.5 million. It has few thousands of aborigines. Sydney is Australia’s oldest city. Sydney also is the most modern place in Australia. It is one of the world’s most attractive cities. Its heart is Circular Quay. The famous Sydney Opera House looks like waves when they break on the beach. It was designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utson. Sydney is a city of beautiful parks and an outstanding zoo. Melbourne is the second largest city of Australia, is located on the Yarra River which flows through the city. Melbourne was the capital of the country till 1917. There are some places of interest in Melbourne. They are the House of Parliament, Melbourne University, Olympic Stadium, libraries. There are several parks and often grounds for public recreation, and among these the Botanic Garden deserves special notice because of its beauty. Sydney & Melbourne

11. Economy of Australia Australia is an important producer and exporter of primary product. It leads the world in wool production and is significant supplier of grains, diary products, meat, sugar and fruit. Australia is famous for its sheep and almost all of Australia’s wool has traditionally been exported. Australia is among the major producers of minerals and metals. It is rich in black coal, bauxite, ores of iron, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, marganese, uranium and gold. Most of the factories are situated near big cities. There are five big cities in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. These cities are also the country's main ports.

12. Australian flora and fauna Australia is home to an amazing range of unique wildlife – some beautiful, some bizarre, but all of it fascinating. There are about 800 kinds of birds, among them the kookaburra, emu, graceful lyrebirds, brilliantly coloured parrots and others. It has many species of animals that are unique. This is due to its long geographic isolation. These animals include kangaroos, lions, wallabies, koalas, dingoes, possums and platypuses.