Common Nouns

AUSTRALIA

Australia [Os’treiljq]

Canberra [‘kqenbqrq]

New South Wales [weilz]

Victoria [vik’tOriq]

Queensland [‘kwJnzlqnd]

Tasmania [tqez’meiniq]

Sydney [‘sidni]

Melbourne [‘melbqn]

Brisbane [‘brizbqn]

Adelaide [‘qedqleid]

Perth [pWT]

Hobart [‘houbRt]

Darwin [‘dRwin]

Official name: Commonwealth of Australia.

Status: independent federative state within the Commonwealth headed by the British Queen.

Flag: retains in addition to the Southern Cross a miniature Union Jack in the top left-hand corner.

Coat of arms: kangaroo and ostrich.

National colors: gold, white and bright green.

Population: 19, 000, 000.

Capital: Canberra.

Location: Australia is an island continent located in the Southern Hemisphere south of Asia washed by three oceans and four seas.

Climate: about 40% of the continent is in the tropics. The climate is tropical in the north with heavy rain in summer (December to February); the southeast coast and the southwest area of Queensland have a Mediterranean climate with moderate rain. The rest of the continent is dry. Much of the west is semi-desert or desert.

Nature: Australia has animals and plants found nowhere else. The native animals include some of the strangest mammals on earth such as the kangaroo, koala, wombat which carry their young in stomach pouches. There are also ant-eating echidna, the Dingo or wild dog and many others. Australia must also be the bird lover’s paradise. Bird life includes a great variety of parrots, lyrebird and brush turkey. You can also find fish in its waters that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

History: Australia was discovered by the Portuguese in the XVI century. The land was unattractive and the continent remained undisturbed until 1770 when the English navigator Captain James Cook chartered almost the entire eastern coast, named region around it New South Wales and claimed it for Great Britain. Eighteen years later the first settlement was established at Port Jackson, the site of the present city of Sydney.

The years 1820-1850 were a period of consolidation and expansion. Gradually the interior was explored and settlements were started up. Wheat growing was introduced. Still more important was the rapid expansion of the sheep industry because of the increasing demand for raw wool for the English textile mills.

The 1830-1840s were the great age of squatters, migratory pastoralists. The gold rush of 1850-1851 encouraged many settlers to come. Gold enticed adventurers from all parts of the world. Six colonies were founded: New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia. Victoria and Queensland.

Government: the head of the state is Queen of Britain. The Queen is represented by Governor General. The head of the government is the Prime Minister. Federal Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. There are 60 Senators elected for a 6-year term and 125 members of the House of Representatives elected every three years. There are 6 states and 2 territories. Each state is headed by a governor.

Ethnic composition: the population is mainly of British origin. But the arrival of more than two million immigrants since World War II most of them from Greece and Italy has altered the character of the population. The normally free immigration, however, is administered so that only white people are allowed to enter the country and the immigration policy is based on the “White Australia” concept. The Australian Aborigines are an ancient people with a rich cultural inheritance. But the are a dying race. Alcohol is one of the biggest killers. They suffer from the highest rate of leprosy attack in the world.

Language: English, Aboriginal languages.

Currency: dollar

Economy: Australia is one of the ten foremost countries in terms of its level of economic development. The two pillars are agriculture and mining industry. Sheep farming was the first form of agriculture developed in Australia, now it has 15% of the world’s sheep and produces 25% of the world’s wool. It is followed by coal. meat and wheat. Major mineral deposits include coal, copper, iron ore, gold, silver, tin and uranium.

The largest cities: while Australia is one of the most sparsely populated countries of the world two of its cities Sydney and Melbourne rank among the 40 largest in the world. The other big cities are Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Darwin.

Canberra is the capital of Australia. It is situated in the northwest part of the Australian Capital Territory on the Molongo River. It is the seat of Parliament and the other branches of government. Canberra is often called the Garden City of Australia.

Sydney: “The Queen City of the South”. It is the largest city and port of Australia, capital of New South Wales on the Pacific ocean at the mouth of the Parramatta River. Sydney is the chief commercial and industrial center of all Australia. In addition to being the commercial focus of Australia and New South Wales, Sydney is a principal center of government and culture. The seat of the state government is located there. Taronga Park zoo and aquarium has birds and animals from all continents. Sydney also has the Art Gallery, the State Conservatorium, a symphony orchestra, an opera House and several theatres. The University of Sydney is Australia’s oldest university. The Sydney area is famous for its sandy beaches attracting tourists for swimming and surf-boarding.

Melbourne: it is the second largest city of Australia and the capital and the chief port of Victoria on the north bank of the Yarra River. As the financial center of Victoria, Melbourne has numerous banks and insurance companies. Melbourne’s rich agricultural and pastoral hinterland supplies wool, meat, dairy products, fruit and wheat for shipment to world ports and wool auctions are regular features of the city commerce. The cultural focus of Victoria, Melbourne has long been a leading center for scientific research and has often been a base for Antarctic exploration.

Brisbane: the capital and the largest city of Queensland. It is the leading port in Queensland and serves a large agricultural and pastoral hinterland which produces beef cattle, sheep, dairy products, wheat, sugar cane, and tropical fruit.

Adelaide: the capital and the largest city of the state of South Australia. It is the trade and financial center for a rich agricultural and grazing hinterland. Wool, meat, citrus fruit, wines, olives and vegetables are produced in the region. The city is an industrial center of increasing importance with factories for automobile assembly and the manufacture of cotton and woolen textiles, agricultural machinery, furniture and chemicals.

Perth: the capital and the largest city of Western Australia. With the port it is the financial and trade center for a vast hinterland producing gold, wool, meat, wheat, and fruit.

Hobart: the capital of Tasmania. A nonferrous metal factory supplies most of Australia with copper, brass, bronze, and nickel-silver products. Fruit and vegetables are processed and chocolate is manufactured. In 1890 the University of Tasmania was established in the city.

Darwin: is the capital and the chief port of Northern Territory. It was named after the famous English naturalist Charles Darwin. Its climate is tropical. Darwin is famous for its export of beef, rice, peanuts, and mineral ores and concentrates. Prawn fishing is an important local industry.

Literature and Art: Australia has many outstanding writers, poets and painters. Among them the most popular are:

writers - A. Gordon, Tom Kollins, B.O’Daud, K. Prichard, K. Tennant, F. Hardy

poets - W. Wentwort, Ch. Garpur, G. Louson,

painters - S. T. Hill, T Roberts, D. Davis, J.Lambert