Australia

Australia is the world’s smallest continent which is almost completely surrounded by ocean expanses. It is the sixth largest country in the world. The east coast of Australia was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770. The population of the country is over 20 mln. people.

The continent of Australia is divided into four general topographic regions. Although Australia has a wide diversity of climatic conditions, the climate of Australia is generally warm and dry, with no extreme cold and little frost. Australia is situated in the southern hemisphere and that’s why January is the hottest month in this country.

Australia is an amazing country; it has a great variety of flora and fauna. The animals in Australia have a lot of original, for example, dingoes (wild dogs), koala bears, kangaroos, cockatoos, emus and many others.

The Commonwealth of Australia is the official name of the country.

Australia has six states and two territories: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

Australia is a constitutional monarchy like Great Britain. Queen of Great Britain is the Queen of Australia and the head of the state. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The capital of the country is Canberra.

The official language of the country is English. The fundamental unit of Australian money is the Australian dollar ($A).

Australia is one of the world’s most developed countries. It is the world’s leading producer of wool, wheat and bauxite (the ore from which aluminium is made).

Australia produces and exports large amounts of minerals and farm goods. Income from the export enables Australians to have high standard of living.

2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. Who discovered the east coast of Australia?

2. What is its total population?

3. What are the most interesting animals in this country?

4. What is the official name of the country?

5. What is the capital of the country?

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Соотнесите две части предложения по смыслу.

A Б

1. The Commonwealth of Australia is … a. English

2. Queen of Great Britain is … b. by Captain Cook in

1770.

3. The east coast of Australia was discovered … c. the official name of

the country.

4. The capital of the country is … d. the Queen of Austra-

lia and the head of the

state.

5. The official language of the country is … e. Canberra.