australia english form 7 valtu basic school tiina tunnel

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

Melbourne

Adelaide

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. 

SYDNEYSydney 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 rejoiceFor we are young and free

We've golden soil and wealth for toil

Our home is girt by seaOur land abounds in nature's gifts

Of beauty rich and rareIn history's page let every stage

Advance Australia FairIn 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 matildaYou'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 coloured- flowers. Some of them are small desert bushes; some are tall trees.

Acacia (Wattle)

Golden wattle

TREES

• 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.

Eucalyptus

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 south-west 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 Murray-Darling 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

A singer and actress, best known for her role as Sandy in ‘Grease’.

MEL GIBSON

Australia’s best known actor (Mad Max, Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, Ransom, Payback) grew up in Australia, but he was born in New York.

NICOLE KIDMANNicole 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

KYLIE MINOGUE

Kylie Ann Minogue, (born 28 May 1968) is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress.

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actress and theatre director.

SPORT IN AUSTRALIAThe 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!