Lucie Maliňáková

BASIC INFOCapital: CanberraArea: 7.6 million square

kilometers Population: 22 millionLanguages: EnglishCurrency: Australian

dollar

1 AUD = 18 CZK

POPULATIONthe population of Australia constists of about

22 million peoplehigher population lives in big cities95% of population is of British and Irish

origin the minorities: the Aborigines, Scottish,

Italian and Chinese

ORIGINAL INHABITANTS = THE ABORIGINES

arrived in Australia more than 40,000 years ago from Asia

use many dialectslived in the shelter and they

prefer hunting (kangaroo) or picking food (worms)

DIDGERIDOO – a special musical instrument

body painting used for special ceremoniesnow they are just a minority of 380,000

inhabitantsthey have a lot of benefits, e.g. their health

service and education are free of charge

MAIN CITIESCANBERRAthe capital city with only 340 000 peopleWhy is Canberra the capital city?

It is a compromise between rivals Sydney, Melbourn

SYDNEYit is on the east coast the largest city with 4 million people and 60

kilometres beachesthe famous places: the Sydney Opera House,

Bondi Beach called „The Paris of the Pacific “in 2000 there were the Summer Olympic Games

here

MELBOURNESecond largest city Nation´s financial and commercial centreCentre of Australian football, cricket, horse

racing, tennis and golfMany parks and gardens, museums, galleries,

..

SYMBOLSFLAG

Union Jack: the symbol of Great BritainFederation Star seven-pointed star representing the states and the territoriesConstellation of Southern Cross

COAT OF ARMS

ANTHEM•Advance Australia Fair

GEOGRAPHY It is the smallest continent of the world The highest mountain is Mount Kosciuszko in

the Australian AlpsMany parts of the area are deserts and

semideserts:the Great Victoria Desert the Great Sandy Desert

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef of the world

HISTORYIn 1606 Australia was discovered by the

Dutch and Spanish explorers. In 1770 James Cook discovered and named it

The New South Wales.The Australia was a British colony and

therefore England sent criminals here, but after a while this British colony was overcrowded.

In 1901 Australian union with the capital city Canberra was founded.

POLITICAL SYSTEMAustralia is a member of the Commonwealththe head of state: the British Queen, in

practice the Governor General perfoms all functions in the Queen´s absence

the head of government: Prime Ministersubdivision: 6 states and 2 territories

Northern Territory Capital Territory

Governor-General

Quentin Bryce

Prime Minister

Tony Abbott

RELIGIONAustralia has no state religion67% of Australians are Christian The other: Roman Catholic, Anglican,

Protestantism, Islam,..

SPORTSThe most popular are Rugby and Cricket Rugby has 3 divisions: Rugby Union,

Australian Rules and Rugby League

UNESCO SITES19 UNESCO sites in Ausralia

Sydney Opera House, Royal Exhibition Building, Australian Convict Sites, Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park, Tasmanian Wilderness,…

NATURETypical plants: wattles and eucalyptus

Typical endemic animals: platypuses, kangaroos, koalas and emus

FAMOUS PEOPLEIrwin Steve = „The Crocodile Hunter“an Australian hunter of crocodiles and other wildlifeIrwin was popular mainly for documentary serial The Crocodile Hunterhe died in 2006 while filming an underwater documentary film

Nicole Kidmanan Australian actress, singer and film producerin 2003 she won the OSCAR for the film "The Hours“Films: Stepford Wives, Moulin Rouge, Just Go with It

SPECIALITIESAustralia has the most dusty beaches in the

wordthere are more sheep than peoplePavlova - meringue topped with cream and

fruit

QUESTIONS FOR YOUWhat is the name of the original inhibitants?

What are the most popular sports in Australia?

What are the typical animals?

Do you know any movie or documentary star?