Australia

Hi guys, I’m Tommy.

In today's video we're going to discover another amazing country.

·                   What places come to your mind when you see someone wearing ugg boots? Alaska? Norway? …No!

·                   What country is associated with the word “selfie”?

You DO think about the USA or China, don’t you? …My answer is No!

·                   Well, I’ll give you the last chance… Hugh Jackman. Where is he from?

If you have no idea, then follow the arrows on the map and you’ll find the way to this amazing country.

Here we are, in Australia … the only country in the world that covers an entire continent, but amazingly it’s also an island! An island continent, fancy that! Certainly the largest island in the world.

The name Australia comes from Latin ‘terra australis incognita’ that means ‘unknown southern island’.

Australia is also called “The land Down Under”, because of its geographical position. It lies in the Southern Hemisphere.

In this country the New Year is in the middle of summer, the middle of winter is in June and the winter months are never cold! Hot winds blow from the north; cold winds blow from the south!!! Incredible, isn’t it?

Another nickname for Australia is OZ. It is used by Australians as a shorthand for “Aus”, which is the abbreviation for Australia.

Australian people call themselves Aussie.

The total area of Australia is about 7.69 million square km. It is the world’s largest island – but the smallest continent.

Lying between the Indian and Pacific oceans, the country is 4,000 km from east to west and 3,200 km from north to south, with a coastline 36,735 km long, making it the sixth-largest nation in the world.

Australia's first people were the Aborigines who came from Asia to Australia more than 50,000 years ago.

The first Europeans on the Australian continent were the Dutch. They named the island continent "New Holland".

In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales.

In 1783, the British Government set up a new penal colony in New South Wales.

The flag raised at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, on 26 January 1788, a date which became Australia's national day, Australia Day.

Until 1901 Australia was a British colony. Now Australia is an independent state within the Commonwealth headed by the British Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen is represented by Governor General - Sir Peter Cosgrove (since 2014). The Head of Government is Prime Minister – Malcolm Turnbull (since 2015).

Australia's population is 24.6 million people. It is mainly of British origin. If you lined up the 24 million people who live in Australia, you would be able to cover approximately 11,000 km.

Most of Australia's population lives on the fertile plains of the eastern and southeastern coasts.

The Aborigines, the Australian natives, represent about 2 per cent of the population. Most of them still live in the desert areas of the Australian outback.

The “outback” is huge, dry and remote inland of the continent with people living hundreds of miles away from each other.

So how do kids go to school? Well they don’t actually go to school, they learn via a radio and get lesson packets every two weeks in the mail. Imagine listening to a radio each day to learn all you need to know!

Some aboriginal people still live in the sacred area around Ayres Rock (“Uluru”), a huge rock formation in the center of the continent.

Canberra is the national capital and the centre of government.

Canberra was chosen as the capital and that’s because Sydney and Melbourne couldn’t stop arguing about which one should be the capital. It is located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Its name means “meeting place”, from the Aboriginal word ‘Kamberra’.

The Australian Flag is based on the Blue English. The British Union Jack is placed in the upper corner. This shows that Australia is part of the British Commonwealth. Beneath the Union Jack is a large white star with seven points. The points represent the six states and the territories. On the right hand side are the stars of the Southern Cross. It can always be seen in the Australian sky at night.

The Aboriginal flag was proclaimed a "Flag of Australia" in 1995 as a symbol of their race and identity.

This is the coat of arms of the country.

Australia has six states and two major mainland territories.

At the top end of Australia lies the Northern Territory. Darwin is the capital. The Northern Territory is home to the famous Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kakadu National Park.

New South Wales is Australia’s oldest and most populated state. Sydney is the nation’s largest city where a unique building of the Opera House is placed. The Three Sisters are mysterious rock formations in the Blue Mountains.

Queensland is Australia’s second-largest state in size. The state capital is Brisbane. It has 300 days of sunshine a year. It’s also home to some of the country’s most famous sights, from the golden beaches of the Gold Coast to the clear blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Victoria is the smallest of the mainland states in size. Melbourne is the capital and is Australia’s second most populated city. The Twelve Apostles are seven magnificent rock stacks that rise up from the Southern Ocean. The Eureka is actually the world's tallest residential tower (and Australia's tallest building).

Western Australia is Australia’s largest state by area. The state capital is Perth. The Kalgoorlie Golden Mile contains the richest square mile of gold reserves in the world. The Bungle Bungles are the orange and black sandstone domes and is one of the world’s most fascinating geological landmarks.

South Australia is a state which covers some of the most arid parts of the continent. The state capital is Adelaide. South Australia is sometimes known as the ‘Festival State’. The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in Australia. The Barossa Valley is notable as a major wine-producing region.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is home to important national institutions, including the Australian Parliament and the High Court of Australia. It has a beautiful artificial lake Burley Griffin.

Tasmania is separated from mainland Australia by Bass Strait and is the smallest state in Australia. The capital is Hobart. The tourists’ attractions are Hastings Caves and Mount Wellington.

Australia is the flattest and driest continent. Two-thirds of the land is desert. In some places it sometimes doesn't rain for years! The driest and hottest place in Australia is the Simpson Desert. Summer temperatures here can be more than 50°C. The Simpson Desert is famous for its parallel sand dunes.

It snows in Australia…yes it really does. In winter they can get more snow than Switzerland.

The highest point of Australia is Mount Kosciusko (2,228 m).

Have you heard of the Great Barrier Reef?

Well, it is the largest coral reef in the world and the only living thing on our planet that can be seen from space!

There are more than 1,500 species of fish and 400 types of coral in the Great Barrier Reef. No place on land has a greater variety of sea life!

Even though there are heaps and heaps of desert, the plant life in Australia is very colourful and rich. There are 700 different species of acacias or wattle trees. The golden wattle is the Australian national flower.

Australian forests are mostly made up of the eucalyptus trees.

This is the Daintree Forest. It is one of the most diverse and beautiful examples of Mother Nature’s work in the world. Just look!

Australia is home to unique animals. Firstly, there are marsupials whose females have a pouch on their stomach for carrying their babies in it.

The most famous is probably a kangaroo.

Everyone loves sleepy, grey koalas. After six months in a pouch baby koalas ride on their mother’s back. They eat the leaves of eucalyptus trees and drink almost nothing. The word koala means „no water“.

Another marsupial who lives in Australia is a wombat. They look cute and cuddly, but can be aggressive.

The platypus, echidna, and Tasmanian devil are also cannot be found anywhere in the world.

The most famous birds are the kookaburra, that sounds like someone laughing, the emu and the cassowary.

Love them or hate them, Australia has over 750 different species of reptiles…more than any other country in the world.

Australia is home to some of the deadliest animals on the planet. If you go there, be prepared! There are 36 species of poisonous spiders and 20 types of venomous snakes. There are only 25 venomous snakes in the world and Australia has 20 of them. Watch your step.

Well, Australia certainly is an interesting country with lots of stories to tell.

Share this video lesson with your friends, and you’ll be sure to wow them!