Transcript AUSTRALIA - szkolnastrona

AUSTRALIA
Australia in Brief
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Australia is an independent Western democracy with a
population of more than 22 million. It is one of the world’s
most urbanised countries, with about 70 per cent of the
population living in the 10 largest cities. Most of the
population is concentrated along the eastern seaboard and
the south-eastern corner of the continent.
Australia’s lifestyle reflects its mainly Western origins, but
Australia is also a multicultural society which has been
enriched by over six million settlers from almost 200
nations. Four out of ten Australians are migrants or the
first-generation children of migrants, half of them from
non-English speaking backgrounds.
Australia in Brief
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Australia is the only nation to occupy an entire
continent. Its land mass of nearly 7.7 million
square kms is the flattest and (after Antarctica)
driest of continents, yet it has extremes of climate
and topography. There are rainforests and vast
plains in the north, snowfields in the south east,
desert in the centre and fertile croplands in the
east, south and south west. About one third of the
country lies in the tropics. Australia has a coastline
of 36,735km
Geographic Features
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In land area, Australia is estimated to be 7,692,024 square
Kilometers and the sixth largest nation after Russia,
Canada, China, the United States of America and Brazil. It
has, however, a relatively small population.
Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent
and its outlying islands. The mainland is the largest island
and the smallest, flattest continent on Earth. It lies between
10° and 39° South latitude. The highest point on the
mainland, Mount Kosciuszko, is only 2,228 metres.
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Australia’s highest mountains
The highest peak on the Australian mainland is Mount
Kosciuszko which is 2228 metres above sea level.
Kosciuszko is located in the Snowy Mountains region in
New South Wales.
Australia’s Longest River
 The lengths of the 10 longest rivers in Australia were recalculated in September 2008 by Geoscience Australia
using data from the National Topographic Database. The
calculations confirmed that Australia’s longest single river
is the River Murray at 2,375 kilometres.
Australia’s Deserts
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Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent in
the world. About 35 per cent of the continent receives so
little rain, it can be classified as desert.
The largest Australian desert is the Great Victoria desert at
348,750 square kilometres, spanning Western and South
Australia. The runner up is the Great Sandy desert in
Western Australia at 267,250 square kilometres.
The total desert area equates to 18 per cent of the total
mainland area of Australia
Australian Islands
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The Australian mainland is in fact the world’s largest
island and is often referred to as an island continent.
Australia is also surrounded by thousands of smaller
islands ranging is size from rocky outcrops to some more
than twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory. The
larges of these is Melville Island in the Northern Territory
with an area of 5,786 square kms.
Fraser Island off the Queensland coast is Australia’s fifth
largest island but the World’s largest sand island.
Australia’s Flags
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The Australian National Flag was first flown on September 3, 1901 over the
Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The date is still celebrated as
‘Australian National Flag Day’. Today, the National Flag is a symbol of the
Australian identity and serves as an important part of almost all our national
events.
The colours and symbols within the Australian Flag have great significance,
there are three primary elements;
The Union Jack
The presence of the Union Jack in the upper hoist quadrant of Australia’s Flag
is an acknowledgment of Australia’s connection and history with the United
Kingdom.
The Southern Cross
Located in the second and fourth quarter (right hand side), the Southern Cross
is a constellation of fixe stars that is a prominent feature of the night sky and
only visible in the southern hemisphere. It is a significant navigational feature
and intended to represent Australia’s geographical location.
The Commonwealth Star
This large seven point star is placed centrally in the third quarter of the flag.
The seven points denote the six states of Australia and the combined territories
of the Commonwealth. The seventh point was an addition eight years after the
original in 1909.
OPRACOWANIE
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źródło:http://www.about-australia.com