AUSTRALIA

Australia has got six states and two territories.

It is about the size of the United States (not including Alaska.)

20 million people live there.Canberra is the capital of Australia.

The most representative building in Australia is the Opera House in Sydney designed by Jorn Utzon.

THE WEATHER

The weather in Australia is warm and pleasant.The warmest months in Australia happen when we are having winter in the United States.

Australia The USA

WILDLIFE The most famous animals in Australia are

marsupials. A marsupial is a mammal that has a pouch to carry its Joey, baby.

kangaroo koala wallaby

The desert central area of Australia is called the outback.

THE OUTBACK

It doesn’t rain much in the outback, so the land is very dry and not very many people live there.

THE STATIONS

In the outback, there are some sheep and ranches, or stations.

Some stations are so big that they use planes to keep track of the animals.

ULURU Ayers Rock or Uluru is located in the

outback. It is a sacred place for indigenous people because they think that the spirits that created the world live there.

ABORIGINES Australia’s indigenous people

have lived in the area for 50,000 years.

Now, some live on reservations, some live on stations or in cities.

Indigenous culture Some examples of aboriginal art are bark

and rock painting.

The didgeridoo is a long wind instrument.

There is no written Aboriginal language. Some Aborigine words are: billabong and boomerang.

THE ABORIGINAL FLAGBlack represents the Aboriginal people of Australia.

Red represents the red earth, and Aboriginal spiritual relation to the land

The yellow disk represents the Sun. It gives life and protection.

THE ARRIVAL OF EUROPEANS

In 1788 British Captain James Cook arrived in Australia.

It was first used as a prison colony by the English.

Australia's Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain,

THE AUSTRALIAN FLAG