AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

AUSTRALIA Area: 7,686,850 sq km Population: 20 milion Capital: Canberra

Geography It is situated in the southern hemisphere Surrounded by three oceans; The Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean. The smallest continent in the world, but the world‘s sixth largest country

Geography Usually flat, but there are some mountains - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Along the eastern coast are the Australians Alps – the hightest top of the continent Mount Kosciuszko but the highest peak of the Australian state is Mawson Peak that lies on the Heard Island (500 meters higher) Longest river – the Murray Rivers Big lakes: Lake Eyre, Lake Torrens, Lake Gairdner

Climate Different climate from the rest of the world -> the driest inhabited continent on earth The centre of the country has one of the lowest rainfall rates in the world

Animals Kangaroo – the emblem of Australia Koala bear Dingo Tasmanian devil

History Original Australians – Aborigenes Different languages and cultures varied between the groups, depending on which part of the country they lived in

1606 – European explorers discovered the huge island 1770 – British Captain James Cook – mapped Australian‘s eastern coast (the first who claim the coutry for Britain) The British decided to use it as a peal colony (to keep prisoners here) 1788 – 11 ships carrying 1500 people (mostly convicts) arrived in what is now known as Sydney

Political system The official title is The Commonwealth of Australia and it is a dominion of the United Kingdom Democratic, federal system The official head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor General Actual power is exercised by the Parliament and the Prime Minister The Federal Parliament has its seat in the capital city of Canberra and is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives

The Commonwealth of Australia consists of 6 states – New South Wales (capital Sydney), Victoria (capital Melbourne), Queensland (capital Brisbane), South Australia (capital Adelaide), Western Australia (capital Perth), Tasmania (capital Hobart), and 3 territories – the Northern Territory, Coral Sea Islands Territory and Australian Capital Territory

Capital city is Canberra, but the oldest and biggest is Sydney Sydney – The Olympic games took place there – The Sydney Opera House – The Harbour Bridge Brisbane – the third largest city Melbourne – one of the most beautiful cities – swim with doplhins – a lot of museums, galleries, parks

Close to the southeast coast of Australia lies the Great Barrier Reef -the largest coral reef in the world Over 2000 kilometers long Home a lot of sea creatures

Flag Dark blue The upper left hand corner – flag of the United Kingdom The lower left hand corner – a seven pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star, each of the star‘s points represents one of the six sovereign states, and the seventh point represents all of the territories Rest of the flag – the Southern Cross constellation (it can only be seen in the southern hemisphere)

NEW ZEALAND Area: 268,680 sq km Population: 4 million Capital: Wellington

Geography In the Southern Hemisphere Island country In the southwestern Pacific Ocean NZ consists of two main islands – the North and South and many others small islands The North Island – famous for hot springs, geysers and watering places The South Island – the highest peak Mt. Cook

Geography Largest natural lake – The Taupo (on the North Island) Four main cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin) Lots of specific species of animals and plants (kiwi, kakapo..) Popular sports – golf, tennis, cricket, rugby An agricultural country, it is the second largest exporter of wool in the world

Climate A lot of sun and it often rains there Mild and temperate maritime climate

People About 4 million Density is much higher than in Australia Most of people live in urban areas Official language is English but some people still speak Maori New Zealenders are known for being friendly and easygoing

History The Maoris and Polynesian group reached NZ in the middle of 14th century The first Europeans were Abel Tasman (the Dutch navigator, discovered it in 1642) and James Cook (mapped the two main islands in 1769) In the 19th century visited by sealers and whalers the Treaty of Waitangi (British rule acknowledged, full British citizenship for the Maoris) became a dominion granted full independence

Political system Independent member of the Commonwealth Constitutional monarchy in which the British monarch is the formal head of state Queen Elizabeth II represented by Governor General (for 5 years) The parliament has only one chamber - the House of Representatives 1895 voting rights given to women Prime Minister is the head of the government Two major parties – National and Labour

Flag Dark blue color In the top-left: a small Union Jack, the flag of Great Britain The four five-pointed red stars represents the Southern Cross star formation that is found in the Southern Hemisphere