AUSTRALIA

Fast Facts Australia has six states and two

territories Australia is the sixth largest country in

the world. It's about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometre.

Fast Facts

History – Captain Cook (1788) Aboriginal Australians (around 40 000 years ago)

Capital - Canberra, specifically built as a capital city

Population - Around 20 million people (80/20)

Prime Minister – PM Julia Gillard

Australia — both ancient continent and

recent nation — is represented by many symbols.

National symbols are often used to represent a distinctive national identity. Some symbols endure, others fade away and new symbols develop as attitudes and values change.

The Australian Flag

The Great Barrier Reef Includes the air above and the earth beneath

the sea This unique and diverse marine

ecosystem comprises about:•2900 reefs•600 continental islands•300 coral bays1500 species of fish

The reef is between 60 kilometres and 250 kilometres in width and stretches from the tip of Queensland down to Bundaberg (2300km)

Kangaroo The kangaroo first appeared as a

symbol of Australia in 1773 with the publication of an account of Captain Cook's first voyage to the Pacific.

Kangaroos have been known to be aggressive if their young is threatened - hence the name The Boxing Kangaroo

Koala The koala is found in coastal regions of

eastern and southern Australia The word ‘koala’ comes from a traditional

Aboriginal word meaning ‘doesn’t drink’ Koalas spend 90% of their time sitting in

trees and only come down to the ground to move from tree to tree.

Mother koalas carry their young babies in pouches on their front (like the kangaroo).

Snakes and Spiders Australia definately has its fair share of

some of the world's most painful and poisonous creatures. We have deadly spiders, and of the top ten most deadliest snakes of the world, Australia has six on the list

Uluru For Aboriginal Australians, Uluru forms a

part of Dreaming stories. The centre of Australia represented a challenge for colonial explorers, who named the monolith Ayers Rock, after an early colonial official

Uluru

Symbols