Australiathe sixth largest country in the world.

Less than 20 million people live there.

Aborigines arrived in Australia 10,000 years ago.

Abel Tasman discovered Australia in the 17th century.

In the 18th century the British explorer James Cook claimed the land for Britain.

At first Australia was used as a prison. Criminals from Britain were sent there.

The British influence is still very strong:

• the official language is English• cars drive on the left• the national game is cricket

Australia was cut off from the rest of the world for a long time. These animals are found only in

Australia.the kangaroothe koalathe wombatthe platypusthe kiwithe Australian devilthe emu

Australia has some of the most dangerous animals in the world so children have to learn

first aid for spider and snake bites.• poisonous snakes and spiders• saltwater crocodiles• sharks• poisonous jellyfish

The largest city is Sydney.

Harbour BridgeOpera House

Canberra is the capital of Australia.

Most Australians live in the south-east corner between Sydney and Melbourne.

Most of the land (90%) is dry. Australians call the dry area the outback.

There some huge farms there with millions of sheep and cattle.

Children who live on the farms study at home with the School of the Air.

They talk to their teachers by the Internet and webcams.

There is a „flying doctor” service. The doctors come to remote farms by plane.

Australia is a rich country. Australians produce:

meatfruitvegetableswoolwine

Australia is rich in:

goldsilverironcoppercoal diamondsopal

The Great Barrier Reefis one of the seven natural wonders of the world.