Australia

Australia is located south-east of Asia. There are two oceans -The Indian Ocean is west and The Pacific Ocean is east. There are also many islands for example: Tasmania, Indonesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Australia is the smallest continent in the world. It is bounded on the north by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea, and the Torres Strait; on the east by the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea.
Australia is an island continent. Its area is about 8 million km sq. The highest Australian mountain is Mt. Kosciusko in the Great Dividing Range. There are arid areas in the Great Sandy and Great Victoria Deserts. The largest rivers are the Murray and the Darling. There are 3 big lakes here: Lake Eyre, Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner.
The climate is generally pleasant without extremes in temperatures. Broadly there are two climatic zones. In the north, above the Tropic of Capricorn, about 40 percent of Australia is in the tropical zone. The remaining areas lie in the temperate zone. Australia's seasons are the opposite to those of the Northern Hemisphere. Spring lasts from September to November. Summer lasts from December to February. Autumn lasts from March to May. Winter lasts from June to August.  About one third of the country lies in the tropics. Some forests are covered with eucalyptus. The animals of Australia are numerous like kangaroo, koala bear, dingo, Tasmanian devil.
The population of Australia is about 20 million. The density is one of the lowest in the world. Deserts are practically uninhabited. Australian English and aboriginal languages are spoken here.
Captain James Cook explored the coast in 1770. It became a convict colony in the18th century. The Commonwealth was proclaimed in 1901.
Main industries are iron, steel, textiles, electrical equipment, cars and ship machinery. Australia belongs to the top exporters of beef, lamb, wool and wheat. Other agricultural items are barley, oats, hay, sugar, wine, fruit and vegetables. Among the main trading partners belong Japan, the USA, the UK, and New Zealand. Australia has developed as a major industrial power with a high standard of living and has thus experienced the accompanying problems of water, soil, and air pollution near its cities. The country is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions.
 In Australia there are some big cities – Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne. The capital city is Canberra. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous buildings in the world. The Olympic Games were held in Sydney 11 years ago.
The official name is The Commonwealth of Australia and it is a British dominion. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. represented by the Governor – General. The Commonwealth of Australia consists of 6 states and 2 territories: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmanian, The Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory.