AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND a short introduction Autorem materiálu a všech jeho částí, není-li uvedeno jinak, je Pavlína Horáčková. Dostupné z Metodického portálu ISSN , financovaného z ESF a státního rozpočtu ČR. Provozováno Výzkumným ústavem pedagogickým v Praze.

Australia The official name of the country is the Commonwealth of Australia. It belongs to the British Commonwealth of Nations, therefore the head of the country is the British Queen – Elizabeth II who is represented by the Governor General (currently it is a female politician Quentin Bryce).

Australia - location The country is located in the south-east of Asia. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean in the west and south and the Pacific Ocean in the east. In the north-east, you can find the Coral Sea with the Great Barrier Reef. In the south-east, you can find Tasmania, which is the biggest island belonging to Australia.

- the climate

Australia - Surface The surface of the country differs in the east and in the west. While the west part is formed by grasslands and vast deserts (Great Victoria Desert, Great Sandy Desert and others), the eastern coasts is formed by the mountain range called the Great Dividing Range (or the Australian Alps). You can find there the highest peak of the country called Mt. Kosciuszko (2 228 m).

Rivers and lakes The most important rivers in Australia are the Murray and the Darling. There are also several big lakes, such as Lake Gairdner, Lake Torrens and Lake Eyre – which is the lowest point of the country.

Parts of Australia Australia consists of 6 states and 2 territories. Each of them has its own capital city. 6 states:New South Wales (Sydney) Victoria (Melbourne) South Australia (Adelaide) Queensland (Brisbane) Western Australia (Perth) Tasmania (Hobart) 2 territories:Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) Northern Territory (Darwin)

Australian symbols Flag consists of the Union Jack in the top left corner and Souther Cross Constelation on a blue background. Australian national anthem is called “Advance Australian Fair”. National currency is Australian Dollar. National languages are Australian English and the languages of the aboriginal tribes.

Australian population and the aboriginal people / aborigines Australia has a population of about 22 million. The population is formed by people of the European origin as well as the native inhabitants = aborigines.

Australian fauna Australia offers a wide variety of fauna and flora. It is rich in different kinds of birds, insects and even mammals or marsupials : kangaroo koala bear

platypus wombat dingoechidna

emucockatoo crocodile weedy sea dragon

Tasmanian Devil

Australian natural resources, plants and industry The country is rich in coal, gold, uranium, zinc, ore and other minerals. Fishing is also very common and popular. Australia is one of the biggest exporters of wool as there are huge sheep farms. Sheep is also kept for milk and meat.

Places of interest – Canberra (capital) Parliament House Australian War Memorial Canberra panorama Australian National University National Library Telstra Tower

Places of interest - Sydney It is the largest, the most inhabited and the most popular city in Australia. It is also the economic and financial centre of the country.

Places of interest – Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge

Places of interest – Bondi Beach Bondi Beach is one the most popular beaches in Australia, it is located near the City of Sydney.

Melbourne skyline

Places of interest – Uluru / Ayers Rock Uluru is a huge sandstone formation that is part of the Uluru National Park. It has a special meaning for the aborigines who perceive it as a sacred and spiritual place.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand New Zealand is an island country that is situated in the south-east of Australia, between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It lies on two islands – the north one and the south one. The geographical conditions there are very similar to Australia (subtropical climate in the north and mild in the south).

The Northern Island The northern island is smaller but you can find there 70 % of the whole population of New Zealand – approximately 4 million. The capital Wellington is also located there. Tourists go there to admire the environment and natural beauties – mountains, active volcanoes, geysers, glaciers or hot springs.

The Southern Island Only minority of the population lives there. The dominant of the island is the mountain range called the Southern Alps with the highest peak Mt. Cook (it was named after the discoverer of Australia and New Zealand, Captain James Cook).

Basic Information The head of the country is British Queen (represented by the Governor General – the current one is Anand Satyanand). The flag consists of the Union Jack in the upper left corner and four red stars on a blue field. The anthem is called “God Defend New Zealand”. The official currency is New Zealandian Dollar. The official languages are English and Maori. National animal is kiwi, therefore the inhabitants of New Zealand call themselves the Kiwis.

Kiwi

Natural resources, crops and industry The country is rich in gold, kauri gum and timber (wood) because there are a lot of forests. Diary farming (sheep and cows) is very frequent, as well as fishing. Tourism plays a very dinstinctive role in the economy too.

Favourite sports in Australia and New Zealand In Australia, people like to play traditional sports, such as cricket and football (soccer). In New Zealand, the most popular sport is rugby.

Všechny uveřejněné odkazy [cit ]. Dostupné pod licencí Creative Commons na WW: SSOLBERGJ. – Australian locationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Australia_(orthographic_projection).svg MARTYMAN. – climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Australia-climate-map_MJC01.png PETERDW. – platypushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Platypus_BrokenRiver_QLD_Australia2.png AMOORE, Jarod. – dingohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dingo_on_the_road.jpg LAIKAYIU. – echidnahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Long-beakedEchidna.jpg HARRISON, JJ. – wombathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vombatus_ursinus_-Maria_Island_National_Park.jpg AENNEKEN. – emuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Emu_showing_feet.jpg MARTYMAN. – cockatoohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gang-gang_female_MJC01.jpg LING, Richard. – weedy sea dragonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phyllopteryx_taeniolatus1.jpg SHANKS, Peter. – road signhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tasmanian_Devil_roadsign.jpg NOODLE SNACKS. – Tasmanian devilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sarcophilus_harrisii_taranna.jpg MOMBAS. – Aborigineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1981_event_Australian_aboriginals.jpg NEATE, Greg. – Aborigine singerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gurrumul.jpg DOLPHIN JEDI. – Canberrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canberra_Montage.png DILIFF. – Sydneyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sydney_skyline_at_dusk_-_Dec_2008.jpg GRIEßMAYER, Jacques. – opera house and harbour bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sydney_opera_house_2010.jpg RABS003. – Bondi beachhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bondi_Beach.jpg DILIFF. – Melbournehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Melbourne_docklands_twilight.jpg LYNCH, C. M. – Mt. Cookhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aoraki_Mount_Cook.JPG Všechny uveřejněné odkazy [cit ]. Dostupné pod licencí Public domain na WW: – crocodilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SaltwaterCrocodile('Maximo').jpg – Lake Eyrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NEO_lake_eyre_big.jpg – flaghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Australia.svg – Uluruhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uluru_(Helicopter_view)-crop.jpg – New Zealand maphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NZL_orthographic_NaturalEarth.svg – NZL flaghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg – kiwihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TeTuatahianui.jpg [cit ]. Dostupný pod licencí GNU Free Documentation License na WW: FIR0002. – kangaroohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kangaroo_and_joey03.jpg [cit ]. Dostupný se svolením autora na WW: HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL. – rugbyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hamilton_03.jpg