Australia. Profile.

Geography. Australia is the world’s smallest (1) and the largest island. It is situated in the south-west of the (2) Ocean, occupying the continent of Australia and an island Tasmania. Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean and on its east coast by the Pacific Ocean and the Coral and Tasman Seas. Australia has a land (3) of 7 682 300 square kilometres and its coastline is 36 735 km long. It is about the size of the mainland states of the United States, excluding Alaska. It is the world’s driest inhabited continent.
History. There was no Australia on the (4) maps before the 17th century. Though a great south land appeared on maps before 200 AD but its existence was proved only in the 17th century by (5) merchants. Aborigines, the indigenous people of Australia lived there for more than 40 000 years. The first European settlement of the continent - by the (6) began in 1788 on the site of Sydney, Australia’s largest city.
Aborigines. Before the whites came, more than 600 (7) of
Australia’s based their lives on hunting, fishing and gathering. The colonisation of land by white settlers almost (8) their society. Though they had no written history, legends (stories) and cave paintings show that their culture is special, rich and interesting.
Population. At the end of the 17th century there were about 1500
Europeans and perhaps 300 000 Aborigines, the native people of
Australia. The population had reached in 1881 -2,25 mln; 1921 -5,44mln;
1945 - 7,4 mln ; 1980 - 16 mm; 1996 - 18 mm; 2003 - 21 mm.
People from many countries settled in Australia, and it has become a (9)
country. Most of the population lives on the coast.
Government. Australia is an independent nation, it has institutional links with Britain and Queen Elisabeth of England is also formally the (10) of Australia.
States. The Commonwealth of Australia has six states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and two internal territories - the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ( ACT ) home of Canberra, the national capital.
The National Flag . Until Australia’s six colonies federated in 1901, Britain’s Union Jack was its official flag but the new nation chose a new design. It has a blue field with Union Jack in the canton. The seven-pointed star in the lower part represents the states and the territories. There are 5 stars of the constellation (11)
Coat of Arms. It’s the (12) which has the badges of the six states. The crest is a seven-pointed gold star on a blue and gold wreath. The supporters are Australian fauna - a kangaroo and an emu.
Fauna. Early in the world’s history, Australia was separated from other continents and its animals have developed differently from them. Australia has about 230 species of mammals and almost half are (13) . The most peculiar feature is the pouch in which the female carries her young. The best known are the kangaroo, the wallaby, koala and the possum, but there are a lot of others, not so well-known, but not less (14).

Do the Tasks:
I. Choose the correct word:
1. a) country b) republic c) continent
2. a)Atlantic b)Pacific c)Indian
3. a) area b)territory c)map
4. a)world b)European c) southern
5. a)Dutch b)Danish c)English
6. a) English b)French c)British
7. a) tribes b)groups c)families
8. a) destroyed b)changed c)created
9. a)good b) interesting c) multicultural
10. a) President b) Queen c) Prime-Minister
11. a) Little Bear b)Milky Way c)Southern Cross
12. a) book b)eagle c)shield
13. a)marsupials b)reptiles c)cold-blooded

merchant купец
indigenous- коренной , исконный
to destroy разрушать
canton верхняя четверть флага
seven-pointed семиконечная
constellation созвездие
shield щит

II. Insert necessary words:
1. It is situated in the (...) of the Pacific Ocean.
2. The first European settlement by the (...) began in 1788.
3. More than 600 (...) of Australia based their living on hunting fishing and gathering.
4. In the fly are 5 stars of the (...) Southern Cross.

III. Answer the questions:
1. Where is Australia situated?
2. What oceans and seas is Australia washed by?
3. When did the Australian continent appear on European maps?
4. Where was the first European settlement?
5. Who are native or indigenous people of Australia?
6. How can you characterize the population of Australia?
7. How many states does Australia include?
8. What constellation can you see on the Australian flag?


IV. Translate into English:
1 .Австралия -самый маленький континент и самый большой остров.
2. Австралия стала многонациональной страной.
3. Семиконечная звезда в нижней части представляет штаты и территории.
4. Поддерживают щит представители австралийской фауны - кенгуру и эму.

The Australian country-study course includes the following topics:
1.Profile of Australia
2. History of Discovery
3. Geographical Data ( Flora)
4.Geographical Data (Fauna)
5.The Indigenous People
6.The Transportation of Convicts
7.The Australian Variant of English