The Commonwealth of AUSTRALIA
The capital of Australia is Canberra.
The continent is south of the Equator.
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal state within the Commonwealth. Its territories are the continent of Australia, the island of Tasmania and a number of smaller islands. It has an area of about 8 million square kilometres.
It is the worlds largest island and its smallest continent.
History of Australia The east coast of Australia was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770.
The continent of Australia is mostly a great plain with mountains in the east and south-east.
Much of the land is a useless desert. Great deserts cover nearly square kilometres.
Most of the continent is sunny most of the year.
Severe droughts, floods and cyclones happen very often on the continent. The people suffer from limited fresh water.
The tropical forests are displaced by savanna or grassland. In the south-east and on the sides of the mountains there are forests of eucalyptus and other evergreen trees.
WILD LIFE OF AUSTRALIA
THE STRANGE WORLD OF AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS Australia has been called the land of differences and the continent of contrasts. There are many ways in which it is different from other countries. The first thing most people think of are the strange native animals