= an organisation of 53 member states that were mostly territories of the former British Empire-It was formally constituted by London Declaration in 1949-The member states are „free and equal“-- the Head of The Commonwealth is Elizabeth II.-The member states are, for example, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, the UK, etc.

The Commonwealth

• it´s the smallest, and the youngest continent• it´s the largest island in the world• it´s the sixth largest country in the world• population: over 23 million inhabitants• official language: English• official currency: Australian dollar• the capital city: Canberra

Australia

Australia was discovered by Dutch explorers in 1606

British Captain James Cook was the first to claim the country for Britain in 1770.

the British decided to use its new country as a penal colony, meaning they would keep prisoners there.

thousands of men and women were brought to Australia as prisoners until 1868, when the transports stopped.

History

Australia is situated in the southern hemisphereIt is washed by the Indian Ocean in the west and the south Pacific in the east.

Location of Australia

The original inhabitants - the Aborigines – people whose ancestors were indigenous to the Australian continent (before British colonisation)

- the eastern coast: the Australian Alps- the highest top of the continent – Mount Kosciusko-the longest river is the Murray River-three big lakes: Lake Eyre, Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner.-the nearest islands are Tasmania and King Island

Geography

the deserts cover more than 18% of the mainland

the vegetation is very limited there

Deserts of Australia

Great Victoria Desert

Great Sandy Desert

Tanami Desert

the climate of Australia varies widely due to its large geographical size

only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil

the northern part of the country has a tropical climate, varied between tropical rainforests, grasslands or part desert

Climate

The animals of Australia are numerous and some of them, like the kangaroo which is also the emblem of Australia, koala bear, dingo or Tasmanian devil can’t be found anywhere else.

Animals in Australia

the official title is The Commonwealth of Australia

it has a democratic, federal system. the official head of state is Queen Elizabeth

II, represented by the Governor General. the Parliament and the Prime Minister

Political system in Australia

Symbols of Australia

-Canberra – the capital city of Australia and the seat of the government, the Parliament and many government departments-Melbourne is one of the most beautiful city. You can swim with dolphins there and there are a lot of museums, galleries and parks-Other cities: Brisbane, Adelaide, Alice Springs, etc.

Cities in Australia

Canberra Melbourne

Sydney- the biggest city, it lies in the Tasman Sea coast- in 2000 The Summer Olympics took place there

Sydney skyline at dusk Sydney Opera House Harbour Bridge