States and Territories

• New South Wales• Queensland• South Australia• Tasmania• Victoria• Western Australia• Northern Territory• Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Numbers

• Population– Increasing at about 17.4% every decade– Over 21 million people

• Language– English is main (around 80%)

• “Australian accent”

• Religion– Majority are Christians (64%)

Climate

• Varies widely• Mostly desert

– 40% is covered by sand dunes

• South-east and south-west have fertile soil• North has tropical climate

– Varied with rainforests and grasslands

• Rain also varies– Frequent droughts and very wet seasons

Animals

• Kangaroo• Koala• Saltwater Crocodile• Green Sea Turtle• Emu• Platypus• Kookaburra

Culture

• Most urbanized populations in the world• Cities are “melting pots” of different

cultures• Aboriginals• Post-WW II flood of immigrants

– Europe, Middle East, South-East Asia, India, and later the Africans and Americans

• Music– didgeridoo

Food

• Breakfast– Cereal, toast, and fruit– Porridge or full meals

• Dinners– Main meal– Common “American” foods

• Pizza, barbecue, salad, pasta, vegetables

• Desert– PIES!!!

Sports

• Australian rules football• Cricket• Rugby• Soccer

– Yellow and green

Tourist Attractions

• Sydney Opera House• Ayers Rock• The Great Barrier Reef• Zoos• Tours

Sydney Opera house• Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue

performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon.

• As one of the busiest performing arts centers in the world, providing over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people.

Ayers Rock

• Ayers Rock is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs.

• It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Ayers Rock is listed as a World Heritage Site.

Great Barrier Reef

• The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 940 islands. The reef is located in the Coral Reef, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia.

• There are 1500 species of fish and 4000 species of Mollusk in Great Barrier Reef.

• From 20,000 years ago until 6,000 years ago, sea level rose steadily.

Fun Facts

• World’s smallest continent, but 6th largest country• The first European settlers in Australia drank more

alcohol per person than any other community in the history of mankind

• The Tasmanian Devil does exist, and it has the jaw strength of a crocodile

• There are 1500 hundred species of Australian spiders• The Great Barrier Reef is the largest organic

construction on earth

Australia, in all its beauty

The End

PIE!!!!!!!!!