Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continents , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest countryby total area. Its populationis about 26 million.
The capital of Australia is Canberra, which became the capital only in 1927.
The largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
Climate
It has three different climates. In the North the weather is tropical – hot and wet. In the center, the climate is very dry, and the land is mainly desert. In the South, it is mild, with cool winters and warm summers.
History
Captain James Cook discovered Australia in 1770,but the first European visitors were the Dutch. They settled there in 1616. Later, in 1788, the first British settlement appeared in Australia – Britain sent some criminals there.
Economy
Almost one half of Australian territory is occupied by deserts and semideserts. For quite a long period of time it was thought to be useless for economic development. But it is rich in coal, iron ore, bauxites, uranium, lead and many other mineral resources.
For almost a century the production and export of sheep wool was the basis of the economy of the country. Now the most important industries are oil, chemical, ore mining, radioelectronics, and food industry. The country exports agricultural products and raw materials.
Nature
The commonest trees of Australia are the eucalyptus and the Australian acacia or mimosa, the national emblem of the country.
Australia famous for unusual animals: kangaroos, koalas, ostrich, dingo, lizards, parrots.
Australia has Great Barrier Reef with big exotic sea world.
