Australia
Australia is an independent nation which retains close constitutional links with Great Britain and gives allegiance to the British Queen, Elizabeth, who is the head of the country and is represented by the Governor-General.
The word “Australia” means “southern land”. The country territory comprises the continent of Australia, the island of Tasmania and a number of smaller islands. The total area is about 8 mln. sq. km. There are several rivers in the country, the largest of them are the Murray and the Darling. The climate conditions are rather different.
Australia is rich in various minerals. The main industries comprises steel, chemical, motor vehicles, food, paper, textile and clothing, oil, gas and light engineering.
Agriculture is the main occupation in Australia. It produces about 2/3 of rural production exported: cereals, wool, sugar, meat and dairy products. Sheep-breeding and cattle-farming are also highly developed in this country.
The Commonwealth of Australia is a capitalist self-governing federal state. It consists of 7 states (Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Papua) and 2 territories (the Federal Capital Territory and the Northern Territory or administrative area).
Australia is a parliamentary system. The legislative power belongs to the Federal Parliament consisting of 2 chambers: the Senate (Upper House) and the House of Representatives (Lower House). The Government is headed by the Prime Minister.
The capital of the state is Canberra. It is an important political and cultural center of the country. Among large and important australian cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. Australia is the least populated country in the world. Its population is about 8 mln. people.
Задание 2. Дайте письменные ответы на следующие вопросы.
1 What kind of country is Australia ? 2 Where is it situated ? 3 How large is its territory ? 4 And what about its population ? 5 How many states and territories does Australia comprise ? 6 What is the capital of the country ? 7 Is Australia rich in mineral resources ? 8 What can you say about Australia as an industrial and agricultural country ? 9 Whom does the legislative/ executive power belong to ? 10 Who is the head of the Government ? 11. What are the main industries in Australia ?