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Australia

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Australia is the only country in the world which is also a continent. It consists of the mainland and numerous smaller islands lying between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its neighbouring countries include the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Indonesia, New Zealand. By its total area Australia is the sixth largest country. The word Australia came from the Latin language and meant “southern”. Before the first British settlement, which appeared in the late 18th century, the country was inhabited by indigenous Australian people who were divided into at least 250 language groups. The continent was first discovered by Dutch explorers in the 17thcentury. Later, its eastern half was occupied by British colonists. In the 18thcentury the population of the island steadily grew. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by the foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia. Its six colonies formed a federation, which maintained a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy political syste

Australia is the only country in the world which is also a continent. It consists of the mainland and numerous smaller islands lying between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its neighbouring countries include the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Indonesia, New Zealand. By its total area Australia is the sixth largest country. The word Australia came from the Latin language and meant “southern”. Before the first British settlement, which appeared in the late 18th century, the country was inhabited by indigenous Australian people who were divided into at least 250 language groups. The continent was first discovered by Dutch explorers in the 17thcentury. Later, its eastern half was occupied by British colonists. In the 18thcentury the population of the island steadily grew.

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by the foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia. Its six colonies formed a federation, which maintained a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy political system. At the moment the federation consists of six states and several territories. Australia is known to be one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It’s a developed country with stable economy. It offers a high quality of life, health and education, as well as economic freedom and the protection of civil rights. The official language within the country is English. The capital of Australia is the city of Canberra. Other major cities are Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Adelaide.

Although Australia uses a parliamentary system of government, it is a constitutional monarchy, ruled by Queen Elizabeth II. As she resides in the Great Britain, her viceroys present her in Australia. The government of the country is separated into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive power is presented by the Federal Executive Council. The legislative power is presented by the bicameral Parliament. The judicial power involves the High Court of Australia and other federal courts.

Almost half of the continent is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts. For a long time people thought these lands are useless, until they understood that there is a lot of coal, iron, lead, uranium, and other resources. If at previous centuries the economy if the country was based on sheep wool export, today the main industries are connected with oil, radio electronics, food produce, ore mining, agricultural exports. The most common trees in the country are the eucalyptus, acacia and mimosa. There are many unusual animals on the continent, such as koala-bear, kangaroo, and some others. The climate of Australia is mainly influenced by ocean currents. The northern part of the country may experience seasonal rainfalls, while southern part has a temperate climate.