Rocks "Twelve Apostles"

origin of name

Even ancient geographers were convinced of the existence of a hypothetical land in the Southern Hemisphere, which was indicated on the maps of those times - Terra Australis Incognita - "unknown southern land". This name was first mapped in the 2nd century by Ptolemy of Alexandria, who suggested that Africa in the south passes into the still undiscovered mainland.

The Dutch sailors, who were the first to sail to this land, gave it the name "New Holland". In 1814, the English navigator Matthew Flinders was the first European to circumnavigate the continent and proposed calling it Terra Australis, "as more pleasing to the ear." But his proposal was not immediately accepted, and only in 1817, the Governor of South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie, began to use the name "Australia" in official documents and invited the British Empire's Colonial Office to accept, which was done in 1824.

Big cities

Flora and fauna

The even warm climate, the variety of natural conditions in different parts of the continent and the long isolation of the mainland contributed to the fact that the evolutionary processes of Australia did not proceed as rapidly as on other continents. Thanks to this, amazing plants and animals that have long been extinct on other continents have survived to this day. Of the 12 thousand species of vegetation, more than 9 thousand are endemic, not found anywhere else in the world. Due to the fact that the climate of the continent is mostly arid, the plants here are dry-loving, among them the most famous are eucalyptus and bottle tree. The tropical forests of the north are rich in umbrella acacias, huge eucalyptus trees (up to a hundred meters in height!), Bamboo, various types of ficuses and palm trees. Eastern subtropical evergreen forests amaze with huge twenty-meter ferns and tree-like horsetails.

Unique animals live in the expanses of Australia, they not only do not exist anywhere else on the planet, they simply cannot survive anywhere else, as they feed on plants that grow only here. Almost 90% of the fauna of the continent are endemic. Of the 235 species of mammals, half are marsupials. On the mainland, "living fossils" - the platypus and the echidna - have survived to this day. Australia is the only continent where there are no ungulates or monkeys. There are two surviving predators here - the Tasmanian devil, a carnivorous marsupial, and the dingo dog. One of the symbols of Australia, the Tasmanian devil, used to live throughout the mainland, but man and dingoes pushed him to Tasmania.

The bird world of Australia is extremely rich, numbering 720 species of birds, of which almost half are endemic. Emu ostriches, cockatoos, cassowaries, black swans, honey birds, birds of paradise, lyrebirds are recognized symbols of the continent.

There are no predators here, but there are many other dangerous representatives of the animal world - there are 65 species of poisonous snakes in Australia. If you see a sign prohibiting swimming, do not neglect the warning - deadly jellyfish and sharks can be found in coastal waters. Blue-ringed octopuses are among the most poisonous animals on the planet.

The appearance of man did not have the best effect on the flora and fauna, many of their unique representatives were irretrievably destroyed. But now, through the efforts of the government, the situation is changing dramatically - compliance with laws on environmental protection is strictly controlled. Many nature protection parks and reserves have been created. It was possible to restore some species of animals and plants that were on the verge of extinction. National parks have given impetus to the development of tourism. In many protected areas, interesting tourist routes have been created that allow you to touch the past of the planet and observe firsthand the life of Australia's wildlife.

Geographic features

Australia ranks last among the continents in terms of area, which is 7.7 million square kilometers. Australia has no borders with any state. The shores of the continent are washed by the seas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Australia is the only continent without glaciers and volcanoes. Most of the country's territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, there are fertile lands in the east and southwest, and in the north there are woodlands, savannahs and jungles of the Arnhemland peninsula.

The most fertile regions of the country are coastal ones. Thanks to the moist sea winds that carry precipitation, they get enough water for vegetation, there are alpine meadows and tropical jungles.

Along the northeast coast, the Great Barrier Reef, a unique landmark of Australia, stretches for 2000 kilometers. Many islands of the reef have become luxury resorts.

There are mountains on the mainland, but they are few, only 5% of the entire territory, and their smaller half are above 1000 meters. In the mountain range of the Great Dividing Range, rising on the east coast, there is the highest point of the continent - Cape Kosciuszko with a height of 2228 meters.

The main rivers of Australia flow through the southeast of the country. There are only two large rivers - the Murray, 2.5 thousand kilometers long, and the Darling, whose length is no more than 2000 kilometers. The Murray is a more full-flowing river that maintains a constant flow, while the Darling dries up during the hot season. The island of Tasmania boasts an abundance of full-flowing and fast rivers.

The south of Australia is replete with salt lakes that do not have a runoff and are filled only during the rainy season. The largest lake is Eyre with an area of ​​9.5 thousand square kilometers. Air is 16 meters below sea level and is the lowest point on the mainland.

Story

The ancestors of the natives, immigrants from the island of New Guinea, began to populate the mainland many millennia ago. The idyllic existence of the natives was first disturbed in the 17th century by Dutch explorers. Europeans landed in the north of the continent and discovered a nearby large island, which they named Tasmania after the Dutch traveler Abel Tasman.

Almost a hundred years later, in 1770, James Cook arrived here. He explored the eastern lands of the mainland, named them New South Wales and proclaimed them the property of Britain. A decade later, Europeans began to actively settle in new lands.

The first inhabitants of the continent were criminals. In those days, England evicted its convicts to North America, but this measure of punishment had to be stopped with the outbreak of the War of Independence in the United States.

The English government decided to use the discovered new lands very conveniently and developed a plan to send convicts to New South Wales. In January 1788, the first flotilla reached the distant mainland. There were 1373 people on board 11 ships, 700 of them were criminals. The newcomers soon established a settlement that later became the city of Sydney. And now on January 26, the inhabitants of the Green Continent celebrate Australia Day.

Over the next 80 years, another 160,000 criminals were sent to Australia. And in the second half of the 19th century, gold was found on the continent, a gold rush began, and more than 40 thousand Chinese emigrants came here in search of happiness.

After the Second World War, the country received thousands of migrants from 200 countries, which made Australia one of the most multinational countries in the world.

State device. Population

Australia is a federal parliamentary state. Formally, the head of state is the English Queen Elizabeth II, but the executive power is concentrated in the hands of the prime minister.

The federation consists of 6 states:

• New South Wales, the center of cultural, entertainment and sporting events.
• Western Australia, which occupies almost a third of the mainland and consists almost entirely of deserts. Three-quarters of the country's gold is mined here and one-fifth of the world's aluminum is produced. The state has the highest median income but also the largest population shortage due to the hot climate. The size of the state is comparable to Western Europe.
• Queensland, named after Queen Victoria, is famous for its banana plantations and the Great Barrier Reef.
• Victoria is the smallest skiing state in the world. The history and development of the state is closely connected with the gold rush.
• South Australia is known for its wine and the fact that this state has never accepted prisoners.
• Tasmania, nearly half of the state is occupied by protected World Heritage Sites.

In addition to the states, the Commonwealth of Australia includes two mainland territories - the Northern and the Capital. Also a few smaller areas. Half of the land in the Northern Territory is owned by Aboriginal people, it is the most sparsely populated and least urbanized area of ​​the country. The capital territory at one time separated from South Wales, here in 1927 Canberra, the capital of Australia, was built.

Australia is a country with a highly developed economy, the largest exporter of beef and wool, and also exports a large amount of wheat, mutton, and minerals. Accordingly, the standard of living of the population is consistently high.

In terms of population, the country ranks 50th in the world. About 24 million people live in Australia, of which 230 thousand are indigenous people. Aborigines received their legal rights only in the 60s of the last century and they live mainly in the reserves and national parks of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

According to the Australian constitution, none of the religions is approved by law and does not receive financial support from the state. Australians are free to practice any religion and also be free from any creed.

The population density is different. If up to 80% of the population is concentrated in cities, then in other areas the density may be less than one person per square kilometer. This is explained by the fact that more than half of the country's territory is unsuitable for human habitation due to the extremely hot climate.

Australians are friendly and open people, in their temperament the features of puritanical Great Britain are mixed with the cheerful nature of immigrants from America. Locals prefer free style in casual clothes, they are friendly and smiling with foreigners.

Holidays

• January 1 - New Year.
• January 26 - Australia Day.
• Easter Monday.
• April 25 - Anzac Day (Day of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps).
• May 1 - Labor Day.
• July 14 is the Queen's birthday.
• December 25 - Christmas.
• December 27 - Boxing Day.

Helpful information

The national currency is the Australian dollar. Along with paper money, the world's first plastic money is in use here. It is more profitable to exchange currencies in banks, it is important to remember that they do not work on weekends.

From the Green Continent, tourists bring crocodile skin products, the famous Australian ugg boots, original crafts of the natives - boomerangs, spears, ritual masks. You can buy cheap opals here. A variety of eucalyptus souvenirs are very popular with travelers. Many people buy clothes from the unique merino wool. If you buy more than $300 worth of items, you will receive a 9.1% refund on the amount spent, you just need to keep the receipt.

You cannot import food, weapons, certain medicines, products of animal and vegetable origin, wood products, and even soil on the soles. Duty-free you can import goods worth no more than $ 900, 50 cigarettes and 1 liter of alcohol. At the airport of arrival, you and your luggage will be disinfected with a special disinfectant.

Remember - in Australia, spitting in the streets, smoking in public places and driving under the influence of alcohol are punishable by a large fine.

Traffic in Australia is left-handed, so tourists need to be extremely careful. Due to the long distances, the most popular transport in the country is airplanes.

Bus transportation is also in demand in the country.

Railway transport is almost not developed due to the difficulties of laying the railway.

A car can be rented if you have an international driving license, have been driving for more than 1 year and are over 21 years old and under 75 years old. A deposit will be required.

If you go deep into the continent, stock up on food, water, fuel and be sure to take a satellite phone with you, because mobile communications are far from working everywhere.

Be extremely careful in nature - there are a lot of poisonous snakes and insects around, brush up on the rules of first aid for bites of poisonous animals.

The mains voltage is 240/250 Volts, adapters are needed for Asian and European appliances.

Australia has 3 time zones. Time in Canberra is 7 hours ahead of Moscow.

A quarter of its inhabitants were born outside of Australia.

Australia is the most law-abiding country in the world, although the ancestors of many of its citizens are deported criminals.

Low price calendar for flights to Australia

Australia is an amazing continent. According to scientists, this is the oldest continent on our planet, lying on the Pre-Camberian platform, which was formed more than 3 billion years ago.

Due to the fact that Australia was discovered to the world much later than other continents, nature is better preserved here. The mainland itself is located in three climatic zones: tropical in the central part of the mainland, subtropical in the south and subequatorial in its northern part. From the north, from the equator, the winds and waters of the Indian Ocean bring warmth to the shores of Australia. Cold winds often blow from the south, bringing frosts from the coast of Antarctica.

The uniqueness of Australian nature is also explained by its landscape: coastal areas are drowning in the greenery of trees, the center of the mainland is a zone of semi-deserts and savannahs, occasionally interspersed with islands of vegetation in deep lowlands and along floodplains. However, there is little rainfall in Australia, because there are few rivers and lakes.

Mountains are located in the east and southwest. But the mountains are low, not exceeding 1300 meters above sea level, despite their sonorous name - the Australian Alps.

There are currently more than 1000 reserves in Australia, where animals and plants of wildlife are represented.

Flora of Australia

The unique climatic conditions and location of Australia determined the originality of its flora and fauna.

Eucalyptus is considered the plant symbol of Australia. A huge tree has powerful roots that go into the ground for 20 or even 30 meters! An amazing tree has adapted to the arid Australian climate. Eucalyptus trees growing near swamps are able to draw water from a reservoir and thereby drain the swamp. Thus, for example, they drained the swampy land of Colchis on the coast of the Caucasus. In addition, eucalyptus has narrow leaves that are turned to the sun with an edge. Just imagine a huge eucalyptus forest, and there is practically no shade in it!

The east coast of Australia, where it is washed by the Pacific Ocean, is buried in thickets of bamboo. Closer to the south there are bottle trees, the fruits of which resemble the shape of a bottle. Aborigines extract their rainwater from them.

Dense subtropical forests grow in the north. Here you can see huge palm trees and mangroves. The entire northern coast, where precipitation is the most, grows acacias and pandanus, horsetail and ferns. Toward the south, the forest thins out. The savannah zone begins, which in spring is a lush carpet of tall grasses, and by summer it dries up, burns out and turns into a soulless desert. Central Australia is a grassland zone.

But cultivated plants were brought to Australia by Europeans. Only after the colonization of the mainland, cotton, flax, wheat, vegetables and fruits, characteristic of the European flora, began to be grown here.

Animal world of Australia

The fauna of Australia is very rich and diverse. The first feature of the animal world: Australia is home to a huge number of endemic animals, that is, animals that are no longer found anywhere else on the planet. These are, of course, kangaroos and koalas, which are recognized as symbols of the southern continent. Kangaroo alone has 17 genera and more than 50 species. The smallest of them are only 20-23 cm tall, and the largest reach a height of 160 cm. Did you know that there are kangaroo rats, rock and tree kangaroos, and even derby kangaroos? However, in Australia itself, the word "kangaroo" refers to only two representatives of this genus of marsupials: a giant gray and a red one. The rest are called wallabies.

And there are also amazing platypuses, brave flying squirrels fluttering from tree to tree, creepy echidnas, funny frilled lizards that can move on two legs. Wombats and possums live in the Australian forests and are valued for their fur. Flying foxes look very bloodthirsty, although they feed on nectar and flowers. But who is truly terrible is the huge Australian bats. The wingspan of these animals can reach 1.5 meters, and weight - up to 1 kg!

There are also many birds that have lived on these lands for centuries. These are powerful emu ostriches, huge cockatoo parrots, announcing the forests of Australia with their cry. These are lyre birds, whose chirping resembles the sound of a musical instrument and crowned doves. Walking through the forests of Australia, you can hear sounds similar to human laughter. These are the chirping kookaburras, amazing Australian birds that live in tree holes. Many birds are brightly colored.

In the south you can meet penguins, which are brought here from Antarctica. Huge whales plow the waters, which, with the onset of cold weather, migrate north, towards Africa. There are dolphins and bloodthirsty sharks. The rivers of Australia have become home to huge crocodiles. The Great Barrier Reef is the kingdom of corals and polyps, moray eels and rays.

The second feature of Australia: there are no mammals from the class of predators, with the exception of the only representative of this species: wild dogs Dingo.

Europeans also brought domestic animals to Australia. Since the time of colonization, fat herds of sheep began to plow the expanses of the Australian savannah. Goats, cows and horses, dogs and cats appeared.

Australia is one of the most interesting places on our planet! Although most of the country is occupied by semi-deserts and deserts, there are diverse landscapes from alpine meadows to tropical jungles.

The most famous representatives of the Australian fauna are platypuses and echidnas, koalas, kangaroos, wombats and birds such as: emu, cockatoo and kookaburra.

Australia is also home to the largest number of venomous snakes and spiders in the world!

Here is such an inconspicuous, but the most poisonous land snake in the world - one bite of poison is enough to kill 100 people! It's simply called - cruel snake .

The capital of Australia is Canberra. The city is large in area, but there are practically no high-rise buildings, mostly cottages.

The population of Australia is 21 million people, while most of the population lives in the country's largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and their suburbs.

Typical Australians. Seriously!

Today, the majority of the population of Australia are the descendants of Europeans who sailed here two hundred years ago. Emigrants came mainly from England, Scotland and Ireland. Therefore, they speak English in Australia and the flag is similar to English.

The historical population of Australia, the aborigines, today lead a very miserable, almost primitive way of life, not much different from the life of people thousands of years ago. At the same time, the culture and customs of the indigenous Australians have been lost, and huge modern ranches have been created on the most fertile lands.

Australian aborigines.

Australia Day -January 26- Australia's favorite holiday. Throughout the country, costumed performances depicting the landing of the first English fleet are held, numerous regattas and parades are held.

The celebration is marked by numerous fireworks.

On Australia Day, a music festival kicks off in Sydney, and a cricket match in Adelaide. Canberra hosts a live music concert, as well as the presentation of one of the country's most honorary awards - Australian of the Year.

By the way, for Australians of European origin, January 26 is a holiday, and most Aborigines perceive it as a Day of Mourning. As the true owners of the land, the natives consider this historical fact the beginning of the loss of their rights to live as they lived for 40 thousand years. Therefore, Indigenous Australians today are making every effort to restore these rights and restore respect for their culture and traditions.

Australia was discovered by Europeans in the early 17th century. This honor fell to the Dutch admiral Willem Janszon. Before the advent of Europeans, local Aborigines lived calmly and peacefully on the Australian continent. After the appearance of Europeans in Australia, the modern history of this "Green Continent" began.

In 1901, the former British colonies in Australia formed a state called the Commonwealth of Australia. Now this country is administratively composed of six states (Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia), three mainland territories (Northern Territory, Federal Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory) and several external territories.

Geography of Australia

The continent of Australia is located in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. From the west and south, Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean, and from the north and east by the Tasman, Timor, Arafura and Coral Seas. The Bass Strait separates this continent from the island of Tasmania. Off the Australian coast are New Zealand and New Guinea. The total area of ​​this continent is 7,659,861 sq. km.

Along the northeast coast of Australia in the Coral Sea, the Great Barrier Reef stretches for 2,000 km, which is considered the largest coral reef in the world.

About 95% of the continent is occupied by plains. Just to the east are the Musgrave Mountains, the McDonnell Range, to the north the Kimberley Range, and to the southwest the Darling Range. The highest local peak is the Kosciuszko Peak, whose height reaches 2,228 meters.

Rivers in Australia, compared to other continents, are not very long. However, among the longest of them, the following should be mentioned: Murray (2,375 km), Murrumbidgee (1,485 km) and Darling (1,472 km). As for the Australian lakes, they are even smaller than the rivers, and in summer almost all of them dry up.

To the west, south, and northwest are Australia's largest deserts, the Great Sandy Desert and the Great Victoria Desert.

The climate in the north of Australia is subequatorial, in the central part - tropical, and in the south - subtropical.

Population

At the moment, the population of Australia already exceeds 23.3 million people. About 98% of the population of this continent are Caucasians - they are descendants of the British, Scots and Irish. There are also descendants of Scandinavians, Germans, Dutch, Poles, Italians and Greeks. In addition, quite a lot of Australians consider Arabs and Chinese as their ancestors.

In the north of the continent, in the central regions, as well as in the northeast and northwest, tribes of Australian aborigines still live, which form a separate race - the Australoid.

Most Australians speak Australian English. Other popular languages ​​are Chinese, Italian, Arabic and Greek.

Country

On the continent of Australia there is only one state - the Commonwealth of Australia, which is part of the British Commonwealth. The capital of the Commonwealth of Australia is the city of Canberra, on the territory of which once upon a time there were settlements of local Aborigines. Now about 400 thousand people live in Canberra.

Regions of Australia

Topographically, the Australian continent is sometimes divided into four regions - the lowlands, the coastal plain in the east, the central plain and mountain plateau, and the western plateau.

The oldest Australian city is Sydney, founded by the British in 1788. Now Sydney is the largest city on the Australian continent - more than 4.6 million people live in it.

Australia

Australia is the smallest and driest continent on the planet, as well as the flattest of all known in the world. The surrounding seas and oceans have little effect on the climate of the interior, so there is little precipitation.

About half of the country's territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts. But along the northeast coast, where it rains more often, rainforests grow. As you move deeper into the mainland, they are replaced by light eucalyptus forests. Several types of eucalyptus trees grow here. The leaves and bark of these trees are rich in essential oils, which are widely used in medicine and technology.

The fauna of the fifth continent is peculiar. Only in Australia marsupial mammals are found: kangaroo, a small, charming marsupial bear living in trees - a koala, marsupial squirrels and rats. But Australia's main marsupial is the kangaroo. Their cubs are born weak, small, so mothers carry them in a bag - a fold of skin on the stomach. Of the many species of kangaroo (about 40-50), 9-12 are able to climb trees. They are called: tree kangaroos. The length of the animals is about 60 cm. They feed on the buds and leaves of plants, lianas, love ferns, berries, and fruits. Their front legs are somewhat longer than their hind legs. All fingers have long hooked claws, which help them to cling to knots and branches. If necessary, they can jump from a height of 18 m without any harm to themselves.

Only in Australia you can find egg-laying mammals: platypus and echidna. Scientists believed that they completely died out millions of years ago. This is why Australia is often called the museum of living fossils. There are many birds in Australia. The largest of them is the emu, the most beautiful are birds of paradise dressed up like a rainbow, the most amusing mockingbirds. Budgerigars fly in huge flocks. There are no large full-flowing rivers in Australia. Many rivers dry up periodically - they are called "creeks" ("streams"). Droughts with formidable forest fires after heavy rains give way to devastating floods.

In the bowels of Australia there are almost all types of minerals: gold, silver, copper and iron ores, coal and bauxite, uranium, aluminum. Many of these riches are exported to other countries. The most important branch of the economy is sheep breeding; sheep's wool, cheese go to many countries of Europe, Asia and America.

The first European ship landed on the coast of Australia in the 17th century. Among the discoverers of the mainland were the Dutch and the British. From 1770 Australia became an English possession. In 1788, a ship from England landed on the east coast of Australia, carrying several hundred convicts. The British government chose Australia as a place of exile. The convicts began to settle in the continent. And the indigenous people - the aborigines began to be pushed back into the most inconvenient areas for life. Now there are no more than 250 thousand of them. The appearance of Australian aborigines is characterized by features of Negroids and Caucasians: like Negroids - dark skin color, wide nose, thick lips, like Europeans - long wavy hair, a large beard. They are divided into numerous tribes and speak different, but closely related languages.

Aborigines are good hunters, fishermen, they invented the boomerang. Aborigines are musical and skillfully perform their national dances. With the support of democratic circles in Australia, Aborigines are fighting for equality in work and wages, for the right to the land of their ancestors, for the preservation of their culture and identity. Mainland Australia is occupied by one state - the highly developed industrial-agrarian capitalist power of Australia.

Australians are mostly descendants of immigrants from England, Scotland, Ireland and speak English. They are engaged in agriculture, work in mines and mines, at metallurgical and chemical plants, at weaving and shoe factories, and produce cars. In 1988, Australia celebrated its 200th anniversary. This is a significant milestone in the life of a country that enjoys considerable international prestige. The Australian people seek to determine their own destiny by working with their Asian neighbors to ease international tensions. In 1985, the Australian government signed an agreement on a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific.

The country is expanding ties with many countries of the world. . Australians are proud of their history. The names of Australian writers and poets Henry Lawson, Katharina Pritchard, Patrick White and others are known to many nations. The Australian mainland was settled relatively recently, and therefore the country is not rich in ancient monuments. Australians do not have a national costume. They wear European clothes. Many Australians spend their leisure time in the same way as residents of the UK. They go to clubs, go in for sports. The most popular is swimming. Other sports are also developed: rowing, sailing regattas. Even in the smallest town there is always a tennis court. Australians love car racing, are fond of athletics, rugby, golf. Equestrian sports are popular.

Bibliography

Bolshakov VV Green continent in the blue ocean: Stories about Australia. Moscow: Malysh, 1982.

Sakharnov SV How the Earth was discovered. M.: Malysh, 1984. S. 74-87.

For the preparation of this work, materials from the site http://www.5.km.ru/