Australia

Australia is a country in Oceania. It is in the Southern Hemisphere (the southern half of the world), between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Australia is the world's largest island.

Australia has been an independent country since 1901. It is a member of the United Nations and the Commonwealth. It is a parliamentary democracy.

Australia was separated from the other continents of the world many millions of years ago. Because of this, many animals and plants live in Australia that are not found anywhere else. These include animals like the kangaroo, the koala and the platypus.

People first arrived in Australia more than 50,000 years ago. For the history of Australia, see History of Australia.

Australia is a very big country, but most of it is desert. Only the areas around the east and south coast have enough rain for farms and cities. Much of the inland is used only for cattle ranching and mining.

Today Australia has nearly 20 million people. Most Australians live in cities along the coast, such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. The capital city, Canberra, is inland.

Australia is made up of six states and two territories. Each of these has its own Parliament and makes its on local laws. The Australian Parliament sits in Canberra and makes laws for the whole country. The government is led by the Prime Minister, who is the person leading the political party with the most seats in the Parliament. Today the Prime Minister is John Howard. He leads the Liberal Party. The other main party is the Labor Party.

Australia was settled mainly by people from Britain, but today people from all over the world live there. Australia has a policy of multiculturalism, which means that all its people are helped to keep their different languages and ways of life, while also learning English and joining in with other Australians.

Australia has produced many famous artists, writers, scientists, soldiers, and sports men and women. Some of these include Patrick White (who won a Nobel Prize for his writing), the opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland, the cricketer Sir Donald Bradman and the athlete Kathy Freeman.