Australia is a country that we read about with rapture in childhood, and when we grow up, we try to find any possible - both conceivable and completely unbelievable - ways to visit this land at least once in a lifetime. Only here you can meet unprecedented animals, stand by funny trees, swim in the sea, watching the bustle of rainbow coral fish.
And what do we know about this continent, its climate, history, symbols, traditions and culture? If you look, it turns out that not so much. School textbooks on geography tell, first of all, that Australia is a country that can be found without any problems in the southeastern part of the map. It is so large that there will definitely not be any problems with recognition. But this, you see, is so little for a huge continent.
This article will not only acquaint readers with the most important information, it will make them fall in love with this country enough to start saving money for a trip.
Section 1. General Description
Pick up a globe and look closely. As you know, Australia is a continent located in the lower part of the layout of the earth, approximately southeast of the capital of the Russian Federation. From all sides it is washed by warm waters, which has a beneficial effect on both the economic and environmental situation of the country. By the way, one cannot fail to note the fact that Australia not only protects its surrounding world, it tries to increase it in every possible way, creating almost unique conditions for representatives of the local flora and fauna.
For several decades of its independent existence, the state, as they say, perked up, and now plays an important role in the world. The standard of living in the region is considered one of the highest on the planet, and thanks to clean air and rivers, people here are rarely prone to bronchial diseases.
Section 2. Discovery of Australia
Today, based on historical facts, we can say with confidence that the first people appeared on the continent 40-60 thousand years ago, i.e. at a time when Tasmania and New Guinea were still part of the mainland.
The official discovery of Australia took place in 1606, when the famous navigator Willem Janszoon arrived at its shores on his ship called the Dyfken. Then Australia was called New Holland and for some time came under the control of the Netherlands. In fact, the Dutch never settled these territories.
Later, a whole string rushed to the continentresearchers. Among them, the most famous are Louis Vaes de Torres (1606), Derk Hartog (1616), Frederic de Houtman (1619), Abel Tasman (1644) and James Cook (1770). As a result of these campaigns, a detailed map of the country was compiled and some islands were discovered Australia.
From 1788 to 1901, the continent almost completely became dependent on the British Kingdom. Europeans formed colonies, built buildings, tried to establish production, undertook the construction of a railway that ran through the entire mainland. As if there were positive changes, live and rejoice, and the indigenous population continued to die out, having sharply decreased in numbers. There were several main reasons. First of all, of course, this happened as a result of various kinds of epidemics that suddenly broke out all over the mainland due to diseases imported by Europeans, to which local residents, respectively, had no immunity.
However, in some parts of the country, events could be observed that now could easily fall under the category of genocide of the local population. The fact is that the whites who arrived in Australia very often took the kids by force from the natives. At the same time, the goals were pursued very different: someone tried, in accordance with the fashion of that time, to adopt or adopt a dark-skinned child, in order to then take him with him to his homeland. Some just taught kids all the intricacies of managing a household from childhood, in fact, turning them into servants and depriving them of a full life.
Australia managed to obtain final independence from Great Britainonly in the 20th century.
Section 3. Australia today
Today, the state is developing from year to year, maintaining and establishing both diplomatic and economic relations with all countries of the planet, yet giving preference to the states of the Pacific region.
The official language of Australia is English, apparently, so local residents definitely do not have problems with communication at the level of the world community. The closest business ties are maintained with the US, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. In addition, Australia actively provides assistance to developing countries.
Section 4. State symbols of the country
It is, of course, impossible to choose just one symbol of Australia. As in our country, there are at least three of them here: a flag, a coat of arms and an anthem. Let's try to talk about each of them in more detail.
The flag is a rectangular panel. The dominant color is blue. Not everyone knows that in general this symbol of Australia consists of three main elements approved at the legislative level - the flag of Great Britain, the Commonwe alth star and the constellation of the Southern Cross.
The number of stars tells about the number of states that make up the state. There are six of them: Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia.
The coat of arms of the country is a kind of shield, which alternately displays the symbols of each of the states. A little lower was the Commonwe alth star. The shield is supported by two animals characteristic ofcontinent - emu and kangaroo.
The national anthem of the country has a very iconic name - Advance Australia Fair, which translated into our native Russian language means "Prosper, my beautiful Australia." In 1878, this song was proposed by the famous artist Peter McCormick. He was accepted on the recommendation of the government of the country, before that the song "God Save the Queen" was considered the official song of Australia.
Section 5. Climate and location features
Australia is a continent that actually boasts of having a completely different climate. Here, as you know, there are nine deserts. One of the driest and largest deserts in the world - Victoria - also belongs to this part of the world. Living here is quite difficult - probably, not every one of us found ourselves in such an area where precipitation in the form of rain falls at most 10-15 times a year, and there is no snow at all. Modern man will definitely not survive here, but the local Aboriginal tribes, in particular the Kogara and the Mirning, consider Victoria their home.
However, the geographical characteristics of Australia does not end there. Scientists say that snow here in the Australian Alps, falls significantly more than the world-famous ski resorts in Switzerland. That is why areas such as Queensland, South Wales and Victoria have been among the most popular winter sports for many years.
The oceans surrounding Australia also contribute to the formation of the local climate,annually bringing abundant monsoons and trade winds to the coast.
Section 6. Terrain and natural resources
In general, it should be noted that most of the country is occupied by deserts and various kinds of lowlands. And only in the east of the country there are mountains, which, according to experts, can be considered not only low, but also dilapidated. This Hercynian folding is called the Great Dividing Range. It reaches its maximum in the south, with mountain peaks such as Kosciuszko and Townsend, barely over 2200 meters high.
The lowest point on the mainland is considered to be Lake Eyre, which appeared several centuries ago at a depth of -15 meters in relation to sea level.
It is unlikely that anyone will deny the fact that the country's main we alth can be considered its mineral resources. In principle, compared with the average world indicator, the country is provided with them 20 times more. It occupies a leading position on the planet in terms of the number of developments. For example, Australia holds the 2nd place in the extraction of bauxite and zirconium, and the 1st place in terms of uranium reserves. Today, manganese, diamonds and gold are being actively mined.
The country also has its own deposits of gas and oil. Of course, they are clearly not enough to establish commercial deliveries to other parts of the world, but the state does not need to buy them either.
Section 7. Fauna of the continent
The most unique nature is, of course, one of the reasonsvisit the country. At first glance, it’s hard to even imagine that Australia today is home to about 380 different species of mammals, approximately 830 species of birds, more than 4,000 species of fish, and scientists identify 140 species of snakes and almost 300 species of lizards. By the way, there are a lot of sea animals here - about 50 species.
Probably everyone has heard about the Great Coral Reef. And this is not surprising, because from the school bench we remember that it is the largest structure of this kind of all built by nature on Earth. The organic formation is 2,000 km long and is located off the coast of Queensland in the Coral Sea.
It is impossible not to note the fact that 80% of these representatives of the fauna you will not find anywhere else on the planet. Although it is unlikely that you will be able to watch koalas, a dingo dog, a kangaroo, an echidna, a platypus, a wombat and a wallaby in the wild. Those interested are advised to visit one of the many game reserves, the most popular of which are Tropical Park (Port Douglas), Hillsville Reserve (Victoria) and Cleland Wildlife Park (South Australia).
Section 8. Animals of the mainland and global problems
Of course, it is the marsupials of Australia that cause the greatest interest among visitors. Why? The thing is that representatives of this species of living beings are found only on this mainland, and therefore each of them can be considered unique.
However, despite all the efforts made by the government and relevantorganizations, their number from year to year still continues to decrease catastrophically. First of all, the human factor is to blame for this. As a result of deforestation, the natural habitat is lost, many animals die under the wheels of cars or are attacked by domestic dogs.
But there are situations when experts cannot accurately determine the cause of the death of unique animals. For example, koalas are susceptible to the rare disease chlamydia, and at this stage, scientists have no choice but to vaccinate each individual animal. To do this, hundreds of volunteer brigades are sent to the forests twice a year.
Australia grows a huge amount of poppies, the cultivation of which is gaining more and more momentum lately. Of course, this type of business has a beneficial effect on the economy, but at the same time it deals a significant blow to the animal world. The fact is that some representatives of the local fauna literally love to feast on poppy fruits, and, in the end, fall into their complete dependence, becoming the so-called drug addicts in animal form. To date, a decision has been made throughout the country to protect such lands from the penetration of kangaroos and other specimens.
The construction of hospitals for wild animals is gaining momentum. Now, if necessary, you can, by calling a special free phone number, inform specialists about a sick or injured creature. Help to the poor fellow will be provided almost immediately. Such clinics, both conventional and mobile,financed from the state treasury. And since the official language of Australia is English, there are almost never any problems with finding sponsors and patrons from all over the world.
Section 9. Flora of the southern mainland
The continent itself, as well as the islands of Australia, has a rather unusual flora. Today, there are almost more than 27,000 species of flora representatives, including several fossil plants, the most interesting specimens of which are the desert sweet pea Sturt, telopea, banksia and kangaroo foot.
Travelers are most often surprised by the local acacia, popularly called the Australian mimosa, eucalyptus trees, cypress pines, tea trees and mangroves.
However, perhaps the most unusual plant can be called a platypus orchid. To a person, the flowers of this amazing representative of the plant class resemble a small and very funny duck. But the male sawfly sees a female in them, which means that he immediately flies towards the mysterious stranger. As a result, it ends up inside a plant that has sticky stems and flower bases. While the poor insect is trying to free itself from the tenacious embrace of the platypus orchid, she, in turn, abundantly showers him with pollen. Having escaped to freedom, the male flies to the next plant, pollinating it, and thereby facilitating further spread.
Section 10. The capital of Australia is the most unusual on the planet
Only the most, as they say,geographically savvy people can immediately answer that the main city of the country is not Sydney or Melbourne, as is commonly believed, but modest Canberra. Why?
The explanation sounds quite simple: tolerant Australians could not give the palm to one of the country's two largest cities for so long that in the end it was decided to transfer it to a third party. Canberra, on the other hand, was chosen quite by accident, as it turned out to be a settlement located approximately in the middle between both metropolitan areas.
Section 10. Main cities of the country
Australia… It is unlikely that this country will be briefly described, and even more so its settlements. One thing is certain - each of them can be considered the most unique corner of our planet.
Sydney is a place where culture is closely and already, perhaps, inseparably intertwined with art and natural monuments. The hallmark of the city, as well as the whole country in general, is the Sydney promenade, walking along which, both locals and numerous tourists can admire the views of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge.
Melbourne is famous for its abundance of shops, souvenir shops, cozy cafes and restaurants. And here you can taste delicacies prepared by culinary specialists from almost every corner of the globe.
First of all, all lovers of wildlife, in particular zoos, should go to Brisbane. This seems to be why there are so many travelers with children here.
Adelaide is a resort town that attracts holidaymakers from all over the world who love snow-white beaches, azure sea surface and gentle sun.
Section 11. Unusual facts about Australia
- Australia is the country with the longest fence in the world. It was built in order to protect fertile land from potential pests, wild dingo dogs. The length of the structure is a whopping 5,614 kilometers. Such a fence cost the country's budget, of course, as they say, a pretty penny, but the only way to protect the cattle raised here from predators.
- Have you ever come across a map of Australia? If yes, then you probably noticed how huge this continent is. Nevertheless, the government of the country is trying to do everything possible, and sometimes impossible, to ensure that the locals feel comfortable and safe here. It was for this that they decided to create a service of the so-called "Flying Doctors". Now, if necessary, specialists can come to the rescue even in the most remote corners of the mainland.
- Australian people very often choose farming as their main occupation. And this is not surprising, because today the continent has the largest pasture on the planet, on which about 100 million sheep and 16,000 cattle graze daily.
- Many years ago, Australia was the place of detention of 160,000 people from the UK. OpeningAustralia took place, and almost immediately ships loaded with convicts rushed here. Not everyone managed to get to the mainland, many died along the way, without waiting for the land on the horizon. In principle, today about 25% of local residents may well believe that their ancestors were convicted.
- Australia is the country that owns the largest part of Antarctica, transferred to it under the control of Great Britain almost 100 years ago, in 1933. This area is 5.6 million km2.
- It turns out that famous kangaroos live not only in Australia. They can be found in the wild in Scotland. Where did they come from? The thing is that their ancestors were once brought to Europe as specimens for private zoos, by banning which, the government practically threw exotic animals into the street. Agree, it is unlikely that someone would hire transport to return the kangaroo to their native land. So it turns out that most of them were simply set free.
