Australia

Australia is an island continent in the southern hemisphere. It is washed by the Indian Ocean in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. The territory is not very big with the population more than eighteen million people. The climate of the country is very hot. The biggest part of Australia lies in the tropical belt. It rains heavily in summer, but it’s very hot, too.

The deepest river in Australia is the Murray River and the Darling is the longest one. In desert regions there are salt lakes like Lake Eyre. The inner part of Australia is occupied by deserts. The most famous ones are Desert Victoria and Gibson’s Desert. In the west semi-deserts turn into savannahs. English is the official language of Australia. There are also a lot of aboriginal languages and dialects in Australia.

New Zealand

New Zealand is situated in southwest Pacific. The country consists of two large islands, North and South and several smaller islands. The two main islands are separated from each other by the Cook Strait. New Zealand is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the east and the Tasman Sea in the west. The territory is small with the population more than three million people. The relief of each of the islands is mostly hilly and mountainous. There are active volcanoes, geysers and hot springs in New Zealand. The highest peak is Mountain Cook in the Southern Alps on South Island. The climate of the country is mostly temperate with moderate rainfall.

The national currency of New Zealand is dollar. The official language is English, but there is also the Maori language spoken by the natives. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of Great Britain as the head of the country. Queen Elizabeth II is represented by Governor-General and the head of government is Prime Minister.

Exercise 1 Answer the following questions.

1. What is the official name of Great Britain? 2. Where is the country situated? 3. How many regions are there in Great Britain? 4. What is the climate in Great Britain? 5. How many provinces are there in Canada? 6. What is the capital of Canada? 7. What are the deepest rivers in Australia? 8. What is the official language in Australia? 9. What is the highest peak in New Zealand? 10. What is the official currency in New Zealand?