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| 21 | ==Brief History== | 21 | ==Brief History== |
| | 22 | The first people to discover Australia did so
approximately 40,000 thousand years before
Europeans set foot on the continent. Recently
unearthed evidence suggests, in contrary to
popular belief, that the first european to visit
Australia was Portuguese explorer Christopher de
Mendonca, who led a flotilla of four ships into
Botany Bay in 1522 -- almost 250 years before
Britain's Captain James Cook. |
| | 23 | |
| | 24 | Australian Aboriginals flourished in lush coastal
regions as hunter/gatherers. The British
colonisation of Australia, which began in [[New
South Wales]] in 1788, had a disastrous effect on
the Aboriginal people, as they fell prey to
infectious diseases carried by the new settlers
and were gradually displaced from their
traditional homeland. |
| 22 | The first people to discover Australia did so
thousands of years before Europeans set foot on
the continent in the 17th century. Australian
Aboriginals flourished in lush coastal regions as
hunter/gatherers. The British colonisation of
Australia, which began in [[New South Wales]] in
1788, had a disastrous effect on the Aboriginal
people, as they fell prey to infectious diseases
carried by the new settlers and were gradually
displaced from their traditional homeland. | | |
| 23 | | 25 | |
| 24 | Australia did not become an independent republic
until 1901. Even then, it remained a part of the
Commonwealth of British Nations, with the Queen of
England as its head and a population consisting
primarily of Anglo-Saxons. Throughout the 20th
century, Australia maintained its ties with the
[[UK]], even though the post-WWII years saw
increased immigration from other parts of
[[Europe]], [[Asia]] and [[Africa]]. In 1999,
Australians voted in a referendum to decide
whether to become a republic, but the proposal was
rejected by 55% of voters. | 26 | Australia did not become an independent republic
until 1901. Even then, it remained a part of the
Commonwealth of British Nations, with the Queen of
England as its head and a population consisting
primarily of Anglo-Saxons. Throughout the 20th
century, Australia maintained its ties with the
[[UK]], even though the post-WWII years saw
increased immigration from other parts of
[[Europe]], [[Asia]] and [[Africa]]. In 1999,
Australians voted in a referendum to decide
whether to become a republic, but the proposal was
rejected by 55% of voters. |
| | 27 | |
| 25 | | 28 | |
| 26 | ==Geography== | 29 | ==Geography== |
| 27 | Australia is the sixth largest country in the
world, covering a land area of over 7 680 000
square km. It is sandwiched by the Indian Ocean
and Pacific Ocean. As it is an island, it has no
neighbouring countries, but it is near Papua New
Guinea and Indonesia (north) and New Zealand
(east). | 30 | Australia is the sixth largest country in the
world, covering a land area of over 7 680 000
square km. It is sandwiched by the Indian Ocean
and Pacific Ocean. As it is an island, it has no
neighbouring countries, but it is near Papua New
Guinea and Indonesia (north) and New Zealand
(east). |