Fakta om Australien

• Australia is called the land down under because it is below the equator. It is one of the seven continents of the world. It is also a country.

• The first people to live in Australia were aborigines. Aboriginal means first. Today they are still in Australia.

• Australia is like the United States in many ways. Most people live in or near cities. They speak English. They work in buildings.

• Australians speak English but there are some word that Australians use that are very different.

• Australia is made up of six states and two territories. It is about the size of the United States. 18.3 million people live there. Canberra is the capital of Australia.

• The weather in Australia is warm and pleasant. January and February are the warmest months, with temperatures between 65° and 70°. June and July are the coldest months, with July temperature of about 50°.

• The middle part of the country is called the outback. The outback does not get very much rain and is very dry. Not very many people live in the outback. In the outback, there are some sheep. There are about ten times more sheep than people in Australia. Sheep are raised for wool and for meat.In Australia what Americans call a ranch is known as a station. Stations are very big. Some stations are so big they have to use planes to keep track of the animals. There are not many schools in the outback. Children who live on stations and can not get to school use a two way radio to hear their teachers lessons.