Exam Topics. English-speaking countries: Australia.

            The United Kingdom of great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are English-speaking countries. They are situated in different parts of the world and differ in many ways. The nature of these countries, their weather and climate and way of life of their people differ. Each country has its own history, customs and traditions, its own national holidays. But they all share a common language. English is the language of the people who left England to make their names in new countries. 

But I would like to tell you about a pretty unknown English-speaking country, located in the Southern Hemisphere: Australia. 

Australia, the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lies between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. In the northeast it is surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef – the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. It can even be seen from space. Australia has the longest coastline in the world and is linked by over 7000 beaches, more than any other country in the world. No part of Australia is more than 1000 km from the ocean and a beach.

Australia is only a little smaller than the USA and it is bigger than Western Europe. It is the sixth biggest country in the world. It is the flattest continent in the world as well as the driest one. One third of its land is desert. Australia has its own national hopping icon – the kangaroo. There are about 60 kangaroo species in Australia. So, if you imagined that kangaroos are hopping all over Australia then you are right! The number of “roos”, as the Australians call them for short, is estimated to be of about 40 million. Australia has a large diversity of reptiles, with over 860 species. The world’s largest reptile, the Saltwater Crocodile is native to Australia. It can reach 6 metres in its length. These creatures can be dangerous, as each year 2 or 3 people are attacked.

Australia is the only continent with a permanent population that is entirely below the equator, this is where the name ‘Down Under’ comes from. But from an Australian point of view, it seems as if the northern hemisphere continents are ‘down under’. Australia was home to thousands of prisoners in the 19th century. The British began to settle Australia in the late 1700s as a land to send their prisoners to. The prisoners were sent to Australia to work for a period of seven to fourteen years. Now, about 25 percent of Australians have ancestors who were convicts. But it has doubled its population since 1945, as over six million people from 200 countries have come to Australia as new settlers.

Australia used to have about 200 languages spoken by the Aboriginal people. Only about 70 of these languages have survived. Although Australia has no official language, the country is largely monolingual with English being spoken by more than 80% of the population. Australian English, known as ‘Strine’, has a specific accent and vocabulary. 

 Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and according to its political structure it was established a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch, represented locally by a governor-general. It can be called parliamentary democracy as well, because the monarch is just a ceremonial figure in the country. Australia’s capital is Canberra located in the southeast between the larger and more important economic and cultural centres of Sydney and Melbourne.

Australia is one of the most popular travelling destination for the travelers. There are many things to do and many places to travel in Australia. There are awesome beaches, lovely blue mountains, wild animals, cricket grounds, live concerts, delicious sea food and lots more.

Official info about Australia

More info about Australia

Let's talk about English-speaking countries

1. What do you know about the USA/Canada/Australia? What are your associations with the word ‘England’?

2. Do you think that people speaking the English language are similar in character?

3. What questions will you ask your foreign friend about his/her country?

4. Give me a piece of advice on what to choose from a tourist guide to do  when planning a visit to the USA/Canada/Australia?

5. If you have a chance to travel to any country in the world, which one will you  choose to visit? Why?

Answer the questions in comments (at least 3-4 sentences to every question), if you are not signed up on Google, write your name and surname. Answers will be graded.