Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. However, less than 20 million people live there. The first people in Australia were the Aborigines, but today they are only 1,5 % of all Australians. Most of the peole are descendants of British settler. In recent years a lot of people have come from other European countries and from Asia.

The climate in Australia is usually very warm, so Australians love sport and other outdoor activities. Swimming, scuba - diving, surfing, rugby and cricket are all very popular.

A lot of Australia´s animals, like the kangaroo, the koala and the platypus are unique. Australia also has some very poisonouns snakes and spiders. At school children have to learn first aid for snakes and spider bites. Along the north - east coast is the Great Barrier Reef. This is the largest coral reef in the world.

The largest city is Sydney with its famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The 2000 Olympics were held in Sydney. Sydney is not the capital of Australia. The capital is Canberra.

Most Australians live in the south - east corner between Sydney and Melbourne. This is because 90 % of the country is very dry. Australians call this dry area "the outback". There are some huge farms here with millions of sheep and cattle.

The children on these farms can´t go to school because the nearest town is too far away. They study at home and they talk to their teacher by radio. There is also a "flying doctor" service where the doctor comes to you by plane.

Australia is rich country. Its farms produce meat, fruit, vegetables, wool, cereals and wine. There are a lot of mines, too. They produce gold, silver, iron, diamonds, copper and many more things.