Kosciusko - 2228 m)
rivers - mostly dry; the Murray - the longest permanently flowing river; the Darling river (in winter dry)
lakes - mostly artificial; Lake Argyle (Western Australia), Lake Gordon (Tasmania), Lake Eyre, Lake Torrens, Lake Gairdner
deserts: Great Sandy Desert, Great Victoria Desert
the Great Barrier Reef - a collection of more than 2,500 reefs - world's largest coral reef; 2,300 km long along north-east coast
Ayers Rock - central Australia, world's biggest rock, 2.4 km long, 300 m high; the walls in its caves are covered with Aboriginal rock paintings



History
Australia's native inhabitants, the Aborigines, arrived in Australia at least 40,000 ago
the existence of this continent was believed long ago - ancient times, Marco Polo
the 1st European discovery in 1606 by a Dutch navigator Willem Jansz, than Abel Tasman
1770 - first explorations done by James Cook - east coast, he claimed the region for Great Britain and named it New South Wales
1787 - the 1st white settlement - 730 prisoners (overcrowding British prisons) + 300 soldiers
Botany Bay, beginning of the city of Sydney
January 1, 1901 - the Commonwealth of Australia
1901 - the Immigration Restriction Act
rich mineral resources -> mining, export of minerals and metals all over the world - coal, iron ore, bauxite, uranium
highly developed agriculture, mainly east and west coasts
agricultural production: cattle, sheep, wheat, wool, dairy products, fruit, sugar cane



Political system
Australia is an independent sovereign nation within Commonwealth, retaining the British monarch as a head of state and represented by a governor general
the constitution - from January 1, 1901
the Federal Parliament consisting of two chambers: Senate (76 members, 12 from each state, 2 from each territory; for 6 years; proportional representation), House of Representatives (148 members, elected by universal adult suffrage every 3 years; single-member constituencies with preferential voting); voting is compulsory
the main political parties are the Liberal Party, the National Party (normally in coalition), the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Democrats
the last relicts of the UK legislative control were removed in 1986
states: New South Wales (Sydney), Victoria (Melbourne), Queensland (Brisbane), South Australia (Adelaide), Western Australia (Perth), Tasmania (Hobart)
territories: Northern Territory (Darwin), Australia Capital Territory (Canberra).