AUSTRALIA Geography The driest continent is【L31】________ Australia is about【L32】________ times larger than Britain. Three main s

Australia is the world’s smallest continent and largest island. It is one of the oldest land masses and flattest of the continents. After Antarctica, Australia is the second driest continent. Most areas of Australia are semi-desert or arid. Almost 40 per cent is north of the Tropic of Capricorn. On its western coast is the Indian Ocean, and on its east the Coral and Tasman seas of the South Pacific Ocean. Australia is the only nation which occupies an entire continent. It is about 25 times larger than Britain and almost double the combined areas of Pakistan and India. There are three main structural characteristics: the first one is the Great Western Plateau. It covers most of Western Australia, much of the Northern Territory and South Australia, and part of western Queensland. Its average elevation is about 300m. East of the plateau, extending from the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north to eastern South Australia and the western and Victorian coast, is the great lowland belt known as the Central-Eastern Lowlands. The belt’s average elevation is 150 m and, at Lake Eyre in South Australia, it drops to about 12 m below sea level. The last one is the Eastern Highlands, better known as the Great Dividing Range, following the eastern coast south from Far Northern Queensland to southern Tasmania, nearly over 400 kilometres from the coast and sometimes forming part of it. The average altitude of the Great Diving Range is less than 910 m although peaks exceed 1,800 m in the rugged southeastern area called the Australian Alps.
Nearly a third of Australia is north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and the rest is the temperate zone. Low rainfall and clear sky is a feature of the climate on most of the continent. In Australia, summer is from December to February; autumn, March to May; winter, June to August; and spring, September to November. For most of the country, January usually is the hottest month in summer. The flag of Australia is the only one to fly over a whole continent. The small Union Jack represents the historical link with Britain. The large star has six points for each of the states and one star for the territories, and the small stars form the Southern Cross — a prominent feature of the Southern Hemisphere night sky.
Australia has no official or traditional national costume. Green and gold have been used traditionally by Australian Olympic and other sporting teams for most of the 20th century and formally became the national colours in 1984.
The official language is English — by usage, not law. It has its own colloquialisms and slang but does not differ importantly from other forms of English, except, in accent. Spelling generally follows the British form. Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, with about 70% of the population living in the 10 largest cities, and only 15 per cent of Australians live in rural areas. Australians have a high standard of living by world standards. Australia is a multicultural society with about a quarter of the population foreign-bom. The first European settlement of the continent — by the British — began in 1788 on the site now occupied by Sydney. Settlement schemes over the following 150 years helped increase Australia’s population to about 7.4 million by the end of World War II. Over 5 million migrants have settled in Australia since, helping to more than double its post-war population. Nowadays, most Australians work for wages or salaries. They usually work about 35-40 hours per week. Employees can get paid annual leave (about 4 weeks), sick leave, and long-service leave. They also have about 10 paid public holidays per year. Most people retire between the age of 60-65. The average Australian female has a life expectancy of about 79, and the male about 73. Most Australians marry in their late 20s. On average, couples have two-to-three children.
Many aspects of the arts in Australia have their roots in Europe, but its Asian neighbours have made the main impact on its own history and culture. Distinctively, Australian trends are developing, and the vigour and originality of the arts in Australia often surprise visitors. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the great problem facing the arts was the same in other nations-increased costs and a decrease in government financing — but increasing public interest provided the momentum to carry them through difficult times. The Australian government has developed tax deduction policies to encourage greater financial support of the arts. A tax deduction is available for donations of property to public libraries, museums, and art galleries. The Australia Council is a funding agency of the government. The agency spends over 50 million dollars per year. More is spent by state governments. The Australia Council Board supports specific art forms and central council programmes support research, education and multicultural arts.