Author: Taylor, Tiffany

“Happy Christmas” from Australia !

Australia is the world’s 6th largest country by area. Due to its large size and isolation from the rest of the world, Australia is sometimes known as the ‘island continent’.

The Great Barrier Reef in Eastern Australia is the biggest coral reef in the world. The reef consists of more than 3,000 reefs in which live more than 350 species of corals and over 1,500 species of fish.

Two thirds of the country consists of desert landscape which is referred to as the 'outback'.
The largest cities in Australia are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The capital is Sydney, which is most famous for it’s Opera House.
Australia has over 750 different reptile species, more than any other country in the world.

Aborigines make up 2% of Australia's population today. The 'aborigines' are the indigenous Australians who originally settled on the continent and are said to have migrated there from the Australasian continent over 60,000 years ago.

Australia is home to many animal species. On the road signs, you can see a wombat and a kangaroo. Both animals are marsupials, which means, they carry their babies in their pouch. .

Australia hosted the 1956 (Melbourne) and 2000 (Sydney) Summer Olympics.

Australia is a relatively wealthy country with a high life expectancy. Their currency is the Australian Dollar.
Summer in Australia is from December to February; so, after you open your presents on Christmas morning, your family might go for a swim at the beach!