Australia Pictures

One of the land marks of Australia is the Sydney Opera House located in Sydney. Sydney is the city with the most population in Australia; it is also the state capital of New South Wales. Some of the most visited places in Sydney are Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour and also its beaches too. Sydney was founded in 1788 by Arthur Philip at Sydney Cove.

Brisbane and Ayers Rock are places a lot visited by tourists visiting Australia. Around sixty percent of the population are concentrated in and around Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane. The Spaniards were the first European to sail the Pacific Ocean. The name of the country comes from the Latin Australis which means Southern.

It is estimated around 45,000 years ago that human habitation started in Australia. It is thought that the first Australians were probably ancestors of the modern Indigenous Australians. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first European who sighted the Australian mainland. When the European settled on Australia the Indigenous population was estimated at 350,000 and 150 years after declined a lot because of infectious disease.

Cape York Peninsula was sighted by Willem Janszoon in 1606 and during the sevebteenth century the Dutch charted the northern and western coastlines and called it New Holland but didn’t try to settle. James Cook sailed in 1770 along the east coast and named it New South Wales.

Australia is divided into six states and two mainland territories. The states are: South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania and the territories are the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Each territory and state has its own parliament or legislature. Australia is a constitutional democracy. The Queen Elizabeth II is also the queen of Australia.

Australia is one of the countries of the world which attracts a large number of visitors every year. Visitors can learn about the Aborigines and their ancestors and how they lived in the past. There are still nowadays part of the population living without any luxuries in nature.

Australia is the smallest continent in the world with numerous small islands around it  located in the southern hemisphere. The capital city is Canberra but the largest city of Australia is Sydney. The Aborigines were the first inhabitants of the big island. Australia is known in the world as he land of koalas and kangaroos.

The greatest number of reptiles species are found in Australia than in any part of the world. There is around seven hundred and fifty five species living in Australia. Many species of animals are threatened by human activities. Among the woody plants species are found eucalypts and acacias. The famous Australian fauna are the monotremes which are mammals. The marsupial which includes the koala, the kangaroo and the wombat are also part of Australian’s fauna. Australia is also the place in the world where are found the most venomous snakes. After the first human settlement in Australia many plants and animals became extinct.

There are in Australia different zoo that are open to public where can be seen various animals from Australia, the most popular zoo is the Australia Zoo which is the home of the Crocodile Hunter, Steven Irwin. The Australia Zoo is located in Queensland which was opened by Bob and Lyn Irwin, parents of Steven Irwin. Steven Irwin died in September 2006 while snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, his chest was pierced by a stingray. His widow Teri Irwin still owes the Australia Zoo which is still open to public.

The first inhabitants of Australia are the Indigenous Australians; usually they are distinguished as Torres Strait Islanders or Aboriginal people which are nowadays around 2.6% of the population of the Australian continent. Mungo Man are the first evidence of human habitation dated about forty thousand years. There is debate among the researches who estimate it at different time.

Australia is a country with various attractions and so many places to see. A holiday trip in Australia is never boring. Most popular attractions are Sydney Opera House, Museum of Sydney, Harbour Bridge, Taronza Zoo, Perth, Kings Park, Perth Zoo, Perth Mint, Perth Beaches, Queensland and its zoo, Fitzroy in Melbourne, Melbourne Museum. For those who love nature there is enough eco tourism places in Australia. Dive, swim and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef is an unforgettable experience. The Great Barrier Reef is part of the World Heritage.