WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AUSTRALIA The smallest of all of the continents Australia is the only continent on Earth that is a single country It is completely surrounded by water Australia is divided into six states and two territories AUSTRALIA
AUSSIE What’s in a Name Aussie is sometimes used to describe a person or thing from Australia Some people call Australia itself Oz Many Australians celebrate the national flag on September 3rd Australia is often called the land down under because it is in the southern hemisphere About 80 of the people there live in the southeastern part of the country Journey through Australia to discover its fascinating people and places Find out what ideas and inventions come from this amazing part of the world Australia by the Numbers Population 25 5 million Size 2 9 million square miles or 7 7 million square kilometers Highest Point Mount Kosciuszko 7,310 feet or 2,228 meters
DISCOVERIES IN ANCIENT HISTORY Some of the oldest geological features in the world are found in Australia A 2,700-million-year-old section of rock there is called Wave Rock The colorful streaks in Wave Rock were made when rain caused chemicals from Earth to wash over the rock Uluru appears to change color throughout the day and year It looks more red at dawn and at sunset
The boulders of Karlu Karlu are made of granite and were formed over millions of years Karlu Karlu is the name for both an area and the rocks inside it There boulders balance on top of one another like large marbles Uluru a gigantic piece of sandstone was formed 550 million years ago Many of these places are spiritually and culturally important for Indigenous peoples including Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders Some natural sites are now protected areas because of their significance to Indigenous peoples
