Australia is an island continent located in the Southern Hemisphere. It is washed by three oceans and four seas. In the west it is washed by the Indian Ocean, in the east – by the Pacific Ocean and in the south by the Southern Ocean.

It is the world’s sixth-largest country in the world. Its population is about 26 million. The capital of the country is Canberra. The largest city is Sydney. Other big cities include include Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. It is an independent state and a member of the Commonwealth.

Australia is quite flat and dry. The main regions are a western plateau, the central plains, the Great Dividing Range, the Eastern coastal plain and the tropical northeast coast. The centre of the continent is occupied by the deserts, one of which is the Great Sandy Desert. There are few rivers and lakes in Australia. The longest river is the Darling.

The climate ranges from tropical regions in the north to cooler areas in the southeast. Summer lasts from December to February, autumn is from March to May, winter is from June to August and spring is from September to November.    

Australia is a highly developed country, with the world’s twelfth-largest economy, having highly developed agriculture and mining industry and being rich in minerals.

The official language is English. There are also many aboriginal languages, some of which are dying out nowadays.