AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Let´s take a closer look at this fascinating country.

-Can you tell me something / some basic facts [fékts] = fakta / about Australia?
How big is Australia? Australia is a big country. Australia is the sixth largest country in the
world after Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil. Australia is the only country which is
also a continent. It is the smallest continent in the world after Antarctica[ént´a:ktik ] =
Antarktida but Australia is the biggest island. Australia is often called an island continent.
Australia is both a continent and a country.
Australia is the only country in the world which occupies = zabírá / the whole continent.
It is an island continent. It is divided from = oddělena od / separated from other continents,
from the rest of the world by large distances = vzdálenosti / and this is the reason why
Australia was discovered so late.
When was Australia discovered? In 1770 by British captain James Cook. He became the
first European to explore the east / eastern coast of Australia. James Cook was a British
navigator[´névigeit ®] = mořeplavec. This British captain / sailor found Australia in 1770.
James Cook made a voyage = travelled to the South Pacific from Britain in 1770 and he
discovered the Australian eastern /east coast. In 1770 with his ship on the voyage = plavba /
he discovered still unknown = neznámou / country. That country reminded = připomínala /
him his native Wales and that’s why at first it was named New South Wales. It means that A.
is a relatively young country.
Location: A. is located in the Southern Hemisphere[´hemisfi ®] = polokoule.
A. is a continent between the Indian Ocean and the South / the Southern Pacific Ocean.
It is about the size of the USA.
Australia is situated below = pod / south of Asia [´eiž ] between the Indian Ocean and
the Pacific Ocean. It is washed by = omývána / the Pacific Ocean in the east, (by the Coral
Sea[´kor l] and the Tasman Sea [tézm n] in the east), by the Indian Ocean in the west,
in the north by the Arafura Sea = Arafurské moře.
Two thirds = třetiny / of Australia are deserts[´dez ts] = pouště. Deserts which are
practically uninhabited. There are for example: the largest of them are the Great Victorian
Desert, the Great Sandy Desert = Velká písečná poušť, the Tanami Desert, the Simpson
Desert. A. is the driest inhabited continent on the Earth [ :0]. = na Zemi
The climate: Because of = kvůli / its size Australia has many different climates.In the North
the climate is tropical, where it’s always hot. The centre of Australia is very hot and dry. It is
mostly desert. The South is cooler. = Jih je chladnější. In the south they have hot summers,
winter is very mild in A. Even in the coldest part of Australia – in Tasmania [téz´meini ]
temperatures rarely = zřídkakdy / drop below zero. Summers in the South are very hot.
There are many beautiful beaches. Australia has more beaches than any other country in the
world. Australia has some of the most wonderful beaches in the world.
Australia is about the same size as the United States, not including Alaska.
-Who were the first people in A.? -Who inhabited[in´hébitid] = obýval / Australia first?
The 1-st people in Australia / the first inhabitants of Australia / the original inhabitants of
Australia were the Australian Aborigines = domorodci = Aboriginal people. The Aborigines
were the original Australians. Aboriginal people lived in Australia before the arrival of
Europeans. Since then = od tehdy / immigrants [´imigr nts] = přistěhovalci from Britain,
Europe, Asia [´eiž ] continued. In the 17th century the Dutch were the 1st Europeans who
came to Australia. Australia started to become rich during the gold rush = zlatá horečka / in
the second half of the 19th century. After the Second World War many immigrants
[´imigr nts] = přistěhovalci / from Europe, Britain, Asia [´eiž ] found their new home in
Australia.
 The official name of Australia is the Commonwealth of Australia = Australský svaz.
The official head of Australia is the British Queen. The head of the state and of the
government of Australia is the Prime Minister. He has the most powerful position in the
government
Population: is only about 23 million people. About 70 % percent [p ´sent] of people in
Australia live in large cities because much of Australia is a desert [´dez t]= poušť.
Most people in Australia live in large cities near the sea, along the coast in the east and the
south of the country. Such as for example Melbourne [melb n] and Sydney [sidni].
These biggest cities such as Sydney or Melbourne [melb n] are very highly populated.
Melbourne[melb n] is the second largest city in A. and the capital of Victoria.
The capital city of Australia: is Canberra [kénb r ] which is in the south – east.
The territory where the capital city is located is called the Australian Capital Territory.
But Sydney is the oldest and the biggest city which has about 4,8 million inhabitants.
There are many different nationalities and languages in Sydney. Canberra[kénb r ] is a
modern city, it has a modern look = vzhled. Canberra is located / is situated in the south-east.
It is situated half way between 2 largest cities Sydney and Melbourne. Canberra is the home
of many important national buildings like for example the new modern Parliament House.
What is Canberra famous for? What the main Australian institution is found there?
It is the seat = sídlo / of Australian government. On Capital Hill we can find the new modern
Parliament House which was opened in 1988. Other Australian cities include Brisbane
[brizb n], Perth [p : ] and Adelaide [éd leid ].
What other Australian cities do you know? On the east coast we can also find Brisbane
[brizb n] = the third largest city in A. and the capital of Queensland. Perth [p : ] is in
the west = in Western Australia. It is the fourth most populated city in A.
Darwin [da:win] is in the north.
Currency =měna /which is used in Australia is Australian dollar[´dol (r)] which is divided
into 100 cents[sents] = centů.
Official language is Australian English. English is the common language in A.
The flag:the Australian flag is dark blue and includes the flag of the UK in the upper left
corner. On the right side of the flag there is the Southern Cross constellation[konst ´leiš n]=
souhvězdí Jižní Kříž /= it´s a group of stars which can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere
and a large seven-pointed = sedmicípá / star. This is a star known as the Commonwealth Star
under the British flag.
System of government or political system: Australia is an independent country.
Australia = a constitutional monarchy like Great Britain. Australia is a part / a member of
the British Commonwealth of Nations with the Queen Elizabeth II. as the head of this state.
The official head of Australia is the British Queen Elizabeth II. Because the British Queen is
at the same time the Queen in Great Britain, it means that she is represented = je
zastupována / in Australia by the General Governor [´džen r l´gav n ®] = generálním
guvernérem.
The head of Australia is the General Governor and the head of government is the Prime
Minister.
Australia has a federal government. Australia is a federation which consists of = is made up
of 6 states and 2 territories. = the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
Each of them has its own parliament. The federal parliament is found in the capital city in
Canberra.
6 states are: Australia consists of 6 states : New South Wales: lying in the south-east corner –
the capital is Sydney. It is the most populous[´popjul s] = lidnatý / state. In the south-west
corner is Victoria – the capital is Melbourne. It is the second smallest state. Tasmania
[téz ´meinj ] is an island which lies 240 km south of the mainland, it is an island state, the
smallest state in Australia. It is the smallest state of all. Tasmania is the home of the
Tasmanian[téz´meini n] devil. The capital is Hobart [houbárt]. On the island Tasmania we
can find Hobart [houbárt] = the capital of the smallest state in A. Queensland lies in the north-
eastern corner of Australia. – the capital is Brisbane[brizb n]; In the south and middle is
South Australia with the capital is Adelaide (éd leid ); Western Australia – the capital is Perth
(p : ).
2 territories: the Australian Capital Territory: it is the territory where the capital city
Canberra[kénb r ]is located. Canberra is the capital of Australia; the Northern Territory:
lies in the north and center of Australia – the capital is Darwin (dárwin). Darwin is the
tropical capital of Northern Territory. Darwin enjoys warm weather all the year round. It is
also the least populated and least developed [di´vel pt] = vyvinuté, rozvinuté, vyspělé / of all
the states and territories.
Mountains: The Eastern Highlands cover the eastern edge [edž]= kraj, okraj / of Australia.
Along the eastern coast we can find the Great Dividing Range = Velké Předělové Pohoří.
The Great Dividing Range. The highest mountains in Australia are the Australian Alps in the
southern part of the Eastern Highlands in the states of Victoria and New South Wales.
The Australian Alps are often called the Australian Cordilleras [kódi’lje r z].
The highest point /the highest Australian mountain is Mount Kosciuszko (=2228 meters high )
in the Australian Alps between New South Wales and Victoria. It was named by Polish
traveller. The Australian Alps are covered with snow even during summer.
Other mountains in A. are beautiful mountains the Mac Donnel Ranges.[m k´donl][reindžiz]
= pohoří, horské pásmo
In the centre / in the middle of Australia / we can find the red Australian desert where there is
a very large rock which is called AYERS ROCK [rok] or its original aboriginal name was
ULURU [ju:ljur ] which stands alone in the middle of the desert. It is also a popular tourist
attraction. It is very popular with tourists. Many tourists come every year to walk round /
around it.
It is a massive [mésiv] = masívní / red rock. It is the largest / the biggest rock in the world.
It is more than 300 metres high and about 3,6 kilometers long the rock. It has many small
caves.[keivs]= jeskyně /Obrovský skalní monolit ve střední Austrálii, tyčící se více než 300 m
nad okolním terénem.
Je posvátným místem domorodých obyvatel.
Beautiful places to visit in A.: In Australia we can also find a unique piece of Australia =
= the Great Barrier Reef [béri ri:f] = Velký Barierový Útes = it is the largest and the longest
coral reef [ri:f] = korálový útes / in the world and one of the most popular tourist attractions in
Australia. It is over 2000 kilometres long. Many tourists visit the reef [ri:f] = = útes / every
year. It is one of the wonders = divy, zázraky of nature. Here people can go snorkelling or
diving. Here we can find a lot of corals[´kor ls] = korály / of many shapes and colours, we
can see here many bright colours. We can admire here on this reef [ri:f] = útes / its natural
beauty. The reef [ri:f] = útes / consists of not only hard and soft corals[´kor ls] = korálů / but
it is also home to many fish, sea turtles [´t :tls] = mořské želvy, / sharks, dolphins[´dolfins]
= delfíni / and so on.
It is situated in the sea along the north-eastern coast of Australia, along the coast of
Queensland in north-east Australia. Queensland has amazing (= wonderful/excellent) beaches
and the Great Barrier Reef. [béri ri:f] = Velký Barierový Útes
Australia has also got a lot of national parks and nature reserves [ri’z vz]=přírodní rezervace.
The largest, the longest flowing[´flouin ]= tekoucí / river in Australia is the Murray River
[mari]. It is sometimes called the Australian Rhine [rain] = Rýn. It begins in the Snowy
Mountains[´snoui]. The Murray River flows from New South Wales into the Indian Ocean.
The 2-nd largest river is the Darling River. In Australia we can also find lakes. The largest
lake is the Lake Eyre [e ] = Eyrovo jezero. In this Lake Eyre there is the lowest point =
nejnižší bod / on the continent. It is 16 metres below the sea-level = pod hladinou moře.
The second largest lake is the Lake Torrens [tor nz] = Torrensovo jezero. Another lake : the
Lake Gairdner [ge dn ] or the Lake Gordon[go:dn] in Tasmania[téz ´meinj ].
It is the land[lénd]= země (= pevnina)/ where it is warm in December and cool[ku:l]= chladno
/ in August.
Australia’s seasons are opposite of ours.It means that summer starts in December, autumn in
March, winter in June and spring in September. And spending Christmas on the beach or
skiing in August may seem strange for us = může se zdát, připadat divné, zvláštní, neobvyklé.
January and February are usually the warmest months of the year.
What do you know about Australian animals? Which animals can we meet in Australia?
Many of the animals in Australia don´t live anywhere else in the world. You won´t find them
anywhere else in the world. The most famous Australian animal is kangaroo .Other Australian
animals include / Australia is famous especially for kangaroos, koala bears [kou´a:l ]
wombat[´wombét] = vombat = australský vačnatec, / dingoes [din gouz] = australský pes
dingo / emus [i:mju:z], parrots, crocodiles, snakes and others.
Kangaroos are the symbol of Australia. Australians have made kangaroo its national symbol.
They live only in this continent in the wild [waild] = divočina, divoká příroda. Australia is the
only place in the world where kangaroos live in the wild. Their strong back legs help them to
travel / to jump long distances. Kangaroos travel by jumping and can move at 70 km per
[´p :(r)] = za hodinu / hour. Their long tail [´teil] = ocas / helps them to keep balance
[´bél ns]. = rovnováha, vyvážení / Kangaroo females [fi:meils] = samice have a pouch
[´pauč] = vak / on their fronts [frants] = přední strana, přední část / in which their babies are
carried, to protect the newborn baby. When a kangaroo newborn baby is born, so it is only a
few centimetres long. It lives in its mother´s pouch [´pauč] = vak / and feeds on her milk =
živí se jejím mlékem / until it is old enough to look after itself.
Another well known Australian animal is koala [kou´a:l ], also koala bear looks like a little
velvet [´velvit]= samet, sametový / bear.
It is a marsupial[ma:´si:pji l]= vačnatec and lives on the Australian continent. While it is
very young, the baby is carried in mother’s pouch [´pauč], like a baby kangaroo. Koala can
sleep for 20 hours a day. Lovely koala lives in eucalyptus trees.
Koala bears eat plants [´pla:nts] = rostliny / and eucalyptus leaves[ju:k ´lipt sli:vz] =
listy / from eucalyptus trees. Koalas are protected in Australia. In Australia we can find a lot
of sheep and cattle.[´kétl] = dobytek / and rabbits; Rabbits increased [in´kri:sd] = rozmnožili
se / and they mean a big danger for Australian farmers.
- Name large Australian cities The biggest towns and cities are mostly along the east coast
of Australia. Most of the cities are situated along the east coast of Australia because the
interior [in´ti ri ®] = vnitrozemí / is a desert.[´dez t] = poušť. The largest city is Sydney
[sidni]. What do you know about Sydney? Sydney is the largest city in Australia and the
capital of New South Wales.
Sydney is not the capital of Australia but Sydney is probably the best known city in Australia,
an important financial and cultural centre. Sydney is the largest city in Australia. There live
more than 4 millon people(= 4,8 million people). It is the most populous = nejlidnatější / city.
There are many different nationalities and languages in Sydney. Sydney was the host [´houst]
city = hostitelským městem / to the Olympic Games in 2000. It is the capital of the state =
New South Wales.
- What famous landmarks[´léndma:ks]= pamětihodnosti,význačné body / are in Sydney?
Sydney is known for / is famous for the Sydney Opera House which is a famous and a
beautiful building for cultural performances. The Sydney Opera House looks like a white
sailing ship. = plachetnice / Its roof looks like sails [seils] of a ship in the wind = plachty ve
větru / on Sydney Harbour. It took 16 years to build Sydney Opera House. The other
interesting sight in Sydney is the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Near the Opera House is one of the
longest bridges in the world = the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is a popular destination because
of the city´s beach culture.
-What is Sydney the capital of ? It is the capital of the state = New South Wales.
The second largest city after Sydney is Melbourne [melb n] = the population is over 3
million people / inhabitants.
The 3-rd largest city is Brisbane [brizb n] – 1,5 million people.
Other important cities include Perth and Adelaide in South Australia, Darwin [da:win]lies in
the north. Perth is a long way from the other cities in Western Australia by the Indian Ocean.
Australia started to become rich during the gold rush = zlatá horečka / in the second
half of the 19th century.
Australia is a very rich country. Australia has rich mineral resources. Austr. exports a lot of
minerals and metals [metls]. = kovy /all over the world. Australia´s farmers produce for
example: wool, meat – for example lamb [lém] = jehněčí, mutton [´matn] = skopové ,
milk products / dairy products[´de ri] = mléko a mléčné výrobky / wheat [wi:t] = pšenice /
fruit and wine are the most important products.
Australia is the greatest producer = výrobce / of wool in the world.Australian wool is of the
highest quality. Its second biggest export [ik’spo:t] = export, vývoz / is wheat.

-What are some basic facts [fékts] = fakta / about New Zealand?

NEW ZEALAND = an island country = ostrovní země

lying in the South Pacific Ocean.
New Zealand is one of the most distant countries.
New Zealand is known for its natural beauty. New Zealand is separated into 2 big islands:
the North Island and the South Island and many other small islands.
On the South Island there are huge mountains.
Location: New Zealand consists of 2 large islands = the North Island and the South Island
and many smaller surrounding islands = ostrovy ležící kolem
It lies [laiz] = leží / in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,500 kilometres east of Australia /
in the south-east of Australia. Its closest neighbour is Australia which is about 1,500
kilometres away.= pryč, daleko, vzdálená
N.Z. consists of 2 main islands: The North Island and the South Island and many smaller
surrounding islands. = ostrovy ležící kolem
-Who were the first people in New Zealand?
The first people in New Zealand were Maoris [´mauris] = domorodci na Novém Zélandě.
(The first people in Australia were Aborigines).Today Maori[´mauri] culture has a big
influence on everyday life. Many places have Maori[´mauri] names. Europeans first came to
New Zealand in the 17th century. Like a lot of other countries, New Zealand has many
different people and cultures.
The number of population is only about 4,5 million people live there today.
The density = hustota /of population is very low.= nízká. / But we can find here a large
number of sheep. Everywhere you look in New Zealand there are sheep.There are more sheep
than people in New Zealand. In the past New Zealand was a British colony, it became an
independent nation in 1947. The official head of the state is the British monarch = the British
Queen. She is represented = je zastupována / by the General Governor [´džen r l´gav n
®] = generálním guvernérem.
The head of the country is the Prime Minister.
N.Z. is a developed = vyspělá, rozvinutá / agricultural country. Important agricultural
products are: wool ( N.Z. exports[ik’spo:ts] wool all around the world), fruits, vegetables,
world-known wine.
The weather is not as hot as in Australia and there is often snow in winter.
The biggest lake is Lake Taupo[´taupou] and the longest river is the Waikato River [wai
´ka:tou].
In the North Island we can find the capital Wellington and Auckland[o:kl nd] = the largest
city. The largest city in New Zealand is Auckland [o:kl nd]. It has more than 1 million
people = 1,3 million people.
-What is the capital of New Zealand?
The capital of New Zealand is Wellington [weli t n] which is the second largest city in
the country. It is located on the North Island. The city suffers from many earthquakes.
All big cities are concentrated = jsou soustředěny / on the eastern coast: Wellington,
Hamilton, Christchurch. Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island.
- What is the largest city in New Zealand? The largest city in New Zealand is
Auckland [o:kl nd]. It has more than 1 million people = 1,3 million people.
The highest mountain in New Zealand is Mount [maunt] = hora / Cook or Aoraki[´aouraki].
There are 2 main languages: English and Maori [´mauri].
-And what about animals in New Zealand?
N.Z. is home for several kinds of animals which you can’t find anywhere else in the world –
for example the native bird Kiwi [ki:wi]. Kiwi [ki:wi] is the most famous animal in New
Zealand. Kiwi is a small bird that cannot fly. It grows to about the size of a chicken and it has
no tail. Kiwis live only in New Zealand and kiwi is the national symbol of N.Z. In N.Z. we
can also find the albatross [élb tros]. It is the largest seabird. Many whales and dolphins
live in New Zealand´s waters and there are more types of penguins [´pengw nz] = tučňáci /
than anywhere else in the world. There are more sheep than people in New Zealand.
Sports: New Zealanders love playing sports, for example they play rugby [ragbi], cricket,
basketball.
They enjoy other activities such as sailing, diving, rock-climbing or mountaineering.
A lot of people visit New Zealand every year. Why? It’s probably because of the beautiful
countryside.