Australia is a country that fills a whole continent, so it is called an “island continent”. The capital is Canberra (the biggest city is Sydney, but the capital is Canberra). Perth is in the south-west. The Indian Ocean is to the west and south and the Pacific Ocean is to the east. The longest river is the Murray (about 2,500 km). The highest mountain is Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m), in the Australian Alps in the south-east. The area is 7.7 million sq km and the population is about 27 million. Directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), west (W), north-east (NE), north-west (NW), south-east (SE), south-west (SW). Comparing: “Australia is bigger than the UK.” “Which river is longer: the Murray or the Severn?” — “The Murray is longer.”
Worked examples
“Australia”. Australia is both a country and a continent. The capital is Canberra in the south-east. Perth is a big city in the south-west, and the Indian Ocean is to the west. The Murray River is longer than the Severn. The Australian Alps are in the south-east, and they are lower than the mountains of Uzbekistan. Australia is much bigger than the UK, but it has fewer people.
— Is Perth in the south-west? — Yes, it is. — Is Canberra the capital? — Yes, it is. — Which river is longer: the Murray or the Severn? — The Murray.
Class activity
“True or False”: the teacher says a sentence (“Perth is in the south-east.”) and pupils check the map and say True/False.
Practice
1
The capital of Australia?
Canberra
2
Where is Perth?
It’s in the south-west.
3
Compare: the Murray (2,500 km) and the Severn (354 km).
The Murray is longer than the Severn.
4
Why is Australia called an “island continent”?
One country fills the whole continent and it is surrounded by water.