Australia

“The land down under”

Where is Australia?

• Australia is south of Asia.

• Australia is called “The land down under” because it is on the opposite side of the world from us

• Australia is between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean

Countries in Australia

• Australia is made up of just one country, which is also called Australia!

People in Australia

• Native people in Australia are called Aborigines

• Other people who live in Australia are the relatives of prisoners who were sent to Australia from Europe as a punishment long ago!

More about people in Australia

• Some people in Australia live in the Outback and are sheep or cattle ranchers

• There are ten times more sheep than people in Australia!

• Other people in Australia live in big cities like Sydney or Melbourne

Weather in Australia

• Australia’s weather is the opposite of our weather – warm in the winter and cold in the summer

• The Outback is a dry, hot area of Australia

Animals in Australia

• Many unique animals live in Australia

• Kangaroos and Koalas are marsupials – they carry their babies in a pouch

• The platypus is a monotreme – it has a bill like a bird and lays eggs, but it is a mammal!

Cool facts about Australia

• The Great Barrier Reef is in Australia

• This is the largest coral reef on earth

• Many interesting water creatures live in the Great Barrier reef

• Visitors to Australia love to scuba dive and visit the Great Barrier Reef

Are you ready for a quiz?

1. Find Australia

2. Which person looks ready for a visit to the Great Barrier Reef?

3. We learned that a Platypus is a monotreme. Which animal looks like it might be another example of a monotreme?

4. What would you pack to visit the Outback?

5. Which sentence is true?

A. There are no sheep in Australia

B. There are more people than sheep in Australia

C. There are less people than sheep in Australia

D. There are equal amounts of sheep and people in Australia

6. Find Australia

7. The biggest country in Australia is ___

A. Asia

B. Outback

C. Great Barrier Reef

D. Australia

8. Which person might live in the Outback?

9. Europeans sent prisoners to Australia as a punishment. Why do you think they thought this was a good punishment?

A. Australia was dry and hot.

B. Australia was far away from home.

C. Neither

D. Both

10. What is a marsupial?

A. A kangaroo

B. An animal that carries its baby in a pouch

C. A mammal

D. All of the above

Great job!!!