Australia

Australia is the only country in the world that is also a continent. It is the sixth largest country and the smallest continent. Australia lies between the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. It is situated about 11,000 km south-west of North America and about 8,200 km southeast of main¬land Asia.
The east coast of Australia was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770. The name of the country comes from Latin word "australis" which means southern. The Commonwealth of Australia is the official name of the country. The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of states. Australia has six states. They are New South Wales, Queens¬land, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Each state has its own govern¬ment. There are two territories in Australia. They are the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
Australia is a constitutional monarchy like Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Aus¬tralia and the head of state. But she serves mainly as a symbol of long historical ties between Great Britain and Australia. The nation is administered under written constitution. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The capital of the country is Canberra. Aus¬tralia is one of the world's most developed coun¬tries. It is the world's leading producer of wool and bauxite. Bauxite is the ore from which alu¬minium is made. Australia produces and exports large amounts of minerals and farm goods. In¬come from the export enables Australians to have high standard of living.