Easy Text: An introduction to Australia

Watch this video introducing Australia. You will find comprehension questions at the bottom of the page.

Australia is a country in the southern hemisphere. It is made up of the Australian mainland, the island of Tasmania and many other smaller islands in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

In 1606, Dutch explorers were the first Europeans who discovered Australia, but they did not settle there. Before this, for thousands of years, Australia was inhabited by the Aborigines. In 1770, the British claimed the eastern part of Australia. It was a useful place to send British convicts, instead of keeping them in prison in England. Gradually, other immigrants moved to Australia and the population grew. New South Wales was the first colony and five others were established in the 19th century. The six colonies joined together on January 1st 1901, to form the Commonwealth of Australia.

The population today is just over 21.7 million. The nation's capital city is Canberra. The other main cities are: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. 60% of the population live in and around these cities. Australia has a democratic political system and a high technology industry.