GYMNÁZIUM JOZEFA GREGORA TAJOVSKÉHO
BY ANTIPODES
(WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN)
Banská Bystrica Barbara Moravčíková
Školský rok 3.C
2008/2009
Contents
Introduction...... 2
1. Australia
1.1. Factfile...... 3
1.2. Symbols...... 4
1.2.1. Official symbols...... 4
1.2.1.1. Flag of Australia...... 4
1.2.1.2. National anthem...... 4
1.2.1.3. Coat of arms...... 5
1.2.1.4. Floral emblem...... 5
1.2.1.5. National gemstone...... 5
1.2.2. Unofficial emblems...... 6
1.2.2.1. The Sydney Opera House...... 6
1.2.2.2. Uluru – Ayers Rock...... 6
1.2.2.3. Akubra hat...... 7
1.2.2.4. Vegemite...... 7
1.2.2.5. Kangaroo...... 7
1.2.2.6. Emu...... 8
1.3. History...... 9
1.4. Aborigines – the native Australians...... 10
1.5. Culture...... 11
1.6. Fauna und flora...... 12
1.7. Places of interests, attractions...... 13
1.8. Celebrities...... 19
2. New Zealand...... 20
2.1. Factfile...... 20
2.2. Symbols...... 21
2.2.1. Flag of New Zealand...... 21
2.2.2. National anthem...... 21
2.2.3. Coat of arms...... 21
2.2.4. Waintaingi day...... 22
2.2.5. Anzac day...... ,,,,,22
2.3. Maori...... 23
2.4. Fauna and flora...... 24
2.5. Places of interests, attractions...... 25
2.6. Celebrities...... 32
2.7. Interesting facts about New Zealand...... 33
Conclusion...... 36
Source...... 37
Introductions
I have chosen these two beautiful countries because are really beautiful and there are no so much things that are known about these countries. Australia and New Zealand are countries of many natural wonders and interesting history. My intention is to tell you something about their culture, habits and lifestyle. I want to draw on you places which you should visit if you get there.
I want tell you something about their unique flora and rare animals which live no else in the world. They are countries of surfers, sandy beaches, sharks, kangaroos, kiwis, barbeque, stem holes and many natural parks. I hope you come to know something knew and interesting for you.
1. AUSTRALIA
1.1. Factfile
OFFICIAL NAME: Commonwealth of Australia
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government
Ø Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II.
Ø Governor-General: Quentin Bryce
Ø Prime Minister: Kevin Rudd
Ø States and territories: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory
CAPITAL: Canberra
AREA: 7,686,850 km2
POPULATION: 21,714,000
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: English
OTHER LANGUAGES: Indigenous languages, Italian, Greek
LITERACY RATE: 99%
RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 27%, Anglican 22%, other Christian 22%, other 12,4%, none 16,6%
ETHNIC GROUPS: European 95%, Asian 4%, other (including Aboriginals) 1%
CURRENCY: Australian dollar
ECONOMY: Services 78%, industry 16%, agriculture 6%
TIME ZONE: GMT + 10 hours
DRIVES: on the left
HIGHEST POINT: Mt. Kosciuzsko 2,229 m
1.2. Symbols
1.2.1. Official symbols
1.2.1.1. Flag of Australia
The Australian National Flag is Australia’s foremost national symbol. It was first flown in 1901 and has become an expression of Australian identity and pride. The Australian National Flag flies over the federal and state parliaments. The flag is paraded by our defence forces and displayed around the country at sporting events and by service organisations, schools, community groups and private citizens. The Australian National Flag has three elements on a blue background: the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross. The Union Jack in the upper left corner (or canton) acknowledges the history of British settlement. Below the Union Jack is a white Commonwealth or Federation star. It has seven points representing the unity of the six states and the territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. The star is also featured on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. The Southern Cross is shown on the fly of the flag in white. This constellation of five stars can be seen only from the southern hemisphere and is a reminder of Australia’s geography.
1.2.1.2. National anthem
In 1973 a competition was held for a distinctively Australian national anthem. The Australian National Anthem Quest was run in two stages by the Australia Council for the Arts. The first stage for lyrics attracted more than 1400 entries. The second stage for music received 1200 entries. A prize of $5,000 was offered for each stage. The judges decided the entries did not meet the high standards of Australia’s traditional songs ‘Advance Australia Fair’, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘Song of Australia’. The Australia Council for the Arts recommended the final choice for the national anthem should be made from these three songs. The Bureau of Statistics ran a national poll of 60 000 people. ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was favoured by 51.4 per cent of the people followed by ‘Waltzing Matilda’ (19.6 per cent). The original composition of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was written by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878 and consisted of four verses. In 1974 ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was adopted as the Australian National Anthem; however in 1976 ‘God Save The Queen’ was reinstated. In 1977 the Australian Electoral Office conducted a poll for the national anthem tune in conjunction with a referendum. The tune ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was the preferred option. In 1981 the National Australia Day Council recommended that the Australian National Anthem consist of two verses of ‘Advance Australia Fair ‘with some modification.
1.2.1.3. Coat of arms
The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia that signifies Commonwealth authority and ownership. The Commonwealth Coat of Arms is used by Australian Government departments and agencies, statutory and non-statutory authorities, the Parliament and Commonwealth courts and tribunals.
1.2.1.4. Floral emblem
Australia’s national floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth.). When in flower, the golden wattle displays the national colours, green and gold. As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity. Wattle is ideally suited to withstand Australia’s droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people. In recent times, the golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection. On national days of mourning, for example, Australians are invited to wear a sprig of wattle. The golden wattle has been used in the design of Australian stamps and many awards in the Australian honours system. A single wattle flower is the emblem of the Order of Australia.
National Wattle Day
The first day of September is National Wattle Day. It builds on a long unofficial tradition of wearing the wattle blossom on 1 September. The day was introduced in 1913 by an association called the Wattle Day League and formally recognised on 23 June 1992. Australians can celebrate their floral heritage each Wattle Day by planting wattles.
1.2.1.5. National gemstone
Australia’s national gemstone is the opal, a stone famous across the world for its brilliant colours. In Indigenous stories, a rainbow created the colours of the opal when it touched the earth. Opal, also known to Indigenous people as the fire of the desert, is a powerful symbol of Australia’s arid interior. Australia is home to the world’s highest quality, precious opal. The most famous is black opal from Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. Black opal has a colour play of red, green, blue, violet, magenta or yellow against a dark background. Australia’s opal fields are bigger than those found in the rest of the world combined. Opal production was worth $71.4 million to Australia in 2003 and supports many communities in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. Australian opals are valued for their stability as well as brilliance. Opals from other countries are associated with volcanic rock and have high water content and tend to crack or craze during cutting or polishing, or during hot or dry conditions. Australia’s precious opals include black opal, white opal, crystal opal, fire opal and boulder opal.
1.2.2. Unofficial emblems
1.2.2.1. The Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognisable buildings of the modern world. Open since 1973, it has come to represent ‘Australia’. The Opera House, with a roof evocative of a ship at full sail, was designed by renowned Danish architect Jørn Utzon. In the late 1950s the New South Wales Government established an appeal fund to finance the construction of the Sydney Opera House and conducted a competition for its design. Utzon’s design was chosen although it was beyond the capabilities of engineering of the time. Utzon then spent a couple of years reworking the design and it was 1961 before he had solved the problem of how to build the distinguishing feature – the ‘sails’ of the roof. It is these ‘sails’ that have made the Opera House so recognisable. Over the more than thirty years since the Opera House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. On 20 October 1973, thousands of theatre and opera productions have been staged in the building and on the steps outside, often in front of enormous crowds. Australians and international visitors alike have walked up the steps of the building for views of Sydney harbour and the equally famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.
1.2.2.2. Uluru – Ayers Rock
Uluru is one of Australia’s most recognisable natural icons. Located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory, Uluru is a unique and beautiful place that is of spiritual and cultural significance to the traditional indigenous landowners, the Anangu, who lead walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area. The world-renowned sandstone formation stands 348m high with most of its bulk below the ground, and measures 9.4km in circumference. Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year, with sunset a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red. Although rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid area, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with streaks of black algae forming on the areas that serve as channels for water flow.
1.2.2.3. Akubra hat
The Akubra captures Australia like no other item of clothing. Ubiquitous in the outback, the Akubra is worn by people from all walks of life, from the diggers with their slouch hats in two world wars to the official uniform of Australian athletes at international sporting events. Whether suave and respectable or worn and battered, Akubra hats are can be seen all over Australia. Made of treated rabbit fur, Akubras today are manufactured in much the same way as they were when production began at Akubra Hats more than 100 years ago. Established in 1905, Akubra Hats still employs descendants of one of the company’s original hat makers. The trademark name ‘Akubra’, which is an Aboriginal word for head covering, only came into use in 1912 but the hat’s precursor was first made in Tasmania in the 1870s. This was only a few years after 24 English rabbits were released in Geelong, Victoria, in 1859. The national hat industry that produces the Akubra depends on the descendants of those rabbits. For over a century the Akubra has protected millions of Australians against the harsh sun, wind and driving rain and will continue to hold an emblematic place in Australian history and culture.
1.2.2.4. Vegemite
Many Australians love Vegemite – it is a unique and well-loved icon. This strange looking black spread, made by blending brewer’s yeasts, is one of the richest known sources of B complex vitamins. Australians traditionally eat Vegemite spread thinly on buttered toast, sandwiches and biscuits. Vegemite was invented by food technologists at the Fred Walker Company in 1923. Fred Walker later sold his business to Kraft and passed on the secret recipe. This secret recipe is used to this day and Vegemite tastes as it did when it was first invented and continues to be loved by many Australians of all ages. The love is not universal however, as some Australians, and nearly all overseas visitors, strongly dislike the very strong and salty taste. Despite this, Vegemite is arguably the ‘taste of Australia’ and it is no surprise that Australians travelling overseas are known to pack a jar or two of Vegemite to sustain them while out of Australia.
1.2.2.5. Kangaroos
Kangaroos are the rifest animals in Australia. There are more than 50 kinds of kangaroos. Kangaroo is also in Australian coat of arms. Really interesting is their boxing ability. They box really well. Kangaroos are the only large animals to use hopping as a means of locomotion. The comfortable hopping speed for Red Kangaroo is about 20–25 km/h, but speeds of up to 70 km/h can be attained, over short distances, while it can sustain a speed of 40 km/h for nearly two kilometres. This fast and energy-efficient method of travel has evolved because of the need to regularly cover large distances in search of food and water, rather than the need to escape predators. Because of its long feet, it cannot walk correctly. To move at slow speeds, it uses its tail to form a tripod with its two forelimbs. It then raises its hind feet forward, in a form of locomotion called “crawl-walking.” The average life expectancy of a kangaroo is about 4–6 years. Many Australians keep kangaroos in their gardens for pleasure. Cushiony little kangaroo is decoration of Australian’s flats. Kangaroos are also victims of traffic accidents. They jump over the road especially through the night. Then, in the morning you can see many murdered kangaroos near the road which are eaten by beautiful eagles.
1.2.2.6. Emu
The emu is the largest bird native in Australia. It is also the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after the ostrich. He can’t fly. Emu is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest and arid areas. [Emus can travel great distances at a fast, economical trot and, if necessary, can sprint at 50km/h for some distance at a time. They are nomadic and may travel long distances to find food; they feed on a variety of plants and insects.
1.3. History
Australia is in the southern hemisphere and it is the world’s smallest continent. Most of it consists of low plateaus, and almost one-third is desert. Backbone of Australia is the Australian Alps. Australia’s Aboriginal people have arrived here by boat from South East Asia during the last Ice Age, at least 50,000 years ago. At the time of European discovery and settlement, up to one million Aboriginal people lived across the continent as hunters and gatherers. A number of European explorers sailed the coast of Australia, then known as New Holland, in 17th century. However it wasn’t until 1770 that Captain James Cook chartered the east coast and claimed it for Britain. The new colony was used to export convicts. Almost each modern Australian’s ancestor was convict. While free settlers began to flow, life for prisoners was harsh. Women were outnumbered five to one and lived under constant threat of sexual exploitation. Male re-offenders were brutally flogged and could be hung for crimes as petty as stealing. The Aboriginal people displaced by the new settlement suffered even more. The dispossessions of land and illness and death from introduced diseases disrupted traditional lifestyle and practices. Gold was discovered in New South Wales and central Victoria in 1851, luring thousands of young men and some adventurous young women from the colonies. They were joined by boat loads of prospectors from China and a chaotic carnival of entertainers, publicans, illicit liquor-sellers,, prostitutes and quacks from across the world. Despite the violence on goldfields, the wealth from gold and wool brought immense investment to Melbourne and Sydney and by the 1880s they were stylish modern cities. Australia’s six states became a nation under a single constitution on 1 January 1901. Today Australia is home to people from more than 200 countries.