Art culture
riverdance
Australia
6th largest country in the world The largest island in the world
The smallest, flattest and driest continent in the world 50th most populous country in the world Sydney largest city Tasmania smallest state
New South Welsh populous state James Cook named it West Australia the largest state Animal: platypus, kangaroo,koala, wombat
Two most distinctive physical features: the Great Diving Range & The Great Barrier Reef “The Father of Australia” Lachlan Macquarie the Governor of NSW A member of the APEC, G20, OECD, WTO organization
There is now a much higher proportion of settlers arriving from Asia although Anglo Australia migrants still predominate
The peoples
People of Dreaming
“The Dreaming” or ”The Dreamtime” is the most enduring religion in Australia today
People who live on the continent have special responsibilities to the land - that the land owns people, creating and providing everything
The Dreaming is the belief system from ancient times that has bound indigenous groups together
Terra Nullius
British who took over the country in the late 18th century, declaring it to be “terra nullius” Australia as a penal colony
The impact of Colonisation
1. Expropriation of land and the killing of the peoples 2. Segregation and protection
3. Assimilation destroy the culture of the Dreaming 4. Citizenship and the fight against racism
Religion
Christianity
The Dreaming most enduring Protestantism most dominant
Buddhism is now the fastest growing belief system in Australia Islam, Hinduism, Judaism
Sport
The principal games a form of football ARL, AFL, RU, soccer The most popular game netball The second most popular fishing
Other games and sports cricket, hockey, basketball, beach volleyball, athletics, swimming
The Formation of the Australian Political System
Washminster US
Political structure is based on a Federation of States Has a three-tier system of government
The House of Representatives (the Lower House) & the Senate (the Upper House) UK
The chief executive is a Prime Minister Two houses of parliament
Headed by the Governor-General
The members of parliament generally belong to one of the two major political parties: The Australia Labour Party (ALP) &the Coalition the Liberals & the Nationals
Services
1st Tourism
Most popular tourist features: the Great Barrier Reef, Ulura Kakadu and the key city attractions and beaches of Sydney, the Gold Coast, and the other metropolitan centers 2nd Coal and iron ore 3rd Education
New Zealand
Aotearoa : another name, means “land of the long white cloud” The North Island and the South Island are separated by Cook Strait Auckland the largest urban area Mt. Cook the highest mountain
In colloquial English, a Kiwi, capitalized, means a New Zealander 80% European ancestry 15% Maori 7% from the Pacific Islands Christianity is the most common religion
Maoritanga
Means “Maori culture”
Maori : the original inhabitant of New Zealand are the largest non-European group, however, in recent years, Maori culture and perspectives have experienced a sort of renaissance
Although some Maori still live in their tribal areas, over 80% of the Maori population live in urban areas
The best known internationally of all Maori traditions is the haka
History
1000 years ago voyagers from East Polynesia settled there 1642 first European explorer Abel Tasman found it 1840 over 500 chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi
Government
Governed by a democratically elected parliament
The Head of State is the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II represented by a Governor-General The House of Representatives : the National Party & the Labour Party The Prime Minister chooses up to 20 MPs to form the Cabinet
Education
Compulsory between the ages of 6 and 16 Age 2-4 5-6 6-12 12- Education Kindergartens Infant classes Primary school Secondary school 9 universities & 22 polytechnics the Correspondence School the largest school
the Open Polytechnic the biggest education provider
Economy
Agriculture
The world’s largest farm
A world leader in agriculture research and advisory services Pastoral farming remains the main land use Forestry & Fishing
Constitute new natural resource-based industries with exciting potential for further development Overseas Trade
New Zealand lives by trade
American
Two long-continuing immigration movements : Asia (Indians) & Europe and Africa 1492 Columbus found
The first new force was the development of capitalism The second major force is the Renaissance
The third influential force was the Religious Reformation
The first English permanent settlement was founded in 1607 in Virginia
1619 two events 1. A start of election 2. A start of Negroes being brought to US Puritan New England was established in Massachusetts Catholic Maryland Quaker Pennsylvania
1773 “Boston Tea Party”
1774 the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia
1775 the first shot thus the American War of Independence began July 4,1776 Declaration of Independence
proclaimed the independence of 13 North American colonies 1781 the War of Independence came to an end
1789 Washington began to set up the new federal government and frame his administration 1861 Civil War broke out 1865 ended
Constitution
Set up a federal system one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each Legislative Branch the Congress
The only branch that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes, declare war or put foreign treaties into effect
The House of Representatives & the Senate
The main duty of the Congress is to make laws, including those which levy taxes that pay for the work of the federal government Executive Branch the President four-year term only two terms
Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
Under the Constitution, the president is primarily responsible for foreign relations with other nations
Judicial Branch the Supreme Court : a chief justice & eight associate justices Checks and Balances
Two major political parties Democratic Party donkey Republican Party elephant
Economy
American is always a mighty presence on Global 100
After the birth of the nation, Americans lost no time in industrializing their new nation and in building trade with other countries
Key development the introduction of the factory system The “American system” of mass production The application of new technologies
The emergency of new forms of business organization
The construction of railroads marked the start of a new era for the United States Service industries now dominate the economy The Roots of Affluence
Bountiful resources, the geographical size of the country and population treads have all contributed to these success. Religious, social and political traditions; the institutional structures of government and business; and the courage, hard work and determination of countless entrepreneurs and workers have also played a part. The 4th largest area and population in the world
Agriculture and its related industries serve as the foundation of American economic life, accounting for a larger portion of the United States’ GNP than other endeavor The Current Recession
1930s the Great Depression
In late 2007 a crisis began in America and soon turned global Triggered by a liquidity shortfall
Result in the collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets around the world
Religion
The majority of Americans belong to the Protestant church Baptists the largest Protestant group
Methodists the second largest Protestant group Roman Catholics the largest single religious group Character
1. American with different religions live together under the same law
2. The religious beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress
3. In the US every church is a completely independent organization, and concerned with its own finance and its own building
Literature
writer Washington Irving Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Nathaniel Hawthorne Herman Melville Walt Whitman Harriet Beecher Stowe Mark Twain Theodore Dreiser Jack London T. S. Eliot F. Scott Fitzgerald Work The first important American writer Inventing a history furnished American with its first myth-hero Transcendentalists The scarlet Letter Moby-Dick Leaves of Grass Uncle Tom’s Cabin The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Sister Carrie Call of the Wild The Waste Land The Great Gatsby
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