The land
NOT IN THE TEST This part is worth reading, but the citizenship test never asks about it.
Australia is one of the world’s oldest land masses. It is the sixth largest country in the world and the largest island nation. It is also the flattest and the driest inhabited land mass. Much of Australia has poor soil and low rainfall, making it hard to farm. The dry inland areas are called ‘the outback’, and are particularly remote and harsh environments. In Australia, water is a very precious resource.
Being such a large country, Australia has regions with quite different climates. There are tropical regions in the north of Australia and deserts in the centre. In the south, the temperatures can change from cool winters with mountain snow, to dry heatwaves in summer.
In addition to the six states and two mainland territories, the Australian Government also administers the following territories:
• Ashmore and Cartier Islands
• Christmas Island
• the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
• Jervis Bay Territory
• the Coral Sea Islands
• Heard Island and McDonald Islands in the Australian Antarctic Territory
• Norfolk Island.
From Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, the official booklet