Geologically Australia is the most ancient of the continents. But for many centuries it was marked on the maps as “terra incognita”. The first man who reached the Australian coasts was Willem Jansz, a Dutch seaman. He landed on the northern coast of the continent in 1606. The northern and western coasts were investigated by the Dutch in the 17th century. The sailors named the continent New Holland. In 1770 James Cook, a British navigator, reached the coasts of Australia. He was the first to investigate Australia and named a lot of its mountains and bays.
- The beginning of the British colonization of Australia was connected with the loss of the thirteen American colonies during the War of Independence. The British government lost the right to send criminals from England to North America. The loss was compensated by seizing new territories. The first group of criminals arrived in Australia in 1787 and founded a settlement named Sydney. And only in 1793 the first group of settlers who were not convicts came to Australia.
- The 50s of the 19th century were the turning point in the history of Australia. The deposits of gold were found then, and it led the country to the rapid economic development. Till that time Australia had held the first place at the world wool market. Since that time the industry started to develop in the country.
- The discovery of gold also led to a large wave of immigrants to the country. In 1900 the British colonies got the rights of states. In 1901 they united in a single state. That was the beginning of the modern Australia.
Australia
- Australia i /əˈstreɪljə, ɒ-, -iə/ , [10][11] officially the Commonwealth of Australia , [12] is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania , and numerous smaller islands . It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area . Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. New Caledonia, aspecial collectivity of France, lies to the north-east.
(in Australia — RFDSA — Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia) a qualified medical doctor who uses radio communication and an aeroplane to visit sick people that are living in lonely and remote places;