9781422278796

A U S T R A L I A

Australia: An Introduction

T o many people around the world, Australia is the land of kangaroos and koala bears, where residents and tourists alike romp on any of thousands of beaches. But Australia is also one of the richest countries in the world, with vast deposits of natural resources that it sells over- seas. It’s also a diverse country. While once a British colony, today many “Aussies” trace their roots to nations around the world. The indigenous people of the continent, known as Aboriginal Australians, play a big part, too. The original Australians include a distinct group known as Torres Straits Islanders, who come from islands that lie between Australia and New Guinea to the north. Words to Understand contiguous  connected along a border or point indigenous  native to a particular region, especially referring to people marsupial  a type of mammal, such as kangaroos, that have a pouch in which mothers carry and feed their babies nomadic  referring to people that move often to find hunting grounds and places to live penal colony  an island or other isolated territory where large numbers of prisoners are kept

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