India

India takes up the greatest part of The Indian subcontinent. Africa and Arabia are
to the west and South East Asia to the east. It has a coastline along the Indian
Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. India shares its border with
Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar (once called Burma) and over the
Himalaya mountain range China and Nepal. The capital of India is New Delhi and
its other major cities are Bombay, Calcutta, Chandigarh and Madras.

The country's longest river is the Brahmaputra and the second longest is the
Ganges. India has a variety of geographical features including mountain ranges,
valleys, desert regions, tropical rain forests, fertile plains and a dry plateau.

The tiger is India's national animal. Other animals found in India are antelopes,
buffalo, deer, goats, bears, leopards, elephants, monkeys, wolves, crocodiles, and
snakes. Tigers have been hunted for many years and by 1970 it was estimated
that only seven hundred existed.

India is the world's second most populous country, after China and has more
languages than any other country - fifteen main languages and hundreds of other
languages and dialects. The most important language is Hindi, spoken by around
one in five of the population.

India's diversity of languages is matched by its diversity of religions. It was the

birthplace of two of the world's great religions: Buddhism and Hinduism. Around
eighty per cent of the population are Hindus and eleven per cent of the population
are Muslims.

1. What is the capital of India?

2. What ocean does its coastline collide with?

3. How many tigers were to have existed in 1970 in India?

 Australia
Australia lies between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Its capital is Canberra. It has
six states New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western
Australia and the Island of Tasmania as well as two territories, the Australian
Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

A large proportion of the interior of Australia is desert and is known as the

outback but it does have mountain ranges, rivers, lakes and underground water
reserves.

Almost half of the Australian mammals are animals which carry their young in
pouches. They are known as marsupials and include kangaroos, wallabies,
wombats and koala bears. Other Australian animals include dingoes (wild dogs)
crocodiles (in the north), snakes, lizards and turtles. The world's largest coral
reef, The Great Barrier Reef, lies off Queensland. It is a breeding ground for
humpback whales, dolphins and green and loggerhead turtles.

The Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for over forty thousand years. With
the arrival of the Europeans in the eighteenth century many of the Aboriginal
people died from unfamiliar diseases brought to the continent by the newcomers.
Today over ninety percent of the population are of European descent. Over one
hundred and fifty nationalities are represented in the population of 20 million.

English is the national language of Australia. Seventeen percent of the population

speak other languages. Approximately seventy percent of Australians are
Christians.

1. What is the capital of Australia?

2. What is the name of the largest coral reef?

3. What type of people have lived in Australia?

 Greece
Greece is located in the south of Europe on the Mediterranean and is bordered by
Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. The
main groups of islands are the Ionian, the Northeast Aegean, the Cyclades and
the Dodecanese. Crete is the largest island. Greece's territory includes over one
hundred inhabited islands. Athens is the capitol and the largest city. Thessaloniki
is the next most populated city.

Greece is mountainous and hilly with a rocky terrain and a long coastline. The
climate consists of hot summers with mild winters.

Most numerous among the country's wildlife are smaller creatures such as lizards,
snakes, tortoises, tree frogs, crickets and butterflies. Larger animals find survival
increasingly difficult. The surrounding seas are home to a wide variety of life,
including jellyfish, octopus, sea horses, dolphins and sea turtles.

The population of Greece is over ten and a half million. Many Greeks have
migrated to countries around the world including Australia and the United States.
Sydney is said to be the world's largest Greek city apart from Athens.

Greek is the official language, but many Greeks also speak English and French.
Greek uses its own alphabet which is very different from the Roman alphabet
used in English and the western European languages. Christianity was established
as the official religion in the fourth century. The Greek Orthodox Church is the
official religious body.

1. What is the capital of Greece?

2. How large is the population in Greece?

3. What is the official religious body in all of Greece?