The world's smallest and most southerly continent, Australia comprises mainland Australia, the island of Tasmania, New Guinea, New Zealand and islands in the Malay Archipelago. In total, the continent of Australia

Often known as Oceania or Australasia, Australia is made up of around 10,000 islands in total, all of which lie in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, between the Americas and Asia.

Consisting of so many different islands, the terrain and landscape around Australia is extremely varied. With a typically Mediterranean-style climate, featuring hot summers and extremely mild winters, the seasons in Australia are quite different to those in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Commonwealth of Australia is situated in the southern hemisphere. An enormous country featuring huge expanses of bushland, Australia also comprises the island of Tasmania. Canberra is Australia's modern capital, whilst Sydney and Melbourne are amongst the largest cities.

Composed of two main islands, New Zealand is located to the west of the South Pacific Ocean and to the east of the Tasman Sea. The North Island and South Island were originally inhabited by the Maori race.

New Zealand became a British Colony in 1840, with the largest city being Auckland, near to the top of the North Island. Wellington is the capital city and can be found on the southern coast of the North Island.