australia
australia — noun
1. An independent country in the southwestern Pacific, taking up an entire continen
An independent country in the southwestern Pacific, taking up an entire continent together with the nearby island of Tasmania. Its capital is Canberra, and about 26 million people live there, most of them along the eastern and southern coasts. English is the main language, and the country is a member of the Commonwealth.
Élise spent a year studying at a university in Australia after she finished high school.
collocation: study in Australia (education context)
Defne flew from Istanbul to Australia to visit her brother in Sydney.
proper noun: a destination you travel to
Australia and New Zealand often play each other in cricket and rugby matches.
Ilan moved to Australia from Argentina last year for a job in the mining industry.
Many sheep farms in Australia send wool to factories in China and Italy.
- the Commonwealth of Australia
the country's full official name; used in formal or legal writing
用法筆記
Refers to the country as a political unit. Distinguish from sense 2, which names the continent as a geographic feature. In everyday speech the country meaning is far more common, and listeners will assume this sense unless the topic is geography.
常見錯誤
2. The smallest of the world's seven continents, lying south of Asia and entirely b
The smallest of the world's seven continents, lying south of Asia and entirely below the Equator in the southern half of the world. It covers about 7.7 million square kilometres and is the only continent made up of a single country. Its centre is mostly dry desert, while the coasts are wetter and home to most of its plants and animals.
Justin learned in school that Australia is the smallest of the seven continents.
subject in main clause; geography lesson
Many unusual animals such as kangaroos and koalas live only on the continent of Australia.
collocation: the continent of Australia
Wren read that the middle of Australia is one of the driest places on Earth.
Australia broke away from a much larger landmass about fifty million years ago.
- the Australian continent
longer descriptive form; preferred when the geographic meaning must be clear
用法筆記
Refers to the continent as a physical landmass. Distinguish from sense 1, which names the country. The continent sense is most often used in geography, biology, or earth-science contexts, often paired with words like 'continent', 'landmass', or 'tectonic plate'.