Countries Teaching Resources
Explore Australia's neighbouring countries and other countries of the world with your students this school year with worksheets, activities and moreresources for Australian teachers.
This collection is stocked with printable and digital activities aligned with the Australian HASS curriculum and includes resources to help students get to know Australia's neighbour nations in the Asia-Pacific region, the diverse characteristics of places around the world and more!
Whether it's your first year teaching about countries or you simply need a quick place to find some answers to students' common questions for your lessons, we have you covered. Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a definition of country, a look at which countries are Australia's near neighbours and answers to questions about how many countries there are in the world.
What Is a Country? A Kid-Friendly Definition
If you're introducing countries for the first time, it can be helpful to have a definition of the word at hand to explain the meaning. Here's a definition our teacher team uses to explain what a country is:
A country is a piece of land that is recognised as an independent political entity. Each country has its own government, borders that separate it from other countries and unique identities such as histories, traditions and laws.
Australia is the country we live in, but there are many other countries all around the globe. Some you might know include China, the United States and New Zealand.
Countries can be found on six of the world's seven continents. The only continent that doesn't have a country is Antarctica!
What Are Australia's Neighbouring Countries?
As an island nation, Australia has no countries bordering it by land, but we have near neighbours separated by water that our students will learn about in primary school.
Listed in alphabetical order, Australia's seven primary neighbouring countries include:
- East Timor (Timor-Leste)
- Indonesia
- New Caledonia (technically not a nation but a French overseas territory)
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- Solomon Islands
- Vanuatu
How Many Countries Are There?
If you listed all of the countries in the world in alphabetical order, Australia would be near the very top because it starts with the letter A, but that list would be very long indeed.
There are currently 193 different countries in the world that are recognised by the United Nations. There are two more countries that are called 'observer nations' by the UN.
What Is the Largest Country?
Australia is a big country that covers approximately 7.7 million square kilometres of land! But even with all of that land, the nation is only the sixth largest in the world by area.
So which country is the largest? And just how big is it?
The largest country by area is Russia. The nation spans approximately 17.1 million square kilometres of land. It's so large that it spans two different continents — Europe and Asia.
What Is the Smallest Country in the World?
The smallest country in the world is so small it fits inside a city! Vatican City, sometimes called the Holy See.
This tiny country is just .44 square kilometres wide.
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Schools Around the World – Brochure and Writing Template
A template for students to use to research and write a report on the school system from a different country.
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Acclimatised Civilisations: Australia – Workbook
Learn about the physical and human geography of the continent of Australia with this inquiry-based mapping activity.
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Flags of the World Posters
A set of 195 posters depicting the flags of the world's nations.
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Country Investigation - Worksheet
A recording worksheet for students to use in the classroom when researching different countries and cultures.
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Significant Australian Flags
A set of 4 significant Australian flags with explanations.
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The Australian Flag Poster and Worksheet
A poster and worksheet of the Australian Flag.
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Acclimatised Civilisations: Egypt – Workbook
Learn about the physical and human geography of Egypt and the Sahara Desert with this inquiry-based mapping activity.
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Welcome to Australia! – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a country profile from the Year 3 magazine (Issue 2).
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Acclimatised Civilisations: Inuit Territories – Workbook
Learn about the physical and human geography of the Inuit Territories with this inquiry-based mapping activity.
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Welcome to Peru! – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a country profile from the Year 4 magazine (Issue 2).
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Welcome to America! – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a country profile from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 2).
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Welcome to India – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a country profile from the Year 6 magazine (Issue 2).
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Flags of Australia – Art Activity
A creative art activity to use when commemorating important events such as Australia Day, Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week.
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Neighbours of Australia Flags
Twelve flags from countries surrounding Australia.
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African Flags
Eight flags from Africa.
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Acclimatised Civilisations: Greece – Workbook
Learn about the physical and human geography of Greece and the Mediterranean region with this inquiry-based mapping activity.
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Acclimatised Civilisations: India – Workbook
Learn about the physical and human geography of the continent of India with this inquiry-based mapping activity.
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Class Flag Activity Worksheet
An activity for students to create a class flag.
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Asian Flags
A collection of 38 flags from Asian countries.
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National Symbols Worksheet
Use this national symbols worksheet when exploring the importance of symbols and emblems.
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North American Flags Worksheets - BW
Seventeen black and white worksheets with flags from North America.
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African Flags Worksheets - BW
Eight black and white worksheets with flags from Africa.
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South American Flags
Decorate your travel-themed classroom with a set of fourteen flags from South America.
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Acclimatised Civilisations: Andes Mountains – Workbook
Learn about the physical and human geography of the Andes mountains in South America with this inquiry-based mapping activity.
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Welcome to Scotland! – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a country profile from the Year 1 magazine (Issue 2).
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Welcome to France! – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a country profile from the Year 2 magazine (Issue 2).
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Countries and Their Cultural Contributions – Worksheet
An activity for students to research the cultural contributions from countries around the world.
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South American Flags Worksheets - BW
Fourteen black and white worksheets with flags from South America.
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New Zealand Flags
Study New Zealand with your students using our flag worksheets.
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European Flags Worksheets - BW
Twenty-seven black and white worksheets with a selection of flags from Europe.
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Asian Flags Worksheets - BW
Thirty-seven black and white worksheets with a selection of flags from Asia.
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Oceania Flags Worksheets - BW
Ten black and white worksheets with a selection of flags from the Oceania region.