Each continent, each country and state in its own way is amazing, wonderful and unique. On any continent, every nation has its own characteristics, traditions and cultural values that will be very interesting for any tourist. Thanks to these features, a vivid and complete picture of a particular area is formed.
This article provides useful and very interesting facts about Australia.
Continent country
Australia is a very large country. It ranks sixth in the world in terms of the size of its territory. It is so huge that it occupies a whole continent. Its territory covers more than seven million square kilometers.
Interesting facts about Australia regarding the geographical location of the country are undoubtedly the three oceans. The mainland is washed immediately by the Indian, Pacific and Southern.
A vast part of the country is occupied by deserts and semi-desert territories. The most famous of them are Bolshaya Peschanaya and Victoria. Aerial view of Australia looks like a bleak and red desert.
The country is really considered the driest continent, since only 500 mm of precipitation falls here annually.
But, despite all this, the mainland is in the top ten countries in the world in terms of quality and standard of living.
Interesting facts about animals in Australia
The most famous Australian animal is a kangaroo. It is a symbol of the country. There are plenty of them in Australia. When it gets dark, they, attracted by the headlights, go out onto the highways and jump under the wheels of cars. Therefore, the Australians even have a special sign "kangaroo" to warn drivers about the danger on the road. Mostly Australian kangaroos are small in size - up to 60 centimeters. But there are more individuals - up to 3 meters.
The most dangerous animals in Australia are crocodiles. The northern part of the country is teeming with them. And almost a week goes by, as accidents involving these animals occur. Alligators simply devour the people they come across. Crocodiles on the continent is full. The most famous is the Australian saltwater. It is found in salty sea water and is the largest of all the species represented on earth. An adult crocodile can weigh a ton (!) And reach 3-4 meters in length.
The scary stories about the predatory poisonous Australian spiders, from which hundreds of people die, are well known. However, these are just tales. Since 1979, not a single person has died in Australia from a spider bite. So you can be calm.
The same goes for sharks. Off the coast of the Australian continent they are not uncommon. Yes, they are dangerous, but if you behave carefully and do not provoke them, then everything will work out. Sharks are non-conflict creatures; they never attack first.
What other animals is Australia diverse? You will learn interesting facts about its inhabitants if you visit local zoos. For example, have you ever heard of an animal called wombat? And this is a native of the continent. A small guinea pig that looks very similar to a wild boar. Do you know about the Tasmanian devil? This is an Australian dog breed resembling a French bulldog.
River of life
Australia's largest river is the Murray. It flows in the eastern part of the continent and reaches a length of 2570 kilometers. The river originates in the Australian Alps, and flows into the Indian Ocean. On the way to the sea, it flows through a variety of environments:
mountain forests, cities, agricultural land, etc.
Australia's largest river is the “liveliest” of all water bodies. Frogs, fish, ducks, crayfish, snakes, and many other animals live here. The river is so diverse that every representative of the animal world can find a place for themselves here. In the clear crystal waters, proud swans swim, and in wetlands frogs croak and snakes and lizards crawl.
The Murray River is home to a wide variety of fish species: trout, cod, goldfish, Australian smelt, gudgeons and many others.
Only mountains above mountains
Interesting facts about Australia are undoubtedly its lowest and highest geographical points. So, on the one hand, the continent is below sea level, when compared with other land areas of the Earth. The lowest point is Lake Eyre (15 meters below sea level). Incidentally, it is the driest in the world. It is covered with a thick four-meter layer of salt, and there is absolutely no water in it.
On the other hand, there are the Alps, on the territory of which the highest mountain in Australia is located - Kosciuszko (2228 meters). This is the highest point of the Green Continent.
Why is the highest mountain in Australia named after the Polish general and hero of Belarus Tadeusz Kosciusho? The fact is that its discovery was made by the Polish geologist Strzelecki in 1840. By the way, initially it was not called that, but bore the name Townsend. “Kosciuszko” - it was a nearby mountain, which was then considered the highest. But later, when it was scientifically proven that Townsend was 20 meters higher, the Australians changed the names of the mountains so that the highest point was named after the hero of Poland. They did this in deference to the discoverer.
City life
Australia's
largest cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobat. And none of the above is the capital. The fact is that the capital of Australia - Canberra - is a very small city. A little more than 350 thousand people live in it.
The largest Australian city is Sydney. About five million people live in it. Next up is Melbourne with a population of about four million. By the way, earlier the capital of Australia was precisely Melbourne. Today this city is only the cultural capital of the continent. Brisbane, the main industrial center of the mainland, has about two million inhabitants. In Perth and Adelaide - one and a half million.
Gastronomic facts
What will Australia treat travelers with? Interesting facts about the culinary characteristics of the country also cannot be ignored. First of all, it is necessary to talk about the traditional Australian dish - wedzhimayt. The name sounds mysterious, right? But in fact, everything is much simpler. This is ordinary yeast spread on unleavened bread. The pungent smell of brown mass and its brackish taste will not appeal to every traveler. You can’t say about the Australians themselves, who simply adore their traditional “paste”.
Another unusual edible feature of the country is pies in the form of baskets. Inside is the meat filling. And it looks beautiful, and it tastes nice.
Sydney Attractions
One of the most amazing and beautiful buildings in the world is the Sydney Opera House. Its discovery took place in 1973 by order of Queen Victoria. This unusual building is rightfully considered the most beautiful building of the twentieth century.
The Sydney Television Tower is the tallest structure in the entire Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Its height is amazing - 309 meters in height! Thousands of visitors annually climb the Tower to admire the panorama of the city, the heights that open in front of them and the largest bridge in the world - Harbor Bridge.
Also in Sydney is the world's largest aquarium. Its huge number of underwater tunnels will not leave anyone indifferent. There is something to see here - more than six thousand species of various representatives of the deep sea are at your service!
What else to see in Australia?
The main attraction of the continent is the Great Barrier Reef. This is a real miracle of nature. The largest coral reef system in the world. 900 islands stretched over a vast territory - more than 3,000 kilometers. By the way, it is here on one of the islands that the most remote mailbox is located.
Another natural wonder of Australia is the pink lake of Giller. Scientists cannot explain the reason for its scarlet color until now.
Locals
Interesting facts about Australia will tell you the inhabitants of the continent. By the way, Europeans mainly live here - more than 90 percent of the total population. These are mainly Irish and British.
Residents themselves call themselves the funny nickname "Ozzy." They also call the American dollar. It’s strange, do they really associate themselves with money? But we do not understand this.
By the way, in Australia there are still natives. They occupy five percent of the total population. These black Australians live in remote reservations and settlements.
Australians are a very fun people. They like to joke and laugh. In general, they strive to live and breathe deeply. Perhaps that is why they are so friendly and welcoming. In addition, they love to travel. Not only in its continent, but in general all over the world.
Every year, Australia hosts a wide variety of international holidays to attract foreign visitors.
Unusual facts
1. Only in Australia does the flying doctor service operate. They provide only emergency care to patients living in areas remote from the city. This service is a peculiar symbol of the country. After all, she talks about the high level of medicine and life in general.
2. Australia is a country of sheep. In 2000, over 100 million of these animals were counted in the country. It turns out that the number of "sheep population" is five times higher than the human population.
3. Here is the world's largest pasture. Still would! There are so many sheep in Australia! And they need to graze somewhere. The largest pasture is called Anna Creek and covers an area of 35,000 square kilometers.
4. The nondescript capital. Canberra is a small and unremarkable city. Unlike Sydney or Melbourne. Then why is she? This is a kind of compromise. The city is located exactly in the middle between Melbourne and Sydney. As they say, so that there is no disagreement.
5. In the mountains of Australia there is more snow than in the Swiss Alps. The fact is that in the Australian Alps there is a huge amount of snow, much more than in Switzerland. Therefore, winter recreation is very popular here.
6. Continent of prisoners. Australia was discovered by Britain and became its colony. England used a remote island to exile criminals. Therefore, those who survived a long sea voyage in dirty ship holds actually became the first inhabitants of this country. So a quarter of the Australian population are descendants of British prisoners.
7. The largest part of Antarctica belongs to Australia. In 1933, the Antarctic territory of Australia was officially transferred to it by England. This is a huge area - about six million square kilometers.
Australia: interesting facts for children
1. This Green Continent was discovered by James Cook in 1770.
2. The most common animal in Australia is a kangaroo. The largest number of snakes in the world live here.
3. Australia is the smallest continent. At the same time, it is the largest island in the world.
4. In Australia, they speak English. And mainly Europeans live here. Although there is also an indigenous population - the natives.
5. The main architectural value of the continent is the Sydney Opera House. It is built right in the harbor and is surrounded on three sides by water. The roof of the building resembles a ship with sails or swan wings.