Interesting facts about AUSTRALIA

What do you know about Australia? Here’s a list of Interesting Facts about Australia that you probably didn’t know!

To make this even more fun, I want to challenge you. How many of these Australia facts did you already know? Share your result in the comment section!

In addition to 25 interesting facts about Australia, you can also read some more information at the bottom of the article such as total population, biggest cities, the official language, the largest lake, highest mountain etc.

1. THE AVERAGE AUSSIE DRINKS 96 LITERS OF BEER PER YEAR

In addition to Goon (the iconic cask wine), the Aussies also enjoy having a beer or two.On average they drink 96 liters of beer per year!

2. HIGHWAY 1 IS THE LONGEST NATIONAL HIGHWAY IN THE WORLD

It’s about 14 500 kilometers and circumnavigates the country. Now that’s one epic road trip!

3. THERE ARE MORE KANGAROOS THAN PEOPLE

Some data reports that the total population of Kangaroos is almost 50 million now. Back in 2016, there were almost 45 million Kangaroos, which means that there are more Kangaroos in Australia than people!

4.THE DROP BEAR WAS CREATED TO SCARE TOURISTS

The Drop Bear is an imaginary animal that’s supposed to be a predatory version of the Koala. It was created by the Aussies to scare away tourists! But you can rest assure, the drop bear will not jump down from the trees and attack you.

5. AUSTRALIA HAS THE SECOND-HIGHEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX

One thing the Aussies can pride themselves is the fact that they’re ranking high in the human development index. This index measures various things such as equality, lifespan, welfare etc. Australia comes in at second place, just after Norway.

Human Development Index 2019

6. AND THEY LOVE VEGEMITE

What is vegemite you might ask? It’s one of those Australian foods that you have to try at least once in your life. Vegemite is a thick spread made from leftover brewers’ yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives.

The Aussies usually put the spread on sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits as well as a filling for pastries.

7. MELBOURNE HAS THE LARGEST GREEK POPULATION OUTSIDE OF GREECE

This is quite an interesting fact about Australia, especially for greeks. In Melbourne, there are an estimated 162 000 people that claim Greek ancestry.

8. THERE’S A MOUNTAIN NAMED “MT. DISAPPOINTMENT”

An 800-meter high mountain that was named by the explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824. The mountain got its name because of the disappointing view from the top. The explorers expected to see Port Philipp Bay from the top, but a large number of trees prevented this.

9. AUSTRALIA’S DINGO FENCE IS LONGER THAN THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

The Great Wall of China is famous around the world, and it’s truly spectacular, but did you know that Australia’s dingo fence is actually longer? The national dingo fence measures 5600 kilometers.

10. SOME OF THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST ANIMALS LIVE HERE

Yes, Australia is home to the deadliest spider, the deadliest snake, the deadliest octopus, the deadliest fish and so on. But despite this, very few people are actually killed by these highly venomous animals. From the year 2000 and 2013, more people were even killed by horses than Australia’s deadliest animals combined.

11.AUSTRALIA WAS INHABITED FOR AT LEAST 50 000 YEARS BEFORE THE BRITISH CAME

The Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 50 000 years. They’re generally considered to have the oldest living culture on Earth.

12. AUSTRALIA HAS OVER 10 000 BEACHES

If you visited one beach a day, it would take about 27 years to explore 10 000 beaches. No wonder that surfing and other water and beach activities are so popular!

13. IT’S THE 6^TH LARGEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

Some people don’t think of the land down under as one of the largest countries in the world, but the total area is a massive 2.9 million square miles or 7 692 000 km². That’s just slightly smaller than the continental U.S.

However, Australia is one of the least densely populated countries with only 3 people per square kilometer.

14. THE AUSTRALIAN ALPS RECEIVE MORE SNOW THAN SWITZERLAND

Probably one of the more surprising facts about Australia. Because it’s one of the aridest countries in the world and is generally known for the sun and heat. But the Australian Alps are bigger than Switzerland, so it’s not that surprising after all.

The Australian Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range, the series of mountains, hills, and highlands that runs about 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) from northern Queensland, through New South Wales, and into the northern part of Victoria.

15. HOME TO THE LARGEST LIVING STRUCTURE ON EARTH – THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

While some scientists declared the Great Barrier Reef dead back in 2016, the world’s largest coral reef is still alive, even though it needs to be protected from pollution and other problems that the world’s oceans are facing.

Another cool fact is that the Great Barrier Reef is so large that it’s visible from space!

GENERAL FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIA

Here’s some more general information about Australia, such as total population, the official language, highest mountain, currency, time zone, biggest cities etc.

Total Population: 24,970,200.
Capital: Canberra.
Biggest City: Sydney.
Highest Mountain: Mount Kosciuszko
Land area: 7,692,024 km2.
Biggest Lake: Lake Eyre (salt) and Lake Mackay (freshwater)
National Day: 26 January (Australia Day)
Government: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Prime minister: Scott Morrison
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD).
Official language: English.
Member of Nato: No.
National song: “Advance Australia Fair”
Official website: www.australia.gov.au
Time zone: from UTC +8 to UTC +10:30
Country Number/Prefix: +61
Country Code: AU.

FLAG OF AUSTRALIA

Did you know this about the Australian flag?

Union Jack illustrates the link with the British.
Southern Cross Constellation (5 stars) which is commonly seen over southern hemisphere and clearly seen visible at night sky.
Seven pointed Commonwealth Star: it is also known as Star of Federation which symbolizes the original states of Australia.