1. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world, occupying an entire continent with an area of about 7.6 million km 2.
2. 80% of the 24 million Australians live within 100 km of the coast.
3. More than 200 different languages and dialects are spoken in Australia, 45 of which are Indigenous languages. The most common languages besides English are Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Express information on the country
Australia(Federation of Australia) is a state in the Southern Hemisphere, located on the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmania.
Capital– Canberra
Largest cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide
Form of government- A constitutional monarchy
Territory– 7,692,024 km 2 (6th in the world)
Population– 24.8 million people. (52nd in the world)
Official language– Australian English
Religion– Christianity
HDI– 0.935 (2nd in the world)
GDP– $1.454 trillion (12th in the world)
Currency- Australian dollar
4. Australia has the highest developed countries share of migrants. More than 25% of Australians were born in another country. In addition to indigenous peoples, migrants from 200 countries live here.
5. The country offers a unique ecosystem, including pristine rainforests, ancient cliffs and beautiful beaches.
Aerial view of Surfers Paradise Gold Coast, Queensland
6. Australia has 16 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including historic villages, cities and landscapes.
7. Australia became the second country in the world after New Zealand to give women the right to vote (1902).
8. Canberra was created in 1908 as a compromise when Sydney and Melbourne could not agree on which of them would become the capital.
9. The largest farm (cattle station) in the world is located in South Australia. Anna Creek Station has an area of more than 34 thousand km 2 - this is larger than the territory of Belgium (30.5 thousand km 2).
10. A Australians spend more money on gambling per capita than in any other country. 80% of adults in Australia gamble. Australia has 20% of all poker machines in the world.
11. Kangaroo meat can be bought in supermarkets, from butchers and ordered in restaurants. Kangaroo meat is seen as a healthier alternative to beef or lamb because... contains only 1-2% fat.
12. Despite the fact that many Australians love sports, the country is one of the leaders in obesity rates: 26% of citizens suffer from this disease. 63% of the population are overweight.
13. Australia has 60 wine regions. Australian wineries produce approximately 1.35 trillion bottles of wine per year.
14. In 2007, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized to Aboriginal people, a milestone in national reconciliation.
Yirrganydji Aboriginal people playing the didgeridoo in Queensland
15. Australians call the English Pome, which is an abbreviation for Prisoners of Mother England. Despite the country's history of colonization by convicts, the murder rate in Australia is 1.2 per 100 thousand people (compare with 6.3 per 100 thousand people in the United States).
16. Australia has the most high prices for electricity in the world.
17. Before the arrival of humans, Australia was home to megafauna: there were 3m-tall kangaroos, 7m-long monitor lizards, ducks the size of horses and marsupial lions the size of leopards.
18. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet. He has his own mailbox!
19. If you fold all the sails on the roof of the Opera House, you will get a perfect sphere. The architect was inspired by the sight of an orange.
20. Captain James Cook first landed on the east coast of Australia in 1770. In 1788, 11 British ships arrived on the continent to create a penal colony here. Just a few days after raising british flag Two French ships arrived in Australia, but it was too late to lay claim to these territories.
The Chinese explored Australia long before the Europeans arrived. As early as the 1400s, sailors and fishermen sailed to Australia to collect sea cucumbers and trade with the indigenous peoples.
The first European to visit Australia in 1606 was the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. Over the next hundred years, other Dutch explorers visited the country, who drew up a map and named it New Holland.
Australia is a vibrant multicultural country with many different nationalities. It is the sixth largest country in the world by area, as well as the only country that is a continent. The country is located in the southern hemisphere and summer here lasts from December to February. I bring to your attention a selection of 10 unusual facts about this country, which are not known to everyone
1. The longest fence in the world
This special Dingo pest control fence was built between 1880 and 1885 to prevent Dingoes from invading fertile land. southeastern part continent. In this way, it was possible to protect flocks of sheep in southern Queensland. This is the longest fence in the world, its length is 5614 kilometers. The fence has partially helped reduce the damage caused by wild dogs to livestock 
2. The Flying Doctor service operates in Australia.
The Flying Doctor service provides urgent emergency assistance residents of remote rural regions. This non-profit organization, providing care to people who cannot get to hospitals from remote areas. The flying doctor is one of the symbols of Australia and its culture 
3. Australia is home to 100 million sheep
There were about 120 million sheep here in 2000, but drought and falling demand for wool have seen the number gradually fall to around 100 million today. Using simple calculations, it can be established that there are 5 times more sheep in Australia than people (20 million)
4. Why is Canberra the capital of Australia?
Many people think that the capital of Australia is Sydney. In fact, this is not so - as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, Canberra was chosen as the capital, located 248 kilometers from Sydney and 483 kilometers from Melbourne 
5. Australia has the largest grassland in the world
Anna Creek Grassland in South Australia is the largest in the world, covering an area of 34,000 square kilometers. It is larger in area than the entire territory of Belgium. Here you can graze about 16,000 heads of large animals without consequences. cattle. But due to drought, the number of animals has now decreased to 2,000 
6. The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps
The Australian Alps are part of a large watershed range in the eastern part of the continent that stretches 3,500 kilometers from north to south through Queensland, South Wales and Victoria. Every Winter the Australian Alps receives a large number of snowfall exceeding the snowfall in the Swiss Alps. Very popular here winter views sports 
7. The largest reef on Earth
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef on the ground. It is also the largest organic formation on Earth, measuring 2,000 kilometers in length. The reef is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland. In fact, it is a continuous series of reefs separated from the mainland by a shallow lagoon. Read more about the Great Barrier Reef in a separate article on LifeGlobe 
8. One of the most unusual opera houses in the world
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most prominent and recognizable opera houses in the world. It is one of the symbols of Sydney and Australia. The design and history of this structure are also amazing, you can read more about it in a separate article at the link above. 
9. Australia is home to 160,000 prisoners
When Great Britain discovered the Australian continent, it was decided to use it as a detention center for thousands of criminals. About 160,000 Britons were sent here, many of them dying during the eight-month trip in the holds of the ships. Those who got here actually became the first inhabitants of the country. Currently, about 25% of Australians can believe that their ancestors were criminals 
10. Australia owns the largest part of Antarctica
The Australian Antarctic Territory is part of Antarctica. It was claimed by Great Britain and transferred to Australian administration in 1933. This is the most most of Antarctica ever claimed by any nation, covering an area of 5.9 million square kilometers 
This was a selection of 10 interesting and unusual facts about Australia, to be continued...
Each continent, each country and state is amazing, wonderful and unique in its own way. On any continent, every nation has its own characteristics, traditions and which will be very interesting for any tourist. Thanks to these features, a vivid and complete picture of a particular area is formed.
This article presents useful and very interesting facts about Australia.
Country-continent
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 an entire continent. Its territory occupies more than seven million square kilometers.
Interesting Facts about Australia regarding the geographical location of the country - these are undoubtedly three oceans. The mainland is washed immediately by the Indian, Pacific and Southern.
A huge part of the country is occupied by deserts and semi-desert areas. The most famous of them are Bolshaya Peschanaya and Victoria. From a bird's eye view, Australia looks like a bleak and red desert.
The country is indeed considered the driest continent, as it receives only 500 mm of precipitation per year.
But despite all this, the mainland is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of quality and standard of living.
The most famous Australian animal is the kangaroo. It is a symbol of the country. Australia is full of them. When it gets dark, they, attracted by the headlights, go out onto the highway and jump under the wheels of cars. That's why Australians even have a special "kangaroo" sign to warn drivers about danger on the road. Mostly Australian kangaroos small size- up to 60 centimeters. But there are also larger individuals - up to 3 meters.
The most dangerous animals in Australia are crocodiles. The northern part of the country is simply teeming with them. And hardly a week goes by before accidents occur involving these animals. Alligators simply eat the people they come across. There are plenty of crocodiles on the continent. The most famous is the Australian saltwater one. It is found in salty sea water and is the largest of all species present on earth. An adult crocodile can weigh a ton (!) and reach 3-4 meters in length.
There are quite well-known horror stories about poisonous predators from which hundreds of people die. However, these are just stories. Since 1979, no one has died from a spider bite in Australia. So you can rest easy.
The same goes for sharks. They are not uncommon off the coast of the Australian continent. 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 are there in Australia? You will learn interesting facts about its inhabitants if you visit local zoos. For example, have you ever heard of an animal called a wombat? And this is the continent. Small guinea pig, which looks very similar to a wild boar. Do you know about the Tasmanian devil? This is an Australian dog breed that resembles the French Bulldog.
River of life
The most big river Australia is 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 Indian Ocean. On its way to the sea, it flows through a variety of environments: mountain forests, cities, agricultural lands, etc.
Australia's largest river is the most “alive” of all bodies of water. 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. Proud swans swim in the clear crystal waters, and frogs croak and snakes and lizards crawl in the wetlands.
The Murray River is home to a wide variety of fish species: trout, cod, golden perch, Australian smelt, minnows and many others.
The only things higher than mountains are 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). By the way, 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, here are the Alps, on whose territory the most high mountain in Australia - 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 Kosciusz? 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” was a neighboring 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 bore the name of the hero of Poland. They did this as a sign of respect for the discoverer.
City life
The largest cities in Australia 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. It is home to just over 350 thousand people.
The largest Australian city is Sydney. About five million people live there. Next comes Melbourne, with a population of about four million. By the way, Melbourne was previously the capital of Australia. Today this city is only the cultural capital of the continent. Brisbane, a major industrial center of the mainland, is home to about two million residents. In Perth and Adelaide - one and a half million each.
Gastronomic facts
What does Australia offer travelers? Interesting facts about the culinary characteristics of the country also cannot be ignored. First of all, we should talk about a traditional Australian dish - Vegemite. The name sounds mysterious, doesn't it? But in reality everything is much simpler. This is ordinary yeast spread on unleavened bread. The pungent smell of the brown mass and its salty taste will not appeal to every traveler. The same cannot be said about the Australians themselves, who simply adore their traditional “pate”.
Another unusual edible feature of the country is the basket-shaped pies. Inside - meat filling. It looks beautiful and tastes good.
Sights of Sydney
One of the most amazing and beautiful buildings in the world is the Sydney Opera House. Its opening took place in 1973 by order of Queen Victoria. This unusual building is rightfully considered the most beautiful building of the twentieth century.
Sydney TV Tower is the most high design throughout the South Its height is amazing - 309 meters in height! Thousands of visitors climb the Tower every year to admire the panorama of the city from the observation deck, the heights that open before them and the largest bridge in the world - the Harbor Bridge.
Sydney is also home to the world's largest aquarium. His great amount underwater tunnels will not leave anyone indifferent. There is a lot 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 stretch 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 miracle of Australia is pink. Scientists still cannot explain the reason for its scarlet color.
Locals
The inhabitants of the continent themselves will tell you interesting facts about Australia. By the way, mostly Europeans live here - more than 90 percent of the total population. These are mainly Irish and British.
The residents themselves call themselves by the funny nickname “Ozzie”. They also call the American dollar the same way. It’s strange, do they really associate themselves with money? But we don't understand this.
By the way, Aborigines still exist in Australia. They occupy five percent of the total population. These black Australians live in remote reserves and settlements.
Australians are very cheerful people. They love to joke and laugh. And in general, they strive to live and breathe to the fullest. This is probably why they are so friendly and hospitable. In addition, they love to travel. Not only on our own continent, but throughout the whole world.
Every year, Australia hosts a wide variety of international celebrations to attract overseas visitors.
Unusual facts
1. Only in Australia does the flying doctor medical service operate. They provide only emergency care to patients living in areas remote from the city. This service is a kind of symbol of the country. After all, she's talking about high level medicine and life in general.
2. Australia is a country of sheep. In 2000, more than 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. This is the largest pasture in the world. Still would! There are so many sheep in Australia! But they need somewhere to graze. The largest pasture is called Anna Creek and covers an area of 35,000 square kilometers.
4. Nondescript capital. Canberra is a small and unremarkable city. Unlike Sydney or Melbourne. Then why her? This is a kind of compromise. The city is located exactly halfway between Melbourne and Sydney. As they say, so that there are no disagreements.
5. There is more snow in the mountains of Australia than in the Swiss Alps. The fact is that a huge amount of snow falls in the Australian Alps, much more than in Switzerland. Therefore, winter holidays are very popular here.
6. A continent of prisoners. Australia was discovered by Great Britain and became its colony. England used the 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 Australia's population are descendants of British prisoners.
7. The largest part of Antarctica belongs to Australia. In 1933, Australia's Antarctic territory 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 the kangaroo. It is home to the largest number of snakes in the whole world.
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 mostly Europeans live here. Although there is also an indigenous population - aborigines.
5. The main architectural value of the continent is the Sydney Opera House. It is built right in the harbor and is surrounded by water on three sides. The roof of the building resembles a ship with sails or the wings of a swan.
Australia is an amazing country, full of surprises and surprises. It is not for nothing that it is called a country of contrasts, because here in the neighborhood you can find developed megacities and endless deserts.
In addition to the incredibly beautiful landscapes in Australia, you can find a lot of dangerous fauna. This is what else this country can surprise you with!
- The Australian continent was already inhabited by people before the arrival of the British, with the first aborigines appearing 50 thousand years ago.
- This country is in sixth place in area (7 million km) and occupies an entire continent.
- There are more than 10 thousand beaches to choose from in the country. It turns out that for almost 30 years you can come to a new beach every day!
- About 200 thousand species of animals live in Australia, while a larger number of them are endemic, that is, those who live only in a limited range and are no longer found in other places on our planet.
- In 1977, the famous and only ABBA tour took place in Australia.
- The territory of this continent is 91% vegetation.
- Australia exports camels to Saudi Arabia.
- Near the mainland is the largest sand island in the world - Fraser. Its area is 1840 square meters. km. sand dunes.
- More than 80% of the population lives in coastal zone, not exceeding 100 km from the water.
- Australia uses a special dialect of English called strine. In total, more than 300 languages are spoken on the mainland, 45 of which are indigenous languages.
- In this country, Burger King fast food restaurants are called Hungry Jack's. This happened because such a name had already been registered in Australia by a small cafe.
- In 1967, the Prime Minister of Australia went to the beach and never returned. Two years after taking office, Harold Holt was reported missing. This has given rise to many conspiracy theories.
- Australia is in 193rd place (out of 195!) in the list of countries by population density. 2.8 people live here per square kilometer of territory. For comparison, in Monaco per sq. km. accounts for 18 thousand people.
- Australian Highway 1 is the longest national road network in the world. Its total length is approximately 14.5 thousand kilometers.
- In Victoria, only licensed electricians are allowed to change a light bulb.
- The capital of Australia is the city of Canberra, which was built specifically for this purpose in 1913. This decision was made after Largest cities countries, Melbourne and Sydney, staged a real rivalry for the right to be considered the capital.
- Wireless Internet was given to the whole world by an Australian scientific agency. The discovery was made in 1998, and to this day Australians intend to sue any company that uses Wi-Fi without a license.
- The top 10 deadliest snakes in the world live only in Australia. Moreover, the ranking includes the 25 most poisonous snakes 20 Australians all over the planet!
- The famous Burning Mountain near Sydney got its name from the smoldering coals in the sandstone underground. It is curious that the burning of coals has not stopped for 6 thousand years.
- Although Australia is infested with all kinds of spiders, last time a person died from a bite from this arthropod in 1981.
- Before British settlers arrived in Australia, there were more than 10 million koalas living here. Now in wildlife there are about 43 thousand individuals.
- The story about the origin of the name kangaroo is unconfirmed, simply put, a myth. Scientists do not rule out that James Cook could actually ask the Aborigines the name of this animal. According to legend, they did not understand his speech and answered him in their dialect “I don’t understand,” which is what “kangaroo” means.
- One of the Australian rivers is called the Never Never River.
- There is a pink salt lake in Western Australia called Hiller, and scientists have not yet determined what causes this phenomenon. Main version - pink color give seaweed special type, although tests did not confirm this fact.
- In 1859, only 24 rabbits were imported into Australia. Within a decade, their population increased to 2 million.
- More than 80% of Australians are addicted to gambling. 20% of all slot machines in the world are located here.
- Every year the Australian plate moves north by about 7 centimeters.
- The very first Australian police force was formed from exemplary convicts in 1788.
- In the small town of Coober Pedy, known as the opal capital of the world, people live underground. Such unusual way they had to choose life because of sandstorms and constant heat.
- Almost half of Australia's 12 million people live in three cities - Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
- Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 - in 1788, the First Fleet of the British Empire arrived on the shores of the mainland to establish a colony.
- In Australia, television cooking shows are very popular. A TV election debate was once rescheduled due to the final of MasterChef.
- The famous Ugg boots were invented in Australia.
- Australia is not called the sports capital of the world for nothing, as 70% of its residents participate in sporting events at least once a week.
- Surprisingly, despite the popularization of sports and healthy eating, 63% of Australians are still overweight.
- The territory of Australia is 32 times larger and almost equal.
- Australia's kangaroo population is twice its human population. There are 24 million people on the continent, and more than 57 million kangaroos!
- The longest fence in the world is in Australia. It stretches for 8.5 thousand kilometers. A fence separates part of Australia from where Dingo dogs live.
- The only albino whale in the world lives, of course, off the coast of Australia. He was first spotted as a whale in 1991 and immediately received the name Migalu. Now the whole world is watching the snow-white whale.
- Australia is the second country in the world to give women the right to vote. This happened in 1902.
- Australia's richest woman is Gina Rinehart, whose fortune is estimated at $28 billion.
- Kangaroos and emus are national symbols of Australia because they have interesting feature- they cannot “walk backwards”. Like Australia, they are only moving forward!
- In the list of objects World Heritage UNESCO has 19 Australian ones. Among them are the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, national park Cockatoo and Sydney Opera House.
- The concept for the Sydney Opera House was designed by Dane Jorn Utzon, inspired by an orange slice. Construction of the theater dragged on for 14 years, including the expected four.
- Australia is the only continent without an active volcano.
- The Great Barrier Reef is recognized as the world's largest living structure. It consists of 2,900 coral reefs and more than 900 islets formed from coral polyps, tiny microorganisms
- The female kangaroo carries the baby for only 27-40 days, and at birth the kangaroo is only a couple of centimeters long.
- Melbourne has the largest Greek community after Athens.
- Australia is strict environmental control- It is even prohibited to import soil on the soles of shoes. Particular attention is paid to inspection when entering the unique territory of Tasmania, even from the continent.
- Failure to appear at the polls and refusal to participate in the census are punishable by a fine of 20 and 110 Australian dollars, respectively.
Australia is a country of contrasts and unique things that can only be found here. This amazing continent attracts tourists from all over the world thanks to its amazing atmosphere!
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As incredible as the fact that humanity somehow managed to invent the selfie. And by the way, they did it in Australia...
1. The width of Australia is the same as the distance from London to Moscow.
2. In Australia there is Anna Creek Grassland. And it is larger in area than Belgium.
3. More than 85% of Australians live within 50 km of the coastline.
4. In 1880, Melbourne was the richest city in the world.
5. Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, earns a million dollars every half hour, $598 every second.
6. In 1892, a group of 200 Australians, dissatisfied with the local government, sailed to the shores of Paraguay and founded a colony there - New Australia.
7. The first photos from the moon landing in 1969 were transmitted to the world through an antenna tracking station in Honeysuckle Creek.
8. Australia became the second country in the world where women received the right to vote (the first was New Zealand).
9. About 70 visitors to the country overstay their visas every week.
10. In 1856, local masons decided to approve an 8-hour working day. Over time, this norm was recognized throughout the world.
11. Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke became famous during his student days by drinking 1.2 liters (2.5 pints) of beer in just 11 seconds.
Later, Bob jokingly suggested that it was this achievement that helped him achieve success in the political field.
12. The world's oldest fossil deposit was found in Australia 3.4 billion years ago.
13. Australia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. While Britain has 248.25 people per square kilometer, Australia has only 2.66 people.
14. The first police forces in Australia were formed from the calmest prisoners.
15. In Australia, electricity prices are considered the highest in the world.
16. Millions of wild camels pose a huge challenge to Australia's ecosystem.
Therefore, a program is now being implemented on the continent to reduce their numbers.
17. Australian camels are imported into Saudi Arabia (mainly for slaughter).
18. Qantas Airlines once conducted an experiment and refueled an international flight with fuel made from recycled cooking oil.
19. Australians spend more on gambling than all other nationalities.
20. In 1832, 300 female prisoners turned their backs to the podium during a speech by the Governor of Tasmania and exposed their butts.
Everything happened so unexpectedly and looked so ridiculous that the intelligent ladies who arrived with the governor could not help but laugh.
21. Australia has the longest fence in the world. It is 5,614 km long and was built to keep dingoes out of the fertile land.
22. Australia was one of the founding countries of the United Nations.
23. Melbourne is considered the sports capital of the world. Various sports are developing here much more actively than in most other countries.
24. Before the advent of people, Australia was home to many unique giant animals.
Three-meter kangaroos, seven-meter monitor lizards, ducks the size of horses, and marsupial lions the size of leopards lived here.
25. Kangaroos and emus do not know how to reverse. This is partly why - thanks to their exceptional assertiveness - they were placed on the national emblem.
26. It’s embarrassing to say, but Australia is the only country that eats animals from its coat of arms.
27. It would take you over 27 years to visit all the beaches in Australia (assuming you visit one beach per day).
28. Melbourne has the most Greeks (except for Athens, of course).
29. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living formation on the planet.
30. And he even has his own mailbox.
31. The venom of a male platypus can kill a small dog.
32. A comical situation happened when the Australians first sent the platypus to England.
The British seriously thought that the inhabitants of Australia had sewn a duck beak on the rat, and could not understand why they did it.
33. Until 1902, swimming on the beach during the day was illegal.
34. Retired cavalryman Francis de Groux put on quite a show during the official opening of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
As soon as the prime minister was about to ceremoniously cut the ribbon, de Groux jumped out in front of him on horseback and cut the ribbon with his sword. Of course, a new ribbon had to be tied. The cavalryman was taken to a psychiatric hospital, and later fined... the cost of the tape.
35. In Australia there are 3.3 times more sheep than people.
36. One day, Prime Minister Harold Holt went for a swim at Cheviot Beach. After that, no one saw him again.
37. The Australian anthem until 1984 was “God Save the King/Queen.”
38. A wombat’s butt is cube-shaped to make it easier for the animal to mark its territory.
39. European settlers in Australia drank far more alcohol per capita than any other part of the world in history.
40. More snow falls in the Australian Alps than in Switzerland.
41. At birth, the size of a baby kangaroo is no more than a centimeter.
42. Sir John Robertson, who became Prime Minister of New South Wales five times, began every morning by drinking 0.23 liters of rum.
43. Box jellyfish have killed more people in Australia than warts, sharks and crocodiles combined.
44. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
45. The average Australian drinks 96 liters of beer per year.
46. 63% of Australians are overweight.
47. Australia ranks second in the world on the Human Development Index.
48. In 2005, security guards at Parliament House in Canberra were banned from calling all visitors "mates". A day later the ban was lifted.
49. In Australia it is illegal to walk on the right side of a footpath.
50. Australia is the only continent on Earth that does not have active volcanoes.
51. Australian football was invented specifically to help cricketers stay in shape during the off-season.
52. The ancient aborigines called kaili hunting sticks, similar in principle to boomerangs. Today Kylie is a fairly popular and common name.
53. 91% of the country's territory is covered with natural vegetation.
54. Australia's 31–0 victory over American Samoa was a record in the history of international matches.
55. Australia has 60 designated wine regions.
56. Over the past three years, Melbourne has been recognized as the most livable city three times.
57. If you connect all the sails of the Sydney Opera House, you will get a perfect sphere. This is because the architect was inspired to create the landmark by an orange.
58. Australia has 20% of all slot machines in the world.
59. And half of these same machines are installed in New South Wales.
60. The name of the largest festival held annually in Melbourne, Moomba, is translated from many Aboriginal languages as “get your asses off.”
61. Not a single Australian animal - meaning the indigenous inhabitants of the continent - has hooves.
62. The performance performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the opening of the 2000 Olympics was actually a recording made by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Yes, yes, you understood correctly: the gala performance was accompanied by a soundtrack.
63. Wine barrels are an Australian invention.
64. Selfies, by the way, too;)
65. Durack is the largest constituency in Australia - larger in area than Mongolia.
66. The law requiring the installation of seat belts in cars was first passed in Victoria in 1970.
67. Every year the World Cockroach Racing Championships take place in Brisbane.
68. In 1932, the Australian Army declared war on the emu population in Western Australia. Surprisingly, they lost...
69. Canberra was created in 1908 as a compromise when both Sydney and Melbourne really wanted to become the capitals of the state.
70. A gay bar in Melbourne won the right to exclude women from its premises. The administration of the establishment motivated this by the fact that representatives of the fair sex cause discomfort to their visitors.
71. In 1992, an Australian gambling syndicate bought almost every combination of numbers in a Virginia lottery drawing and won, turning $5 million spent into $27 million in winnings.
72. Eucalyptus oil is very flammable and eucalyptus trees can explode if ignited.
73. In 1975, Australia had problems with the government. It all ended with the dismissal of politicians and a complete renewal of government ranks.
74. A bearded Australian had to be removed from a darts competition in Britain after the stands began chanting “Jesus!” The screaming was very distracting for the participants.
75. There were cases when some Australians, having gone a little too far with opium, began to run through the fields, trampling mysterious circles in them.
76. Once an Australian tried to sell New Zealand on eBay.
77. In 1940, two planes collided in the skies over New South Wales. But instead of falling and crashing, the aircraft successfully connected and landed safely.
78. A male lyrebird can imitate the sounds of more than 20 species of birds. Not impressed? It can also chirp like a camera shutter, a chainsaw, or a car alarm. Now what do you say?
79. In the parking lots of some shopping centers and restaurants, classical music is played at night. This is how the owners “scare away” teenagers who like to hang out here at night.
80. Verbal Australian, British and American languages are almost the same. But these same sign languages have absolutely nothing in common.
81. In 1979, debris from the Skylab orbital station fell in Esperanza. The city subsequently fined NASA $400 for littering.
82. Since 1979, not a single person has died from spider bites in Australia.
83. There is a place in New South Wales where coal has been burning underground for 5.5 thousand years.
84. Due to the fact that the televised debates during the election campaign in Australia coincided with the final of the reality show MasterChef, they had to be postponed.
85. Chinese explorers traveled to Australia long before the Europeans. Already in 1400, sailors and fishermen came here to buy sea cucumbers and to trade.
86. The first European to visit Australia in 1606 was the Dane Willem Janszoon. In subsequent centuries, many more Danish explorers came here, creating maps and calling the continent “New Holland.”
87. Captain James Cook landed on the east coast of Australia in 1770.
In 1788, the British returned with eleven ships to establish a penal colony here. A few days later, a French ship also landed on the Australian coast. But alas, the French were too late to lay claim to Australia.