For starters, mainland Australia is the world's largest island that also tops as a continent. In fact, Australia is considered the 2nd driest continent after Antarctica. The busy Sydney harbour or the skyline of metropolitan Melbourne make it seem unbelievable that nearly 40% of Australia's land is uninhabitable.
Australia's ecosystem is an unusual one because of its remote location. As a result, there are many animal species that occur here and nowhere else in the world, such as the platypus, kangaroo, echidna, and koala. Australia has 516 national parks to protect its unique plants and animals.
Mammals, frogs, reptiles and flowering plants of which 80% are unique to Australia. With 379 different species of mammals including kangaroos, koalas, echidna, wallaby, wombat, platypus and dingo. There is no shortage of weird and wonderful creatures to learn about.
The Australian mainland is the world's largest island, and is the only island to also double as a continent. Splashed across countless postcards, the Australian landscape is definitely one of the nation's most distinctive features.
Australia is known for many things, including swathes of tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country, and lush rainforests.
More than 80% of our plants, mammals, reptiles and frogs are unique to Australia and are found nowhere else in the world. Some of our Australian animals are very well known like kangaroos, dingos, wallabies and wombats and of course the koala, platypus and echidna.
Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano. Australia has three times more sheep than people. The largest Greek population in the world beside Athens in Greece can be found in Melbourne Victoria. An Australian man once tried to sell New Zealand on eBay.
Aussie's are known for being open-hearted and open-minded and think that everyone has the right to get a fair go. This can be seen in universal support of publicly funded health care and education systems.
Australian stereotypical characters always use expressions like "Crikey!", "G'day, mate" and "Put another shrimp [sic] on the barbie." They are often represented as being unsophisticated and obsessed with beer and surfing, boomarangs and kangaroos. Australian men are often shown as being macho, misogynistic brutes.
Australia ranks as one of the best countries to live in the world by international comparisons of wealth, education, health and quality of life. The sixth-largest country by land mass, its population is comparatively small with most people living around the eastern and south-eastern coastlines.
Varied landscapes
As well as the beautiful beaches, Australia is also home to snowy mountains, incredible national parks, rainforests and desert. The landscape truly differs from state to state, which is why this country is so fun to explore.
Australia's population has grown taller and taller over the past century, thanks to improved healthcare, nutrition and hygiene. A global height analysis of 200 countries quite literally measured the average growth of global populations from 1914 to 2014, with every country recording an increase in height.
The tough conditions of settler times also played a part in Australians' dry, self-deprecating and sarcastic sense of humour. While in many countries it's considered poor taste to find humour in difficult circumstances, Australians tend to look at the lighter side.
The most common verbal greeting is a simple “Hey”, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Some people may use Australian slang and say “G'day” or “G'day mate”. However, this is less common in cities. Many Australians greet by saying “Hey, how are you?”.
The temperate climate is a huge contributing factor that attracts many people from other developed countries, such as England, to migrate to Australia. Because Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are inverted as well so you can experience a unique summery Christmas.
Australia has over 750 different reptile species, more than any other country in the world. Australia is as wide as the distance between London to Moscow. The biggest property in Australia is bigger than Belgium. The world's oldest fossil, which is about 3.4 billion years old, was found in Australia.
So, being Australian means that you accept and respect our nation's laws and institutions, you land on our shores legally, and you have a good grasp of the English language.
Kangaroos and wallabies are marsupials that belong to a small group of animals called macropods. They are only found naturally in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Most macropods have hind legs larger than their forelimbs, large hind feet and long muscular tails which they use for balance.
Australia ranks amongst the highest in the world for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights.
Australia is the only continent without any current volcanic activity, but it hosts one of the world's largest extinct volcanoes, the Tweed Volcano.