Looking for some interesting Australia facts? Your search ends here. Australia is a country that consists of the Australian continent, various small islands. It is also called the Commonwealth of Australia.
Australia is famous for its food, diversity, and history. But how much do you know about the country? It is never too late to learn some cool and interesting Australia facts. Shall we begin?
Australia Facts: 1-5
1. Australia is officially called the Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra is the capital city of Australia.
2. As of 2021, the population of the country is 25.5 million. New York state of the USA has a population of 20.4 million! However, the size of Australia is 53 times the size of New York state. The population of Canberra is 462,000 people.
3. The country’s national color is golden and green, the national gemstone is the opal, and the national flower is the golden waffle. Kangaroo and emu are the national animals of the country.
4. 26 January is celebrated as Australia Day in Australia every year. The national anthem of Australia is ‘Advance Australia Fair.’
5. The major language spoken in the country is English. The population mainly follows Christianity.
Australia Facts: 6-10
6. The urban population makes up 90% of the entire population. The rate of unemployment is 12%.
7. It is an island country that is situated in the southern hemisphere. The Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean surround Australia.
8. It is the smallest continent of all the continents. It is the only country that is referred to as the continent and the country.
9. It is also the largest country without any land borders, and it is the largest country situated in the Southern hemisphere.
10. It is the sixth-largest country in the world. The top five largest countries globally are Russia, Canada, the USA, China, and Brazil.
Australia Facts: 11-15
11. It is divided into six states: Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Southern Australia, and Tasmania).
Along with six states, it also has two governing bodies – the Australian Capital Territory (surrounds Canberra) and Northern Territory. Western Australia is the largest state.
12. The coastal plains are more fertile and host most of the population, whereas the inner land is either arid or semi-arid (dry). 70% of the land in Australia is dry, and deserts cover 35% of the land.
13. The highest mountain in the country is Mount Kosciuszko. It has an altitude of 7,310 feet or 2,228 meters. The mountain is present in the Great Dividing Range.
14. The world’s biggest coral reef system is the Great Barrier Reef, situated in Eastern Australia. It consists of over 900 islands and 3,000 reefs. Three hundred fifty coral species and 1,500 fish species live there.
15. Murray River is the longest river in Australia. It is 1,558 miles or 2,508 kilometers long.
Australia Facts: 16-20
16. The world’s largest alone standing rock is the Uluru or Ayers Rock. It is present in the center of the country.
17. Australia’s longest mountain range is the Great Dividing Range. It stretches over 2,175 miles or 3,500 kilometers.
18. The largest desert of Australia is the Great Victoria Basin. It covers most of South and Western Australia.
19. The largest city in the country is Sydney. It has a population of 5 million people. Other cities with huge populations are Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane. The most populous state is New South Wales. 65% of the Australian population live there.
20. Some of the major tourist attractions of Australia are Opera House, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Blue Mountains National Park, Daintree National Park, Bondi Beach, Great Ocean Road, etc.
Australia Facts: 21-25
21. Indigenous people of Australia are called the Aboriginals. As of today, they are 2% of the total population of Australia.
22. They are believed to be the direct descendants of Africans. It is believed that they left Africa around 75,000 years ago and settled in Australia some 65,000 years ago.
23. Australia is known for its rich diversity in fauna. Over 10% of the biodiversity of the world is present in Australia.
24. Some of the famous animals of Australia are wombats, kangaroos, ostrich, koalas, emus, and dingos.
25. Aboriginals speak over 250 different and distinct languages throughout Australia.
Australia Facts 26-30
26. Kangaroos were twice as many as humans in Australia in 2017!
27. It is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. The population density of Australia is 3.1 persons per square kilometer. The average population density of Melbourne is 17,500 people per square kilometer. But none of the Australian cities make it into the list of top 50 densely populated cities worldwide!
28. In the 17th century, the Dutch navigators called Australia the New Holland. However, it was Mathew Finders, an English explorer who named it Australia. The word is derived from a Latin word called ‘australis,’ which means southern.
29. Australia has the greatest number of beaches in the entire world. It has well over 10,000 beaches!
30. There are over eight to ten thousand islands that surround the island continent.
Australia Facts 31-35
31. Did you know that some countries own parts of Antarctica? The countries are Norway, Argentina, France, New Zealand, Chile, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Guess what? Australia owns the largest portion of Antarctica.
32. One of the founders of Melbourne city was John Batman. As a tribute to him, Melbourne was thought to be named Batmania!
33. The world’s second-longest roadway is Highway 1. It is over 9,000 miles long.
34. Camels are not native to Australia, but the country has the world’s largest feral camel population. Settlers brought them in the 19th century, and now they are considered a nuisance in the country. As a result, the annual killing of camels occurs, and some are used as tourist attractions.
35. One hundred forty snake species call Australia their home. Twenty out of twenty-five deadly snake species are present in Australia.
Australia Facts 36-40
36. Mount Wingen is commonly known as Burning Mountain because it is burning for over six thousand years. It is burning because of the coal seam (coal deposit thick enough to be mined). The fire is moving in the southern direction at a rate of one meter per year.
37. In Australia, you can see a pink lake. Yes, Lake Hiller is bright pink. But unfortunately, scientists have no idea why it is pink.
38. One of the rarest and finest honey in the world is Leatherwood honey. It is found exclusively in Tasmania, Australia.
39. During elections in Australia, you can see “democracy sausages” outlets outside the polling booths. The sausages are either offered for free or for a minimal fee. The money raised is used for local causes.
40. A railroad track built in the 1800s was left abandoned. But it has become a tourist attraction because it is infested with a colony of glowworms. As a result, the tunnel gets illuminated in blue and green, which looks surreal.
Australia Facts 41-45
41. There are several dangerous animals in Australia, ranging from snakes, sharks, and spiders. Bees kill more people in Australia than spiders. When it comes to killing, some plants are also equally deadly.
You should not touch a particular plant by the name Gympie Gympie or Dendrocnide moroides under any circumstances. Just by touching it, the person experiences pain which is like being electrocuted and being burnt with hot acid at the same time.
42. There are around 70 million sheep in Australia!
43. The only continent without any active volcano is Australia.
44. Did you know that over 25% of Australians are not born in Australia?
45. The highest temperature recorded in Australia is 50.7oC, or 123.3oF, and the lowest temperature recorded is -23.0oC or -9.4oF.
Australia Facts: 46-50
46. The only two mammals that lay eggs are platypus and echidna. They both are native to Australia.
47. The word selfie was first used on an Australian internet forum in 2002.
48. Brisbane holds the cockroach racing championship annually!
49. eBay is known for crazy things. An Australian man tried to sell New Zealand on eBay.
50. Did you know that the Australian Alps receive more snow than Switzerland?
Australia Facts 51-55
51. We already know that Canberra is the capital city of Australia, but did you know why Canberra was selected? It was because Melbourne and Sydney could not stop arguing on which city would be the capital!
52. Australia has 60 wine regions spread across the country, and it produces 1.35 trillion bottles of wine each year.
53. Australians spend more money on gambling than any other country in the world. 20% of the poker machines are present in Australia, and over 80% of Australian adults gamble.
54. The largest sand island in the world is Fraser Island. It is present in Australia.
55. Though the government in the country follows democracy. The head of state of Australia is the British monarch. There was a debate to either end or continue being a commonwealth country. In a vote in 1999, Australians decided to stay with the UK. However, the vote was close, and the debate continues to date.
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