Australia is a vibrant multicultural country with many different nationalities. This is the sixth largest country in the world, 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 dog fence was built from 1880 to 1885 to keep the dingo out of the fertile southeastern part of the continent. Thus it was possible to protect the flocks of sheep of southern Queensland. This is the longest fence in the world, its length is 5614 kilometers. The fence partially helped to reduce the damage caused by wild dogs to livestock
2 Australia has a Flying Doctor service
The Flying Doctor service provides urgent emergency care to residents of remote rural regions. This is a non-profit organization that provides assistance 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
In 2000, there were about 120 million sheep, but due to drought and falling demand for wool, the number has gradually decreased to 100 million at the moment. By 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 at a distance of 248 kilometers from Sydney and 483 kilometers from Melbourne
5. Australia has the largest pasture in the world
The Anna Creek pasture 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. About 16,000 heads of cattle can be grazed here without consequences. But due to the drought, the number of heads has now decreased to 2,000.
6. The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss
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. The Australian Alps receive large amounts of snow every Winter, exceeding the snowfall in the Swiss Alps. Winter sports are very popular here.
7. The largest reef on Earth
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world. It is also the largest organic formation on Earth at 2,000 kilometers long. The reef is located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland. In fact, this 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 is 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 place of detention for thousands of criminals. About 160,000 Britons were sent here, many of them died during the eight-month trip in the holds of ships. Those who got here, in fact, became the first inhabitants of the country. Now 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. She was claimed by Great Britain and placed under Australian administration in 1933. It is the largest portion of Antarctica ever claimed by any nation, covering an area of 5.9 million square kilometers.
It was a selection of 10 interesting and unusual facts about Australia, to be continued …