Australia Fast Facts
Capital: Canberra
The United Kingdom fits into Australia approximately thirty three and a third times.
The Australian state of Tasmania is said to have the clearest air in the world.
Australia is the only country in the world that covers a whole continent, and is the largest country in the world.
Most of Australia is dry, uninhabited desert. It is sometimes called the 'outback'.
Australia is home to snow capped mountains, deserts and tropical rainforests.
People and Animals
The original people of Australia are called the Aborigines, and people think they moved there over 50,000 years ago!
Rugby, Cricket, Australian Football, Surfing and Swimming are just a few of the sports Australians love!
In 1851, thousands of people moved to Australia because gold had been discovered!
Some of the strangest, rarest and deadliest animals are native to Australia, here are a few we've picked out:
- Platypus
- Kangaroo
- Koala
- Kookaburra
- Dingo
- Wallaby
- Tasmanian devil
The most venomous breed of snake, The Inland Taipan (sometimes called the Australian Fierce Snake), is native to Australia!
There are over 1,500 types of spiders in Australia, including the most venomous in the world, the Sydney-funnel web spider!
Australia Day
Australia Day is celebrated on the 26 January, events include Cockroach Races in Brisbane!
It celebrates the day in which the first fleet of ships arrived in Australia in 1788 from the UK.
On these ships were criminals from the UK, who used to be sent to Australia as a punishment for their crimes!
