9 lesser known facts about Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is the sixth largest country (after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil) in the world, occupying the Australian continent and surrounding islands, the largest of which is Tasmania (68,401 km²). At 7 692 024 km², Australia accounts for five percent of the world’s land area of 149 450 000 km².
Many who dream to go there might think of it as too far, too expensive to get there or too unknown, even uninteresting. There are koalas, kangaroos, summer heat, the ocean and what else?
Travel Ticker offers you 9 little-known and exciting facts about this distant and beautiful country.
1. Australians almost never leave a tip.
Australians almost never leave a tip. But with valid reason, as explained by Peter Baskerville on Quara.
Australians do, however, tip for instances of particularly good service.
2. Canberra became Australia’s capital as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne.
Australians couldn’t decide which of their two largest cities should be made the capital city. So, in 1908, it was decided to build a completely new capital city on a site of a smallish settlement between these two rival cities.
Construction of the capital in 1913 along the banks of the Molonglo river. At midday on 12 March 1913, the city was officially given the name Canberra.
Canberra is 280 km (170 miles) south-west of Sydney and 660 km (410 miles) north-east of Melbourne.
3. Australia is home to the world’s most venomous snake.
The inland taipan – also known as the “fierce snake” – is the world’s most venomous snake. Its venom is specially efficient to kill warm-blooded species. One byte possesses enough venom to kill at least 100 people.
They grow up to 2,5 metres (8.2 feet) long, with an average length of 1.8 m (6 ft). According to Wikipedia, it is an “extremely fast and agile snake which can strike instantly with extreme accuracy.”
Fortunately, they are quite shy and are found mainly in the remote semi-arid regions of central east Australia, away from the usual travel destinations.
4. Australia has an enormous population of emigrants from all over the world.
According to The Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than one-quarter of the entire Australian population of 24 million was born abroad.
Australia has a net migration rate of 5.65/1000; in comparison, during 2015, the United States had a net migration rate of 3.86 per thousand and the United Kingdom a rate of 2.54 per thousand.
5. Australia has one of the lowest population densities in the world.
Australia has one of the lowest population densities in the world: only 3.13 persons per square kilometer ( 8.11 per square mile.) In the United States, it is 33 persons per square kilometer (85 person per square mile). In the United Kingdom it is 262/km² (679/m²).
Over 60% of the Australia’s population lives in only five cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.
If you ever decide to go on a road trip throughout this continent, you might not see a human face for weeks.
6. Despite the fact that Australia is usually associated with the constant sun and heat, this is not entirely the truth.
In fact, at the Australian Alps, you can find much more snow than in the whole of Switzerland combined!
Photo via Shutterstock
The Australian coastline is 25,760 kilometers (16006.522 miles) long, sporting some of the best beaches in the world. But the Australian Alps is just as enticing, comprising an area of 1,232,981 hectares (3,046,760 acres).
7. The 90 Mile Straight
Throughout the entire Australia’s Nullarbor Plain runs the second longest straight road in the world, the “90 mile straight.” It’s actually 91 miles (146.6 km) long, without any, not even the tiniest, turn.
8. The world’s longest fence is in Australia.
The world’s longest fence or border wall, as it turns out, is not the Great Wall of China.
In fact, Australia is the one who can be proud of their so-called “Dog fence,” the Dingo Fence. This border divides the Australian continent into two parts, roughly along 29th parallel of latitude. This protective fence was built in the 1880s primarily to protect South Queensland’s pastures and farms which were occasionally attacked by hungry wild animals.
The Dingo Fence is an incredible 5 614 km (3,488 miles) long. To put it in perspective, that is almost 500 kilometers (more than 3oo miles) longer than the longest distance from the East Coast to the West Coast in the United States.
Regarding the Great Wall of China, only 725 km (450 miles) of the original 21 196 km (13,171 mi) survived the ravages of time.
9. Weather in Tasmania, it is believed, it is the cleanest throughout our planet.
Tasmania can be the best place to escape from buzzy cities. Tasmania is usually overshadowed by Australia but, with its natural beauty and clean air, in recent years has attracted more tourists. In fact, of the more than 7 million people who visit Australia each year, more than 1 million make the effort to visit Tasmania. So, soon you might need to fight for a seat on a plane flying there!
Australia population trivia factoids
74 million sheep, 50 million kangaroos, 26 million cattle, 24 million people.
Article by Michelle Ross.