Graphics & Words by Caitlin Chuah
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From cuddly quokkas, to pink lakes, to the largest rock in the world¡Australia is truly a country unlike any other. Apart from its one-of-a-kind attractions, Australia is known for its high quality of life, friendly people and high-ranking universities, making it the ideal study destination for students across the globe.
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Hence, below are 25 fun facts about Australia that will have you bewildered and awe-struck.
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1. Australia has more kangaroos than people (25 million kangaroos vs 20 million people).
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2. More impressively, there are 150 million sheep in Australia.
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3. Australia has over 10,000 beaches; if you visited a new one every day, it would take you 27 years to visit them all!
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4. There are more than 100 Australian slang words, including: Barbie (barbeque), bathers (swimsuit), brolly (umbrella), coppers (policemen), dunny (toilet), billy (teapot) and more!
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5. Western Australia has pink lakes; scientists still don¡¯t fully understand this phenomenon.
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6. There are different time zones in Australia: Western Standard Time, Central Standard Time and Eastern Standard Time.
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7. The Great Barrier Reef is the world¡¯s largest coral reef system and ecosystem.
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8. The Great Emu War of Australia refers to sudden and rapid growth of the emu population, which led to the destruction of crops.
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9. What¡¯s more, Australia¡¯s government even hired former World War I soldiers to fight the emus; surprisingly, the emus won when the government decided it was not worth the manpower and money.
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10. Australia created the world¡¯s first ¡°seatbelt law¡±, which was eventually adopted by other countries and made transportation a lot safer, as we can see now today.
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11. 27% of Australians were born abroad; Australia has the world¡¯s highest proportion of migrant settlers in a developed country.
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12. The Dingo Fence is the longest fence in the world, longer than the Great Wall of China!
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13. The Ayers Rock of Australia is the world's largest rock, at 2,831 feet.
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14. The word ¡°selfie¡± was created by an Australian.
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15. It is estimated that Australia¡¯s original inhabitants, the aboriginal people, have been in Australia for between 40,000-60,000 years.
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16. Every 25th of April, Australians celebrate Anzac Day, to commemorate those who served and died in all wars and conflicts.
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17. Australia is home to the world¡¯s ¡°happiest¡± animal, the quokka, which has become the most popular tourist attraction at Australia¡¯s Rottnest Island.
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18. We use butter and kaya for our toasts; Australians use Vegemite.
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19. The highest temperature ever recorded in Australia was 50.7¡ãC with the lowest being -23¡ãC.
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20. If you were to scatter all the people in Australia, there will only be 3 people for every 100 hectares (107,639 sq. feet) all around the country.
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21. The 241km-long Great Ocean Road is the world¡¯s largest war memorial, built in dedication to those who died in World War I. It is one of the most popular tourist spots as of today.
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22. 80% of Australia¡¯s plants and animals are unique to the country and cannot be found anywhere else, including koalas, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos and echidnas.
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23. Australians use green ants as a cooking ingredient.
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24. Australian wallabies have been known to break into opium crops, get high, and run around creating ¡°crop circles¡±.
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25. The termite mounds that can be found in Australia are the tallest animal-made structures on Earth.
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