Australia, interesting facts - the highest mountains, the largest river and the most dangerous animals in Australia

Each continent, each country and state in its own way is amazing, wonderful and unique. On any continent, every nation has its own characteristics, traditions and cultural values, which will be very interesting for any tourist. Thanks to these features, there is a bright and complete picture of this or that area.

This article presents useful and very interesting facts about Australia.

Continent country

Australia is a very large country. It is the sixth largest in the world in terms of the size of its territory. It is so huge that it occupies a whole continent. Its territory covers more than seven million square kilometers.

Interesting facts about Australia concerning the geographical location of the country are, undoubtedly, three oceans. The mainland is washed immediately by the Indian, Pacific and Southern.

A huge part of the country is occupied by deserts and semi-desert territories. The most famous of them are Big Sand and Victoria. From a bird's-eye view, Australia looks like a bleak and red desert.

The country is indeed considered the most arid continent, since here in the year only 500 mm of precipitation falls.

But, despite all this, the mainland is in the top ten countries in terms of quality and standard of living.

Interesting facts about animals in Australia

The most famous Australian animal is a kangaroo. It is a symbol of the country. They are full in Australia. When it gets dark, they, attracted by the light of the headlights, go out onto the highway and jump under the wheels of the cars. Therefore, Australians even have a special "kangaroo" sign to warn drivers about the danger on the road. Most Australian small size kangaroos - up to 60 centimeters. But there are also more individuals - up to 3 meters.

The most dangerous animals in Australia are crocodiles. The northern part of the country is teeming with them. And almost does not pass a week, as there are accidents involving these animals. Alligators just devour the people they've got. Crocodiles on the continent are full. The most famous is the Australian saltwater. It is found in salt water and is the largest species on earth. An adult crocodile can weigh a ton (!) And reach 3-4 meters in length.

Suffice it to know terrible stories about predatory poisonous Australian spiders, from which hundreds of people die. However, these are just bikes. Since 1979, in Australia, from the bite of a spider, not a single person died. So you can be calm.

The same goes for sharks. Off the coast of the Australian continent, they are not uncommon. Yes, they are dangerous, but if you behave carefully and do not provoke them, then everything will be fine. Sharks are non-conflicting creatures, they never attack first.

What other animals are diverse in Australia? Interesting facts about its inhabitants you will find out if you visit local zoos. For example, have you ever heard of an animal called "wombat"? And this is a native of the continent. A small guinea pig that looks very much like a wild boar. And do you know about the Tasmanian devil? This is an Australian breed of dogs, reminiscent of a French bulldog.

River of Life

The largest river in Australia is Murray. It flows in the eastern part of the continent and reaches a length of 2570 kilometers. The river takes its origin in the Australian Alps, but flows into the Indian Ocean. On the way to the sea, it flows through a variety of environments: mountain forests, cities, agricultural lands, etc.

The largest river in Australia is the "living" of all water bodies. Here live and frogs, and fish, and ducks, and crayfish, and snakes, and many other animals. The river is so diverse that every representative of the animal world can find here a place for itself. In pure crystal waters, proud swans swim, and in the wetlands frogs croak and serpents and lizards creep.

The Murray River is home to a wide variety of fish: trout, cod, golden perch, Australian smelt, minnow, and many others.

Above Mountains Only Mountains

Interesting facts about Australia - this is undoubtedly the lowest and highest of its geographical points. So, on the one hand, the continent is below sea level, if compared with other territories on Earth's land. The lowest point is Lake Eyre (15 meters below sea level). By the way, it is the driest in the world. It is covered with a thick four-meter layer of salt, and there is absolutely no water in it.

On the other hand, here are the Alps, in which the highest mountain in Australia is located - Kosciusko (2228 meters). This is the highest point of the Green Continent.

Why is the highest mountain in Australia named after the Polish general and hero of Belarus Tadeusz Kosciusz? The fact is that her discovery was made by the Polish geologist Strzelecki in 1840. By the way, initially it was not so called, but was named Townsend. "Kosciusko" - it was a neighboring mountain, which was then considered the highest. But later, when it was scientifically proven that Townsend is 20 meters higher, the Australians changed the names of the mountains, so that the highest point bears the name of the hero of Poland. They did it as a sign of respect for the discoverer.

City life

The largest cities in Australia are Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobat. And none of the listed is the capital. The fact is that the capital of Australia - Canberra - is a very small city. It has a little more than 350 thousand people.

The largest Australian city is Sydney. About 5 million people live in it. Next comes Melbourne with a population of about four million. By the way, earlier Melbourne was the capital of Australia. Today this city is only the cultural capital of the continent. In Brisbane - a major industrial center of the mainland - there are about two million inhabitants. In Perth and Adelaide - one and a half million.

Gastronomic facts

What will the travelers do for Australia? Interesting facts about the culinary characteristics of the country can not be ignored. First of all it is necessary to tell about the traditional Australian dish - wedge-mait. The name sounds mysterious, does not it? But in fact, everything is much simpler. These are ordinary yeast, smeared on unleavened bread. A pungent smell of brown mass and its brackish taste will not be enjoyed by every traveler. What can not be said about the Australians themselves, who simply adore their traditional "pate".

Another unusual edible feature of the country is pies in the form of baskets. Inside - meat filling. And it looks beautiful, and it tastes nice.

Sydney Attractions

One of the most amazing and beautiful buildings in the world is the Sydney Opera House. His discovery took place in 1973 on the orders of Queen Victoria. This unusual building is considered by right the most beautiful building of the twentieth century.

The Television Tower in Sydney is the tallest structure of the entire Southern hemisphere of the Earth. Its height is amazing - 309 meters in height! Thousands of visitors climb the Tower every year to admire the panorama of the city, the heights and the world's largest bridge - Harbor Bridge - from the observation platform.

Also in Sydney is the world's largest aquarium. Its huge number of underwater tunnels will not leave anyone indifferent. There is something to see here - more than six thousand species of different representatives of the sea depths at your service!

What else to see in Australia?

The most important landmark of the continent is the Great Barrier Reef. This is a real miracle of nature. The largest system of coral reefs in the world. 900 islands stretched over a huge territory - more than 3000 kilometers. By the way, this is where the most remote mailbox is located on one of the islets.

Another natural wonder of Australia is the pink lake of Hilier. The reason for its scarlet color scientists can not explain until now.

Local residents

Interesting facts about Australia, you yourself tell the inhabitants of the continent. By the way, Europeans live here mostly - more than 90 percent of the total population. Mostly it's Irish and British.

The inhabitants themselves call themselves the ridiculous nickname "azzy". They also refer to the American dollar. Strange, do they associate themselves with money? But we do not understand this.

By the way, in Australia there are still aborigines. They occupy five percent of the total population. These black Australians live in remote reservations and settlements.

Australians are a very cheerful people. They like to joke and laugh. And in general they tend to live and breathe in full bosom. Perhaps that's why they are so friendly and hospitable. In addition, they are very fond of traveling. Not only on its continent, but in general all over the world.

Annually in Australia the most various international holidays are arranged to attract foreign guests.

Unusual facts

1. Only in Australia is the medical service "flying doctor". They provide only emergency assistance to patients living in a remote area from the city. This service is a symbol of the country. After all, she talks about a high level of medicine and life in general.

2. Australia is the country of sheep. In 2000, more than 100 million of these animals were counted in the country. It turns out that the number of "sheep population" is five times higher than the human population.

3. Here is the world's largest pasture. Still would! There are so many sheep in Australia! And they need to graze somewhere. The largest pasture is called Anna Creek and covers an area of 35,000 square kilometers.

4. Unattractive capital. Canberra is a small and unremarkable city. Unlike Sydney or Melbourne. Then why is it? This is a kind of compromise. The city is exactly in the middle between Melbourne and Sydney. As they say, so that there is no disagreement.

5. There is more snow in the mountains of Australia than in the Swiss Alps. The fact is that in the Australian Alps falls a huge amount of snow, much more than in Switzerland. Therefore, it is very popular winter holiday.

6. Continent of prisoners. Australia was discovered by Great Britain and became its colony. England used a remote island to link criminals. Therefore, those who survived long sea voyage in dirty ship holds, in fact became the first inhabitants of this country. So a quarter of the population of Australia are descendants of British prisoners.

7. The largest part of Antarctica belongs to Australia. In 1933 the Antarctic Territory of Australia was officially handed over to her by England. This is a huge area - about six million square kilometers.

Australia: Interesting Facts for Children

1. This Green Continent was discovered by James Cook in 1770.

2. The most common animal in Australia is the kangaroo. Here lives the largest number of snakes in the world.

3. Australia is the smallest continent. Simultaneously, it is the largest island in the world.

4. In Australia they speak English. And Europeans live here mostly. Although there are indigenous people - the Aborigines.

5. The main architectural value of the continent is the Sydney Opera House. It is built right in the harbor and surrounded on three sides by water. The roof of the building resembles a ship with sails or wings of a swan.