Australia (facts)

Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is an Oceanian country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world’s sixth-largest country by total area and is famous for kangaroos, koala bears, and very hot weather. See the fact file below for more information on Australia or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Facts About Australia

• Capital city: Canberra
• Largest city: Sydney
• Population: 24,625,900
• Total area: 7,692,024 square kilometers
• Location: Australia is located in the southernhemisphere between theIndian Ocean and thePacific Ocean.
• The country called Australia is on a continent which is also called Australia.
• Australia has a democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign. The official name is Commonwealth of Australia.
• Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Australia.
• The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar (AUD).
• English and native languages are most commonly heard in Australia.
• More than half of Australia’s population (52.1%) identify as Christian, with 30.1% of people citing that they have no religion.
• The colloquial term for someone who lives in Australia is “Aussie”.

• Australia gained independence from the United Kingdom on January 1, 1901. This is when the country became a federation, and also when its constitution was enacted.
• Australia has the world’s 13th-largest economy, and is highly ranked in terms of the quality of life, educational opportunities, health, political freedoms, civil liberties, and economic freedom.
• Australia is a member of the UN, G20, Commonwealth, WTO, and the Pacific Islands Forum, among many others.

History of Australia

• Australia’s earliest-known record of human habitation is estimated to have begun around 65,000 years ago.
• It is said that people traveled from Southeast Asia via land bridges and sea crossings.
• Most indigenous inhabitants were likely ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians, and it is believed that at the time of European settlement around the 18th century, most of these indigenous people were hunter-gatherers.
• Although the Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon, first recorded European sightings and landfalls in Australia in 1606, the man to take credit for mapping the eastern coastline of Australia was James Cook, who was a British cartographer and explorer. He was also a captain in the Royal Navy.
• James Cook was also responsible for the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.
• In 1770, Cook named the east coast of Australia “New South Wales”, and claimed it for Great Britain.
• By 1778 the indigenous population continued its decline mainly due to infectious diseases. It is estimated that during that year, the population was somewhere between 750,000 and 1,000,000 indigenous people.
• By 1828, the western part of Australia
  was claimed by the United Kingdom. Colonies began to emerge from parts of New South Wales, including South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland.

Geography of Australia

• Australia is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Indian Ocean to the west.
• The Tasmanian Sea lies between Australia and New Zealand.
• In total, Australia has 34,218 km of coastline, and is sometimes nicknamed the “island continent” due to its size and isolation.
• Australia sits on the Indo-Australian Plate, and is home to the Great Barrier Reef, which is the world’s largest coral reef, which extends for over 2,000 km.
• Australia has a wide variety of landscapes. In the north-east it boasts large tropical rainforests. It has the oldest and least fertile soils – the semi-arid and desert land (commonly known as the outback) makes up the largest portion of land in the north.
• In the south-east, Australia has many mountain ranges, as well as in the south-west and east areas.
• Australia is the driest inhabited continent and has an annual rainfall of less than 500 mm.
• Australia’s climate depends heavily on the currents in the Indian Ocean.
• Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical climate.
• The interior of Australia is semi-arid, and the southeast ranges from oceanic to humid subtropical. The southwest corner of the country experiences a Mediterranean climate, which is characterized by rainy winters and dry summers.

Culture and Diversity of Australia

• Sports are a huge part of Australian culture – rugby, cricket, football, swimming, surfing, and horse racing are popular sports.
• Basketball and motor racing are also very popular.
• Typical Australian food is similar to British food, and it is home to a thriving coffee culture.
• Vegemite, meat pies, wine, Chinese-inspired food, pavlova, lamingtons, and the famous Sunday roast are all Australian staples.
• Famous people to have hailed from Australia include:
  – Hugh Jackman, Keith Urban, Olivia Newton-John, Steve Irwin, Paul Hogan, Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson, and Russell Crowe
• Indigenous art and literature still permeate the Australian culture through oral traditions, art, poems, orchestra, and in writings.
• The Anglo-Celtic Western culture has been the primary influence behind Australian culture.
• Children attend school between the ages of 5 and 16, although this number fluctuates in some states.
• Australia is home to 37 government-funded universities and 2 private universities – it is one of the most expensive nations to attend university.
• About 38% of Australia’s population hold a university or college degree – one of the highest percentages in the world.
• Life expectancy in Australia is approximately 79.5 for males and 84 for females, even though the country has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
• The Australian federal government is not allowed to impose any religious observance or prohibit the exercise of any religion.
• Australia has no official language, and is generally a wealthy country due to its mining-related exports and banking sector.
•  https://kidskonnect.com/places/australia/