What is the history and life of one of the most distant countries from us?
1. Australians are required by law to vote in elections. An Australian citizen who fails to turn up to vote without a valid reason faces a fine.
2. Houses in Australia are poorly insulated from the cold, so in the winter months, at temperatures below +15 degrees, the rooms are quite cool. It is not surprising that the fashion for “ugg boots” - warm, soft and cozy shoes - came from Australia. Australians wear them right at home.
3. Australia is the only continent on the planet that is completely occupied by one state.
4. Australians almost never leave tips. Some, however, note that this has a negative impact on the quality of Australian service.
5. Australians sometimes call their English relatives with the word “pome” - an abbreviation for “Prisoners of Mother England”.
6. Canberra became the capital of Australia as a result of a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne: the Australians could not decide which of these cities to give the palm to, and eventually located the capital between two competing cities.
7. Kangaroo meat can be easily found in Australian supermarkets and restaurants. Here it is considered a healthy alternative to beef or lamb: the fat content in kangaroo meat does not exceed 1-2 percent.
8. Australia is home to the most poisonous snake in the world: coastal taipan, the poison from one bite of which can kill 100 people at once!
9. Australia is home to a huge number of expats from all over the world. According to statistics, every fourth resident of Australia was born outside of Australia.
10. Although Australia is associated with a sunny, snow-free country, there is more snow in the Australian Alps than in all of Switzerland!
11. The Great Barrier Reef has its own Mailbox. Having reached it by ferry, you can send your family a postcard with views of the reef.
12. The greatest football victory in history belongs to the Australian team, which beat American Samoa 31-0 in 2001.
13. The straightest road in the world runs through the Australian Naallarbor Plain: 146 kilometers without a single turn!
14. Australians are crazy about gambling. According to statistics, about 80% of Australians gamble at least occasionally.
15. Although many indigenous Australians are descendants of prisoners, this has no effect on genetics: according to statistics, the Australian population is the most law-abiding in the world.
16. The longest wall in the world is not the Great Wall of China, but the so-called “Dog Fence”, dividing the Australian mainland into two parts, one of which is the habitat wild dogs dingo. The fence was built primarily to protect southern Queensland grasslands from voracious dingoes. Its total length is 5614 kilometers.
17. Australia has a very low population density. More than 60% of its residents live in five cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
18. The very first Australian police unit consisted of 12 people. All of them were promoted to police officers from prisoners who distinguished themselves by exemplary behavior.
19. In South Australia there is a farm called Anna Creek Cattle Station, which is larger in area than Belgium.
20. The air in Tasmania is considered the cleanest on the planet.
Camels were introduced to Australia in 1866 in the amount of 100 heads. Today the population of wild animals exceeds 1 million individuals. Australia is the only country in the world where there are herds of wild camels. That's why Saudi Arabia It is here that he buys camels to prepare various delicacies.
And rabbits!
Australia has chronically unlucky luck with imported animals. As soon as they find themselves on this blessed land, they begin to multiply furiously until they turn into a threat to all living things. The rabbit population began with just 24 individuals brought on the ships of the first colonists. Very soon, these cute fluffies multiplied so much that they were recognized as an aggressive species.
To exterminate them, a variety of measures were used, from total shooting to attempts to fence themselves off with a huge fence. People were even forced to use a kind of biological weapon: rabbits were artificially infected with the myxoma virus. This caused the rabbit population to decline from 600 million to 100 million. However, the rabbits did not give up and developed genetic resistance to this virus, thanks to which by 1991 the population size had recovered to 200-300 million. The confrontation between people and rabbits continues.
Great Rabbit Fence
Beaches
There are more than 10,000 in Australia. If you visit one beach a day, it will take you more than 27 years. By the way, the majority of the country's population (85%) lives in the coastal zone - no further than 50 kilometers from the ocean. The state pays great attention to ecology, so many of the beaches are located in a protected zone and have an almost pristine appearance.
Monsters on the roads
The interior of the continent is practically deserted. Here you can travel hundreds of kilometers and meet only a few livestock farms along the way. Therefore, an extensive network railways there is no transport here, and the main cargo transportation is carried out using huge road trains. Powerful tractors carry 2–4 multi-ton trailers, and the total length of such a vehicle can exceed 50 meters. These steel monsters rush along the roads at a speed of about 100 kilometers per hour, so when meeting them it is best to hug the side of the road and hold your breath.
Stanislav Fosenbauer/Shutterstock.com A bit of politics
The formal head of state is Elizabeth II, who also works as the Queen of Great Britain. It establishes a governor-general, who has the power to intervene in cases of constitutional crisis, but in normal times plays a largely representative role. However, the real power in the country rests solely with the Prime Minister.
It is interesting that participation in elections in Australia is not just an honorable right of residents, but also an immediate responsibility. Failure of citizens to attend elections without a valid reason, as well as failure to participate in the census, is punishable by fines (20 Australian dollars and 110 Australian dollars, respectively).
You can find out other interesting facts about the world around us.
1. Australians are required by law to vote in elections. An Australian citizen who fails to turn up to vote without a valid reason faces a fine.
2. Houses in Australia are poorly insulated from the cold, so in the winter months, at temperatures below +15 degrees, the rooms are quite cool. It is not surprising that the fashion for “ugg boots” - warm, soft and cozy shoes - came from Australia. Australians wear them right at home.
3. Australia is the only continent on the planet that is completely occupied by one state.
4. Australians almost never leave tips. Some, however, note that this has a negative impact on the quality of Australian service.
5. Australians sometimes call their English relatives with the word “pome” - an abbreviation for “Prisoners of Mother England”.
6. Canberra became the capital of Australia as a result of a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne: the Australians could not decide which of these cities to give the palm to, and eventually located the capital between two competing cities.
7. Kangaroo meat can be easily found in Australian supermarkets and restaurants. Here it is considered a healthy alternative to beef or lamb: the fat content in kangaroo meat does not exceed 1-2 percent.
8. Australia is home to the most poisonous snake in the world: the coastal taipan, the poison from one bite of which can kill 100 people at once!
9. Australia is home to a huge number of expats from all over the world. According to statistics, every fourth resident of Australia was born outside of Australia.
10. Although Australia is associated with a sunny, snow-free country, there is more snow in the Australian Alps than in all of Switzerland!
11. The Great Barrier Reef has its own mailbox. Having reached it by ferry, you can send your family a postcard with views of the reef.
12. The greatest football victory in history belongs to the Australian team, which beat American Samoa 31-0 in 2001.
13. The straightest road in the world runs through the Australian Naallarbor Plain: 146 kilometers without a single turn!
14. Australians are crazy about gambling. According to statistics, about 80% of Australians gamble at least occasionally.
15. Although many indigenous Australians are descendants of prisoners, this has no effect on genetics: according to statistics, the Australian population is the most law-abiding in the world.
16. The longest wall in the world is not the Great Wall of China, but the so-called “Dog Fence”, which divides the Australian mainland into two parts, one of which is the habitat of wild dingoes. The fence was built primarily to protect southern Queensland grasslands from voracious dingoes. Its total length is 5614 kilometers.
17. Australia has a very low population density. More than 60% of its residents live in five cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
18. The very first Australian police unit consisted of 12 people. All of them were promoted to police officers from prisoners who distinguished themselves by exemplary behavior.
19. In South Australia there is a farm called Anna Creek Cattle Station, which is larger in area than Belgium.
20. The air in Tasmania is considered the cleanest on the planet.
Australia is an unusual continent. They say that Australia has no neighbors and alone occupies an entire continent, which is the smallest. Australia has a lot of amazing and interesting things, and many people even living here don’t know about many interesting facts.
– Dingo Fence, Cameron Corner, Australia
All unusual facts have been written about somewhere. For example, everyone knows that Australia does not have land borders with any state, but there are at least 2 unrecognized states on Australian territory - the Republic of Murrawarri and the People's Republic of Euahlai.
The Murrawarri people, who live in Australia, declared their independence and the corresponding notification on May 12, 2013 was sent to the Queen and the Prime Minister of Great Britain, as well as to the authorities of Queensland and New South Wales, on whose territory the tribes live.
The People's Republic of Euahlai declared its independence that same year, only on August 3. This unrecognized state is entirely within Queensland.
And yet, in Australia there is Hutt River Principality. This is, sort of, a virtual state formally separated from the Commonwealth of Australia, founded by Leonard George Casley in 1970. It is located on the territory farm Casley family is 517 km away. north of Perth, Western Australia. The nearest city is Northampton. Banknotes were issued in 1974, and coins in 1976 and 1978. The coins were minted in Canada, at the Lombardo Mint.
This seems to be a fact, but it is not mentioned anywhere, because... it's not convenient. But let’s not talk about such sad things, but let’s list the most famous unusual facts about Australia that bring it tourist fame. Since we touched on Queensland, we’ll start listing the facts there. And so, 10 unusual facts about Australia.
1 – The longest fence in the world – Dingo Fence
– Morning in the Desert and Dingo Fence, Cameron Corner
The fence was originally built in the 1880s by state governments to stop the spread of rabbit plague across state lines. This proved to be a wasted effort and the fences fell into disrepair until the early 1900s when they were restored to keep out dingoes and protect flocks of sheep. In 1930 approximately 32,000 km of grid were used in Queensland alone. In the 1940s, the fences were combined to form one continuous structure, which was recorded as the longest fence in the world. Before 1980, the fence was 8,614 kilometers long, but was later shortened to 5,614 kilometers.
The hedge extends from Jimbour in the Darling Hills near Dalby, along the 29th parallel, Cameron Corner, crossing the Strzelecki Desert north of the town of Inna Minka.
When we went to White Cliffs and Sturt National Park, then we had to open the gate in this fence to move from New South Wales to South Australia.
Interesting fact - Cameron Corner is located right at the junction of three states, however, to get there from our state, you must first go to South Australia and then to Queensland. You won't be able to get to Queensland directly from New South Wales - the fence is there and there are no gates.
Interestingly, another fence in western Australia, stretching for 3253 kilometers and currently not maintained, was erected to protect against rabbits, which at one time represented the greatest environmental threat to the continent.
2 – Australian Flying Doctor Service
– Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS)
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is the world's first and largest air medical service.
Australian service Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) has been operating since 1928 and over its 85-year history has helped many millions of patients who were and are in hard-to-reach areas of the continent. Wherever you are in Australia, if you suddenly need urgent health care, the flying doctor will rush to your aid. This ambulance on the wings can easily be called the oldest and coolest air medical service in the world. Totally agree Last year it has provided care to more than 270,000 patients in Australia, operating twenty-four hours a day. 61 aircraft, 21 bases and 1,150 personnel. These are the ones who save people, this is help from heaven.
Until the 1960s, the service leased aircraft and hired contract pilots and maintenance personnel. But later, with the help of the government, she began to acquire everything she needed as property.
The Royal Service not only evacuates patients from hard-to-reach places, but also brings doctors and medicine. The doctor just flies to you on a plane and flies away on it. Some people believe that flying doctors have pilot's licenses. No, usually such an airplane has its own pilot, its own doctor and nurse. The service operates in all states and the Northern Territory of Australia. Any time of the day.
The Flying Doctor is one of the symbols of Australia and its culture. Few people know that the founder of the Royal Flying Medical Service, John Flynn, is depicted on the 20 dollar red Australian banknote. And a plane rushing to the rescue.
By the way, Alice Springs is the main base of the famous Royal Flying Doctor service.
3 – Why is Canberra the capital of Australia?
– Government House, Capital Hill, Canberra
Canberra was built as a result of competition for the right to be the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia - between Sydney and Melbourne. After lengthy disputes, in 1908 it was decided to build a new city in the middle between the disputing metropolises.
After choosing the territory of the future capital, the Australian government announced a competition for the best city design, in which architects from all over the world participated. Its winner was the project of American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, which represents the concept of a garden city.
Talented engineers decided to build new town in complete harmony with nature. When creating their project, the Griffins so skillfully took into account all the landscape and climatic features terrain that the city fits very harmoniously into surrounding nature. It should be noted that the Canberra project is included in almost all urban planning textbooks as the ideal combination of a modern metropolis and wild nature.
4 – Australia is home to 100 million sheep
– Australian Merinos
In 2000 there were about 120 million sheep, but drought and falling demand for wool have seen the number gradually fall to around 100 million today. Using simple calculations, it can be established that there are 5 times more sheep in Australia than people (20 million)
It is known that sheep breeding and wool production is one of the main industries in Australia. Sheep were brought to Australia in the 18th century from South Africa, and quickly took root here, thanks to favorable natural conditions. Also, Australia ranks first in the world in the production and export of high-quality wool. The main sheep farming areas cover the most populated eastern part of the country. But when Australians themselves talk about “country of sheep”, they first of all mean central part Australia and the Western Plateau, since it is here that Merino sheep are bred, a breed of fine-wool sheep that produce the highest quality and valuable wool.
Sheep farmers use dogs as shepherds, specially bred in Australia for this purpose. Twice a year, teams of shearers are invited to the farm to shear the sheep. About 5 kg of wool is obtained from each merino. Here at the station the wool is sorted into quality categories (this is a very labor-intensive process), pressed, packaged and transported to railway stations. Australia exports more than 90% of its wool harvest annually, with only 10% remaining domestically. Major consumers of Australian wool are Great Britain, Japan, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Interestingly, the head of a sheep is included in the coats of arms of two Australian states - Queensland and Victoria. Each coat of arms has its own origin, reflecting very ancient history, but in this case both states wanted to emphasize that it is with sheep that they want to achieve prosperity
5 – The largest pasture in the world
– Anna Creek Cattle Station
Australia has the largest grassland in the world. Anna Creek Cattle Station in South Australia, west of National Park Lake Eyre is the largest in the world, covering an area of 34,000 square kilometers. It is larger in area than the entire territory of Belgium or Israel. Here you can graze about 16,000 heads of large animals without consequences. cattle. But due to drought, the number of animals has now decreased to 2,000.
6 – The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps
– Mt Hotham, Victorian Alps
Australian Alps are part of a large watershed range in the eastern part of the continent, which stretches 3,500 kilometers from north to south through Queensland, South Wales and Victoria. Every Winter in Australian Alps falls out a large number of snowfall exceeding the snowfall in the Swiss Alps. Winter sports are very popular here.
We have been to the Victorian Alps and Snowy Mountains more than once. The places here are beautiful. Let me remind you that the Australian Alps were discovered in 1839 by the Polish explorer Strzelecki. These mountains are less rocky and steep compared to their European namesakes. The Alps are home to several of Australia's large national parks, as well as ski resorts. Average temperatures in winter are less than 9 degrees Celsius and below zero in the highest places.
Interestingly, the coldest part of Victoria is the Victorian Alps in the northeast.
7 – The largest reef on Earth
– Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia
Great Barrier Reef- one of the largest coral reef systems in the world. It consists of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, stretching over 2,600 km over an area of approximately 344,400 sq. km. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, near the northern border of the mainland. It is so large that it can be seen even from space - it is the largest formation in the world created by living organisms. In the north it is almost continuous and is located only 50 km from the coast of Australia, and in the south it breaks up into groups of individual reefs, in some places retreating from the coast by 300 km.
Interestingly, the Great Barrier Reef has its own mailbox. Having reached it by ferry, you can send your family a postcard with views of the reef.
8 – Australia is home to 160,000 prisoners
In Great Britain, the 18th century was marked by significant social changes, which led to an increase in crime rates. The main reason for this was extreme need. To stop this, the authorities have issued strict laws with severe penalties. IN early XIX centuries, approximately 200 crimes were punished by death. “Even the most petty theft is sentenced to death,” wrote one traveler. For example, one 11-year-old boy was hanged for stealing a handkerchief! Another man was found guilty of insult and the theft of a silk purse, a gold watch and approximately six pounds sterling. He was sentenced to death by hanging. The execution was replaced by lifelong exile. In that terrible era, approximately 160 thousand people suffered a similar fate. Women, as a rule, together with their children, were sentenced to 7-14 years of hard labor.
However, at the beginning of the 18th century, the authorities passed a law that in many cases made it possible to replace the death penalty with deportation to the English colonies in North America. Soon, up to a thousand prisoners a year were being sent there, mainly to Virginia and Maryland. But, having declared themselves an independent state in 1776, these colonies were no longer willing to accept British criminals. Then they began to be sent to terrible floating prisons on the Thames River, but they were also overcrowded.
The solution appeared thanks to the discovery of new lands by Captain James Cook. In 1786, it was decided to make the east coast of Australia a place of exile. The following year he sailed from the coast of England "The First Fleet" to found the first colony called New South Wales. Many did not survive the long journey in the ship's holds, which lasted for eight months. And those surviving prisoners became the first inhabitants of this country. Today, 25% of all Australians are descendants of criminals.
It is interesting that Australians sometimes call their relatives - the English - with the word "pome" - an abbreviation for "Prisoners of Mother England" - "Prisoners of Mother England".
And one more thing - The very first unit of the Australian police consisted of 12 people. All of them were promoted to police officers from prisoners who distinguished themselves by exemplary behavior
9 – Australia owns the largest part of Antarctica
The Australian Antarctic Territory is part of Antarctica. It was claimed by Great Britain and transferred to Australian administration in 1933. It is the largest portion of Antarctica ever claimed by any nation, covering an area of 5.9 million square kilometers. The entire area is uninhabited, with the exception of research station staff. There are three Australian year-round polar stations, conducting various research projects.
Australia's rights to this territory are recognized by the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France and Norway. But since Australia has signed the Antarctic Treaty, it does not interfere with any scientific programs of other countries. It only maintains control over this territory in such a way as not to infringe on the rights of other countries and not to violate the treaty
Interestingly, the Australian Antarctic Territory has its own dialing code, +672.
10 – One of the most unusual opera houses in the world
– Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Sydney Opera House is one of the most outstanding and recognizable opera houses in the world and a symbol of Australia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All tourists visiting Australia are attracted like a magnet by the wonderful, seemingly airy silhouette Sydney Opera House, soaring over the waters of the harbor.
Having seen the building of this theater only once, you will never confuse it with any other building in the world. The architecture of the building was appreciated by contemporaries, the theater has been recognized since the day of its opening business card Sydney and Australia.
Inside Sydney Opera House looks more ascetic than her romantic shell. At one time, the construction of the theater took 14 years and cost 102 million Australian dollars, while incomparably smaller figures were initially called - 4 years and 7 million dollars. However, despite the gigantic overexpenditure of all conceivable resources, on October 20, 1973, Queen Elizabeth II of England inaugurated the Sydney Opera theatre, which has since become a huge theater complex, including about a dozen halls of different sizes for various purposes: a concert hall for more than 2.5 thousand spectators, an opera hall for 1.5 thousand, a drama theater hall for more than 500 people, a drama and comedy theater, a theater studio and several other small halls.
– Eyre Highway, South Australia
Sydney Opera House, perhaps, has already set the teeth on edge, and as an alternative we can cite the fact that the straightest road in the world, 146 kilometers long, without a single turn, passes through the Australian Nullarbor Plain- this is part of the road Eyre Hwy, which has a total length of 1675 km. The Aboriginal name for this plain is “Oondiri” meaning “waterless”. It is the world's largest single limestone monolith, covering an area of approximately 200,000 km² (77,200 sq mi). At its widest, the plain extends 1200 km from east to west and 350 km from north to south between the states of South Australia and Western Australia.
The smallest continent on our planet is Australia. This is the homeland of amazing animals and plants. Almost all marsupials, those that carry their cubs in a bag - a pocket on their stomach, live here. These include koalas, kangaroos, and animals with the funny name couscous. Platypuses live in the rivers of Australia: they have thick brown fur, four flipper-like legs, a paddle tail, and a head and nose like a duck. Multi-colored budgies and crested cockatoos flutter in the sky.
There are also emus in Australia. These plice don't know how to fly, but they run very fast because they have strong, strong legs. Eucalyptus and palm trees, ferns and acacias grow in Australian forests. And even a bottle tree: its trunk at the bottom is very thick, and at the top it becomes thin - thin. 
Along the entire coast of the continent stretches the largest coral structure in the world - Great Barrier Reef. These underwater coral rocks are dangerous for ships, but anyone who dives into the sea with scuba diving will see an unforgettable, simply fabulous picture.
The weather in Australia is almost always hot. Even in winter the temperature here never drops below +10 degrees. It rains a little Australia is considered the driest continent on the ground. When it's summer in Europe, it's winter here.
The entire continent is inhabited by people of one nation - Australians. They speak English language. And all because a long time ago gold was found in Australia and the ancestors of most of the current residents came here from England, Scotland and Ireland to seek their fortune. There is also an indigenous population in Australia - the aborigines are now less than one and a half percent of the total population.
Some interesting facts about this interesting place, for example, you know that:
Residents here break the laws least of all in the world.
At first, Australia was called “New South Wales”.
Here, if an adult resident does not come to the polls, they will be fined.
It is the lowest continent in the world, its average height above sea level is 330 meters.
The longest fence in the world is also located here, its length is as much as 5,530 kilometers, and it was built to protect sheep from dingoes.
Australia has the world's longest fence.
Australia has the largest number of sheep in the world, more than 700 thousand, and accordingly, the first place in wool production rightfully belongs to Australia.