Happy Australia Day!
A few random facts you mightn't have known about our happy little island country:
*Australia is the largest island in the world.
*Australia is the driest continent and boasts the second largest desert area in the world.
*The first Europeans to discover Australia were actually the Dutch, not the English. They landed on the North Western tip of Australia where it's driest, saw the desert, and sailed home declaring Australia uninhabitable.
*The area of Australia that is covered by snow in winter is larger than the area of Switzerland.
*Since 1896, the beginning of the modern Olympics, only Greece and Australia have participated in every Game.
*The mining town of Coober Pedy got it's name from the local Aboriginals. It means something like "White fella down a hole".
*The common refrigerator's system of cooling was invented in Australia, in the 1850's, by James Harrison.
*Australia is one of the safest places in the world, with a murder rate of 2 per 100,000 people. The US is up around 8 per 100,000.
*The most dangerous ants in the world are the Australian Bulldog Ant, (it grows up to 4 centimetres long). It stands responsible for at least three deaths.
*If you are driving a car in New Zealand, you are twice as likely to die from a car accident than you are in Australia. In the USA, you are roughly 1.4 times as likely than you are in Australia.
*The Utility--or as it's called in Australia the 'ute'--was invented in Australia by Ford in 1932. The legend has it that it that a farmer came to Ford looking for a car that could "work on the farm all week, and then take the wife to church on Sundays."
*In the mid 70's, Australians were the 3rd biggest beer drinker in the world. (behind Germany and Belgium) In the late 90's, we didn't even get into the top ten.
*70% of the world's wool comes from Australia. We have over 126,000,000 sheep, which use fully half the continent for grazing.
*The longest fence in the world is in Australia (it runs for over 5,530 kms). It's designed to keep dingo's away from the sheep.
*The so-called 'dingo fence' in Australia is almost twice as long as the Great Wall of China. It has a gate every 19kms.
*The kangaroo is unique to Australia and one of our most easily recognised mammals. There are more kangaroos in Australia now than when Australia was first settled. Estimates suggest around 40 million.
*And last but not least, Australian's use the term "g'day" as a greeting and never as a leave-taking.
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