Discover Australia

Did you know…? Get to know Australia and its curiosities

• Did you know that Australia is divided into six states and two territories?

  Australia is divided into six states and two mainland territories. The states are New South Wales or New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia or South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC), and Western Australia or Western Australia (WA).

  The two territories are the Northern Territory or Northern Territory (NT) and the Australian Capital Territory or Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

  In addition, the Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, the Norfolk Island and the islands of the Great Barrier Reef such as the Heart Island or the McDonald Islands are also part of Australia. Finally, there are other parts of the planet that belong to this country, for example, a little piece of Antarctica!

• Did you know that the capital of Australia is Canberra?

  Surprise! If until now you thought that the capital of Australia was Sydney, we recommend that you read the history of the Australian capital.

• Did you know that the currency of Australia is Australian dollars or AUD?

  The currency we use in Australia is Australian dollars and cents ($ AUD). This currency is used in all Australian states.

• Did you know that Australia has different time zones?

  Being such a large territory, Australia has different time zones:

  • The Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC +10) covers New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), Victoria (VIC), Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Tasmania (TAS).
  • The Australian Central Standard Time (UTC +9.5) covers South Australia (SA) and Northen Territory (NT)
  • The Australian Western Standard Time (UTC +8) covers Australia’s largest state, Western Australia.

  On the other hand, you must bear in mind that only in the states of ACT, SA, NSW, TAS and VIC the clock is advanced one hour during the months of October to April due to Daylight Saving.

• Did you know that in Australia there are more kangaroos than people?

  About 50 million kangaroos live in Australia. That’s twice as many people !? Well yes. Australia’s population has just reached 25 million people.

  Should we eat more kangaroo in this country? Maybe yes … but it hurts us! We prefer to go on a hike and watch them jump around us.

• Did you know that in Australia there are very varied climates?

  Surely you have heard that “in Australia it is always hot and it does not rain”. Well, it’s a myth!

  In Australia it is very hot, very cold, it rains and snows. It is a country of 8 million square kilometers. In fact, it is almost as big as all of Europe! So, depending on the area you go to, further south or further north, you will enjoy a cold, Mediterranean or tropical climate.

  As in all countries in the southern hemisphere, the seasons of the year in Australia are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. From December to February it is summer, from March to May it is autumn, from June to August it is winter and from September to November it is spring.

  For this reason, the northern states have a warm climate most of the year, while the southern states have colder winters.

  Speaking of rain, Australia is one of the driest continents on earth, with an average annual rainfall of less than 600mm. But when it rains, he does it with enthusiasm! You will not save yourself from the typical spring and summer storms. You will eternally thank us for the following advice: Wherever you go, bring a raincoat with you.

• Did you know that 25% of Australians were born in another country?

  This data makes Australia the country with the highest number of inhabitants from other countries. Ideal for learning English! Australians are very used to dealing with foreigners thanks to their inclusive culture and traveling spirit. They will help you whenever they can!

• Did you know that Australia is one of the happiest countries in the world?

  Year after year, the World Happiness Report of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ranks Australia among one of the happiest countries to live in. One more reason to leave everything and come here for a while.

  And not only that, Melbourne has been ranked as the best city in the world to live in for 7 consecutive years (from 2010 to 2017). Not bad at all, don’t you think?

• Did you know that Australia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world?

  Australia has a population of 25 million inhabitants and 7,741,220 square kilometers of territory, so there are only 3 people per square kilometer. Freak out!

  They have room to spare. Let’s occupy it! 😉

• Did you know that Australia belonged to the Aborigines?

  The history of Australia started about 250 years ago, so we know that it is a fairly “new” country. Even so, the first inhabitants of Australia were the aborigines and it is believed that they arrived more than 50,000 years ago. Wow!

  During the 17th century, Australia was known as “New Holland”, until on January 26, 1770, James Cook (an explorer from the United Kingdom) arrived on the continent and claimed the territory as British. This date is currently known as Australia Day or Invasion Day. A day to reflect, as Australian aborigines currently represent only 2% of the population. What a pity!

  Subsequently, Australia was used as a penal colony from 1788 to 1868 and it is estimated that a total of 160,000 male and female prisoners arrived. Thus, the aborigines were displaced by them and prevented them from continuing with their traditional lifestyle.

  In 1880, the cities of Melbourne and Sydney began to modernize, followed by the other cities such as: Gold Coast, Brisbane and Perth.

  Finally, on January 1, 1901, the six states of Australia – New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA) – were they became a nation governed by a single constitution.

• Did you know that Australia is also known as OZ?

  The word OZ comes from the Australian pronunciation of the word “Australia”. When you tune your ear and understand the Australian accent, you will be able to notice how they pronounce the word “Australia” as / OZstrelia /. In Australian slang the words tend to be abbreviated and with the passage of time it remained as “OZ”.

  From now on you can say “you’re going to OZ”!
  By extension, Australians are “Aussies”, pronounced / OZzies /. And AUssieYouTOO is pronounced / OZzieYuTu / ????
  You see, it is only a matter of pronunciation and it has nothing to do with “the Wizard of Oz”.

• Did you know that Australia has more than 10,000 beaches?

  It is not a joke! And we can also tell you that it would take you about 27 years to visit them all. Wow!

• Did you know that 91% of the territory is covered by native vegetation?

  91% of the Australian surface is covered by the country’s own vegetation. Australians take great care of their flora and fauna, so we recommend that you follow their example when you come to Australia. Don’t mistreat the little plants!

• Did you know that 90% of the inhabitants live on the coast?

  Most Australians love the beach, the ocean, and surfing. But they don’t just live close to him because of that. They do it to avoid the center of Australia, the desert!

• Did you know that 80% of its fauna cannot be seen in the rest of the world?

  Kangaroos and koalas are the most famous. What a thrill to see them live! Jumping, eating and sleeping in their natural habitat. In Australia you will see animals that you did not even know existed.

  If you have seen many documentaries and you think that everything here is dangerous and kills. Get it out of your head right now!

  In cities you will rarely see dangerous animals like poisonous snakes or spiders. If you bathe in the ocean, there are guarded areas where you can swim without thinking about sharks. If you travel or go on an excursion, inform yourself properly of the precautions you must take and that’s it!

  Animals are afraid of us and try to avoid us. Never forget!

• Did you know that there is no official religion in Australia?

  In Australia there is no official religion. And, according to official polls in the country, more than 20% of Australians do not consider themselves followers of any religion. The most followed religion is Christianity, although we can find Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish minorities. And about 70,000 people are Jedi! Or at least that’s what these passionate fans of Star Wars and the philosophy of the Jedi say.