Interesting Facts about Australia

Australia (officially the Commonwealth of Australia) is a country in the Southern Hemisphere. Here are some interesting facts about Australia.

* Australia is the sixth largest country by total area. However, the population is relatively small. Only 21.7 million people live in Australia.

* 60% of the population is concentrated in five capital cities- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

* Australia was originally called ÑNew South Wales

* Australia is well known for its strong international sporting teams. Australians have very strong teams in cricket, hockey, netball, rugby league, rugby union, cycling, rowing and swimming.

* The most popular sports in Australia are Australian Rules Football, rugby league and soccer (football).

* Well known Australian actors include Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackson, Heath Ledger, Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts and Cate Blanchett.

* Sydney is the most populous city in Australia.

* Almost 800,000 Australians live outside Australia.

* English is the most spoken language in Australia. It is the only language spoken in over 80% of Australian homes.

* In the 2006 census, 64% of the population were listed as Christian. However, weekly attendance in church services is very low. Only 7.5% of the population attend church services weekly.

* Australia largest export markets are Japan, China, the United States, South Korea and New Zealand.

* Australia has 755 species of reptiles.

* Australias carbon dioxide emissions per person is one of the highest in the world.

* The armed forces of Australia- the Australian Defence Force (ADF)- consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

* Australia is one of the founding members of the United Nations.

* There are six states and two territories in Australia. Each state and territory has its own parliament that makes laws.

* Voting in elections is compulsory for all Australians that are 18 years or older.

* The High Court of Australia is the highest court in Australia.

* The official currency is the Australian dollar.

* There are about 500,000 indigenous Australians (also called Aboriginals) living in Australia.

source: wanttoknowit.com