In this article we will learn some fun facts about Australia, "The Land DownUnder". Australia is the worlds smallest continent but is also the sixth largest country in the world! If it is summer here then it's winter there! Australia has some incredibly hot weather and some of the worlds greatest animals and forests. The hottest temperature actually reached 53.1C in 1889. If you want to go to Australia you should learn some of thier unusual lingo. Yes, they do speak English but they have thier own language for almost everything. Australia is referred to as "The Island Continent". Here are some unusual terms and thier meanings:

• -barbie-barbecue grill

• -clobber-clothes

• -cozzie-swimsuit

• -fairy floss-cotton candy

• -Give it a burl!-means give it a try!

• -mozzie-mosquito

• -ripper-terrific

Fun Facts  

• -the national anthem is referred to as "Advance Australia Fair"

• -1/5 of the land is desert

• -Australia was once a British penal colony was thieves, murders etc

• -european settlers drank more alcohol per person then any community in history

• -basic currency are huge cans of beer

• -pubs occupy more land than the mines

• -Australians love meat pies

• -the zoo has no cages!

• -the koala, emu, kookaburra and kangaroo originated in Australia

• -more venomous snakes than any other continent

Here are some fun facts on geography:  

• -no part of Australia is more then 1000km from the ocean

• -Australia has the worlds largest cattle station

• -90% of Australians prefer the coastal cities

• -Australians from Queensland are called "banana benders"

• -people from Western Australia are called "sandgropers"

• -Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world!

• -there is a mailbox located on the Great Barrier Reef

• -the Australian Alps get more snow then Switzerland!

• -Melbourne has the second largest Greek population

• -Australia is the lowest and flattest continent

Some fun facts on animals:  

• -Australia has the worlds biggest population of one humped camels

• -Australian Dragonfly is clocked at 55 miles an hr!

• -sharks are immune to all known diseases

• -sheep outnumber people in Australia-there are 150 million sheep and only 20 million people!

• -the kangaroo "the burrowing boodie" lives underground

Did you think the Tasmanian Devil was just a cartoon character you could watch on Saturday mornings? Well it turns out there really is a Tasmanian Devil. Not only that but it has the jaw strength of a crocodile!

There was a skeleton found in South Wales, Australia. It was female and thought to be 38,000 yrs old! That is incredible!