In this article we will explore some of the interesting facts about Australia. Australia is also unique as the world’s largest island and the smallest continent. It covers around 7.7 million km, making it nearly twice the size of India. With a population of approximately 26 million, it has no land borders with other countries.
Australia is an extraordinary continent that often goes unappreciated. It is commonly described as having nice beaches and dangerous spiders, which is only part of its reality. After reviewing geological surveys and official records, The article discovered some facts about Australia that many, including Australians, may not know. Some of these facts are surprising. So let’s know.
5) Driest Inhabited Continent
One of the interesting facts about Australia is that Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with about 70% of its land getting under 500 mm of rain yearly. This makes it arid or semi-arid. Antarctica is drier but uninhabited. Other continents like Africa and Asia have deserts, but they are not considered the driest. In Australia, dry conditions are the norm, while green areas are limited to the coasts.
Australia is the sixth largest country by area, yet about 80% of its population lives within 25 km of the coast. The mean population density is 3.5 people per square km, while the interior is nearly unpopulated. In fact, most people reside in a narrow coastal band, leaving the rest of the country sparsely populated.
4) Flattest Continent
One of the interesting facts about Australia is that Australia is the flattest continent, with an average elevation of about 330 meters, which is the lowest of any continent. Its highest point, Mount Kosciuszko, is only 2,228 meters tall, making it the lowest highest point among all continents. The Eiffel Tower also stands at 330 meters.
3) Animals
One of the interesting facts about Australia is that Australia has been separate from other land masses for 55 million years, leading to unique wildlife. About 87% of mammals, 93% of reptiles, and 94% of amphibians in Australia are found nowhere else in the world. While most continents share wildlife with nearby regions, Australia evolved its species independently.
According to the Australian Venom Research Unit, 20 of the world’s 25 most venomous snakes are native to Australia, which has over 100 species of venomous snakes. Despite this, snake bite deaths average only 4 to 6 each year. The low fatality rate is due to effective antivenom, the medical infrastructure, and the behavior of the snakes. Both the high venom toxicity and low death rate are true and do not conflict with each other.
2) Great Barrier Reef
One of the interesting facts about Australia is that the Great Barrier Reef covers 344,400 km, making it larger than the combined area of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It has 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, stretching 2,300 km along Queensland’s coast. The reef is not a place but a living organism made by coral polyps, and it is the largest living structure on Earth.
It houses around 9,000 species of marine life, including 1,500 species of fish, 600 species of coral, 30 species of whales and dolphins, and six of the world’s seven sea turtle species. It is also the only living structure visible from space with the naked eye.
1) Fastest Moving Continent
One of the interesting facts about Australia is that Australia is the fastest moving continent, drifting about 7 cm northward each year on the Indo-Australian tectonic plate. This rate is four to five times faster than the global average of 1.5 cm. From 1994 to 2017, Australia moved about 1.6 m northeast, causing issues for surveying, construction, and navigation.
In response, Geoscience Australia updated the national coordinate system in 2020, moving it 1.8 m northeast to align with the continent’s current position. As the continent continues moving at 7 cm per year, it is on a path toward Southeast Asia, estimated to collide in about 50 million years.