Even though Australia has some of the most modern cities in the developed world, for those who don't live in nearby countries, it still seems like a part of the world that is particularly mysterious.

7 Weird And Wonderful Facts About The Country Down Under

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Even though Australia has some of the most modern cities in the developed world, for those who don’t live in nearby countries, it still seems like a part of the world that is particularly mysterious.

Although this may be true in a sense, Australia immigration figures show that more and more people want to move to the country than ever, with over 100,000 making Australia their home in the last half of 2009 alone, according to the Australian government’s Citizenship and Immigration department.

Whilst there may be a serious side to Australia, it is known as a very fun and enjoyable country and these seven facts all showcase some weird and wonderful pieces of information on the country.

1. There is a whole host of strange laws and rules in Australia, but one of the weirdest has to be that between 1838 and 1902, swimming in public beaches was illegal throughout the day. Although not particularly surprising as the time, it is today when you look at how popular the beaches of the country are year – and day – round.

2. Australia is well known as being as the country where criminals were deported to for many years and therefore it’s no real surprise to learn that in 2007, around a quarter of the population had an ancestor that was a convict.

3. The kangaroo, Australia’s most famous animal, has a range of facts related to it, including that they can’t walk backwards (which is the reason they appear on the Australian coat of arms); they are only two centimetres long when they are born and they have been known, if being chased by a dog or similar sized animal, to jump into water and then drown the animal with their legs.

4. The story behind Canberra is one that is somewhat amusing and very interesting. Apparently, Sydney put a case together that they wanted to be the capital city of Australia, as did Melbourne. However, both cities were so full of convicts (the1828 census shows that half of the entire population of New South Wales – Sydney’s state – were convicts) and so the Australian government decided to create a new city in the middle of both to become the capital, known as Canberra.

5. The name Australia is derived from Terra Australia Incognito, which is Latin for Unknown Southern Land and it wasn’t until 1625 when Australia was officially first used in England.

6. If you’re in the country and you hear the term drongo, this is a slang word for idiots. It was used first in the 1920s when a racehorse called Drongo was hyped up and expected to win several titles – in 37 races, however, he failed to take home anything.

7. Considering the amount of people that want to move to Australia, it’s often surprising to hear that the country is one of the least densely populated in the world. Covering 2,966,200 square miles of land, there are estimated to only be 22,368,424 people living in the country permanently, meaning that there are less than 8 people in every square mile of Australian soil.

You may also like to see the following articles:

• 10 Different Items You Probably Didn’t Realise Were Australian
• 3 Different Ways That You Can Move To Australia Permanently
• 5 Different Sports You Can Expect To See In Australia
• 7 Of Australia’s Most Famous Exports
• Considering Australia Immigration? Make The Move And You Could Join These 8 Famous Celebrities

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