G’day, Mates!
We may not have any folks working at Everything Summer Camp who are from Australia. We may not even know anybody who knows anybody who IS Australian. But we still wanted to observe National Australia Day because of what a cool continent it is. And so, to recognize and honor this holiday, I compiled a small list of several interesting facts about this unique continent. Check it out.
Smaller Than The U.S.
By far the smallest of the seven continents, Australia is actually even smaller than the United States! Compare the land size of Australia up against the land size of the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. and you’ll discover that Australia is a mere seven square kilometers smaller than the States.
Exclusive Ecosystem
Over 80% of plants and animals are unique only to the continent of Australia. Some of the most well-known species of native animals include the koala, kangaroo (which is on the menu in Australia, believe it or not), dingo, echidna, platypus, wallaby, and wombat. But, aside from zoos, these creatures don’t live anywhere else on the planet.
Penal Colony
Australia was a giant penal colony back in the day. A penal colony is a remote area of land used to exile prisoners in ultimate separation from the outside world. When building its first police force, Australian government decided to hire the best behaved convicts. And though this may seem like unusual practice, this method continues to this day.
Put another shrimp on the barbie and enjoy welcoming the Australian spirit into your very beginning. We appreciate you joining us today in saluting this very interesting land—smallest of the seven continents on the planet, across the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy celebrating National Australia Day and learning more about this country-sized island. And, as always, thanks for reading!
- John