Top 10 Facts About Australia Country

JULY 9 is Constitution Day in Australia, marking the day when Queen Victoria gave royal assent to the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, which formally created the country of Australia.

1. Until the Australia Act 1986, the UK still had the right to change the Australian constitution.

2. The name ‘Australia’ comes from the Latin ‘australis’, which simply means ‘southern’.

3. The Romans called it ‘Terra Australis Incognita’ – ‘unknown land of the South’ – long before its existence was confirmed.

4. It was first called Australia in English in 1625.

5. At the London 2012 Olympics, Australia won one medal for every 653,731 of its population. The UK won one medal per 957,876 people.

There are more wild camels in Australia than in any other country
6. The only countries larger than Australia in area are Russia, Canada, the USA, China and Brazil.

7. Australia has an average of only seven people per square mile. The only countries more sparsely populated are Mongolia and Namibia.

8. There are more wild camels in Australia than in any other country.

9. From 1838-1902, it was illegal to go swimming during the daytime at public beaches in Australia.

10. In 1954, Bob Hawke set a world record by drinking two-and-a-half pints of beer in 11 seconds. In 1983, he became prime minister of Australia.