Page 20 - December 2023 Gears and Ears

The World According to Me!

By Anthony Lightman

December 2023

2 Mind-Blowing Facts About Australia

Nestled between the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, Australia is the largest country
in Oceania and the sixth-largest country in the world by land area. But that’s just the
beginning when it comes to the many amazing things about this ancient land. From its
one-of-a-kind wildlife species to the planet’s oldest civilization, here are three fascinating
facts that you might not know about the Land Down Under.
When Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon landed in Australia in 1606, the first known
European to do so, the continent had already been inhabited for tens of thousands of
years by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In 2016, an extensive DNA study by
Cambridge University deduced that Aboriginal Australians are the world’s oldest
civilization. Indigenous Australian and Papuan ancestral groups migrated to Sahul (a
prehistoric subcontinent made up of present-day Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania)
about 50,000 years ago. Eventually, rising sea levels caused the separation of the islands,
and forced the Aboriginal peoples into genetic isolation that developed unique
communities.

Around 80% of Australia’s Fauna and Flora Is Unique to

the Country

Australia has some of the cutest, most interesting, and most venomous animals on
the planet. In fact, thanks to its isolated island geography, over 80% of the country’s
plants and animals can only be found here. That includes the cuddly koalas, kangaroos,
wallabies, and wombats that often feature high on tourists’ bucket lists. Many tourists
also hope to spot the notoriously feisty Tasmanian devil, the world’s largest carnivorous
marsupial, and the rainforest-dwelling, sound-mimicking lyrebird. Meanwhile, other
national animals strike fear into tourists — Australia has approximately 100 venomous
snakes, 12 of which can cause fatalities.

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