Experience the only continent that’s an island on this episode of “Destination World.”
This is Earth, maybe you’ve heard of it. I sure hope so, because you live on one of its seven continents. This one’s most known for its desert landscapes and unique animals.
Australia is the smallest of the seven continents and it’s entirely surrounded by water. It’s also the only country in the world that covers an entire continent.
At almost three million square miles, Australia is located below Asia in the southern hemisphere. That’s how it got its nickname the “Land Down Under”.
Life down under is very unusual. It can go from scorching dry temperatures to very subtropical in the southern hemisphere. Stars and constellations appear upside down and reversed compared to the northern hemisphere.
This is because the Earth turns on its axis from the north to the south pole. Even the seasons are in reverse, so get out your winter gear in the summer and surfboards during the holidays.
And you’ll definitely need sunscreen if you visit one of Australia’s many deserts, like the Great Victoria Desert, the largest desert in the continent.
Australia’s warm sunny climate and giant open spaces make for great outdoor adventures. Ready to camp out underneath the stars in the Australian Outback? On clear nights, you can see almost 3,000 stars.
Want to take a dip in the ocean? There are over 1,500 species of fish that live in the Great Barrier Reef, located in the Pacific Ocean, the largest coral reef in the world.
Another natural wonder can be found in the heart of the continent – Uluru, a sacred rock formation that stands 1,100 feet tall.
And of course, there are some incredible animals in Australia, like kangaroos and emus that live on the coast, and the cute marsupials like koalas and wombats, and unique animals like the platypus and camels.
Australia has almost 1,000 different reptile species, including some of the most dangerous snakes.
Even though many of the world’s deadliest species live here, Australia is home to over 24 million people. The continent’s first people arrived in Australia about 50,000 years ago.
Australia is one of the most ethnically and geographically diverse nations in the world. What an incredible place – a beautiful island, I mean country, well, you know what I mean, all of the above – Australia.
