Australia is a place full of history and culture, but it seems secluded and far away from the rest of the world. 

Despite its distance from modern economic powers, Australia is an independent and successful country and continent, and it is important for all people to get to know it and learn more about it. 

In this article, you’ll get a more casual introduction to Australia as you will learn 5 fun facts about it. 

1. The smallest continent

There is a great paradox when it comes to Australia; it is the smallest continent on Earth, but it is included in the list with the 10 largest countries. And the contradictions continue as although it covers a huge land area, it is sparsely populated. This is due to the combination of low fertility rates and many desert landscapes, where there is a shortage of water for humans to survive. 

However, there are big cities, like Sydney and Melbourne, that are full of life and provide a lot of fun activities to locals and tourists. If you want to save time in your attempt to see everything those cities have to offer, you should hire a car to get you wherever your heart desires. Enjoy Travel will show you offers by car hire companies that are highly trusted by Australians. Your only worry will be where you should go next. 

2. The cleanest air

There is a place where you can breathe the cleanest and purest air. Where is this place? In North West Tasmania, an island state of Australia. And how does that happen? As the air travels a great distance above the Indian Ocean, it gets cleaned before reaching Tasmania. The fact that there are many environmentally-friendly practices implemented in both Tasmania and Australia retains the air clean.

3. Australian Day

Every year on 26 January, it’s the official national Australian Day. Australians celebrate the arrival of the British to the island continent in 1788. Due to the dark aspects of colonialism, Australians reflect on this event as a celebration for the diverse community they get to have today. It should be mentioned that the Indigenous Australians wish that this national day would be abolished or renamed as Day of Mourning as they and their land were treated cruelly when Europeans landed at their home. 

4. Mammals that lay eggs

It is a fact that mammals are the animals that give birth to young living creatures. There are two exceptions to this rule. Echidna, a type of anteater, and platypus, which looks like a combination of a beaver and a duck, are the only two mammals that lay eggs. We can only find both of these animals in Australia. 

5. 8-hour day

Thanks to the protests and fights of local stonemasons, Australia was the first country to enforce the law that a person should not work for more than 8 hours a day in 1856. Other countries liked this idea, and they followed Australia’s example.