| About Oz (Australia) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Facts |
Australia is located southeast of Asia and is the only country in the world to occupy a single continent. The Australian continent and the nearby island of Tasmania form the 6th largest country on earth with a total area of 7,682,300 sq km (2,966,200 sq mi). This large area is populated by only 19 million people making Australia the most sparsly populated continent after the Antartica. Australia consists of six states and two territories. The states are New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania; the territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory which is the location for the capital city Canberra. Australia is world's flattest and driest landmass after the Antartica. The vast interior of Australia is called the Outback which consists mainly of desert plains. The fertile eastern coastal plains are separated from the Outback by the Great Dividing Range. Many ski fields are located in the Great Dividing Range around the Victoria and New South Wales border. Australia's is surrounded by ocean, so there is plenty of coastline. Much of this coastline consists of white sandy beaches and cliffs. The Great Barrier Reef on Queenslands east coast is the largest reef and coral formation on earth, extending just over 2000 km (1250 miles) in length. The reef is the worlds richest area of marine life and forms a natural barrier from the Pacific Ocean. This makes the Queensland coast ideal for diving, but also unsuitable for surfing. However the rest of the Australian coastline has countless beaches that have superb surf breaks which is why surfing is the national pastime and very much part of the Australian culture. | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Aussie Rules Football |
What is Australian Rules Football ? Australian Rules Football (also Aussie Rules or Footy) is a physical contact sport. Claimed as a type of Football, with some similar styles of play to rugby and Gaelic football, it is uniquely Australian. As a form of football, it is quite an old code, predating more modern forms of football, such as American Football, Rugby League, Association Football (Soccer) and Gaelic Football. It's history starts from circa the 1850's where it started as a hybrid of the embryonic English codes. Today it is a multi- million dollar business, with a National Competition and numerous smaller leagues. Interest in the game is generally at an all time high within Australia, yet despite this, some parts of Australia are still lukewarm in support of their team in the AFL, and the game has yet to take a firm hold overseas. | |||||||||||||||||||
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