Australia Day 2020: From Inventing the Term 'Selfie' to Being Home to World's Largest National Highway, Fun Facts About the Country Down Under

Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 every year. Though Australia Day will be celebrated this year on January 26 as is the tradition, the day will be observed on January 27, as January 26 falls on Sunday, a holiday. Australia Day is the official national day of Australia or the country 'Down Under', as the country is colloquially called. Australia is credited with giving the world dual flush toilets and cask wine. Find more fun facts about Australia here. Australia Day 2020 Date & Significance: History, Importance and Celebrations Related to the National Day of Australia.

The day is celebrated on 26 January to mark the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales in 1788. The Flag of Great Britain was waived at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.

Below Are Few Fun Facts About Australia

1. The word Australia comes from the Latin word, Australis, which means "Southern".

2. While China has the 'Great Wall of China', Australia has the longest fence in the world. The Dingo Fence in Southeast Australia measure 3,600 miles (5,600 km).

3. The Australian Alps, the highest mountain range in the country, receive more snowfall than the Swiss Alps.

4. Australia is home to the world's largest national highway. It is 9,000 miles long (14,500 km).

5. Australia is the only country in the world that is also a continent.

6. According to a report, Australia has thousands of beaches.

7. The Australian Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet.

8. Kangaroo and Emu are painted on the Australian Coat of Arms because both birds cannot walk backward. For Australia, this signifies 'Keep Moving Forward'.

9. The platypus is one of the rare venomous mammals on earth. But the venom is not fatal.

10. The largest Greek population outside Greece is in Australia.

11. Melbourne was the richest city in the world in 1880.

12. From 2012-2018, Melbourne was ranked the most liveable city in the world.

13. Australia has always ranked higher in the Human Development Index. The index is measured based on the quality of factors like education, life-expectance, and income security.

14. The word "Selfie" was born in Australia after a drunk man took a self-portrait in the year 2002. The Oxford English Dictionary named the term selfie as the word of the year in 2013.

15. There are almost three times more sheep (74 million) than humans (25 million) in Australia.

16. There are two times more Kangaroos than humans in Australia. There are 25 million humans and twice (50 million) the number of Kangaroos.

17. The world's most ancient fossils were discovered in Australia. They were 3.5 billion years old, believed scientists. Australia has no active volcanoes and is the flattest continent on the planet, despite being home to many mountains.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2020 12:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).