Image: Petra via Wikimedia Commons
About This Quiz
Australia is famous for its dangerous animals and harsh, beautiful stretches of unspoiled land, but there is far more to this massive country than just kangaroos! With a number of diverse highly urbanized cities, it is truly a fascinating place with a large population. While some jokesters on the internet like to insist that Australia is not real, it is an interesting country with food and art scenes as wild as its many fauna and sports fans!   Â
Aussies are a hearty bunch known for their ability to survive in the vast wilderness, but also the high living standards of their many ultramodern cities. Australia is truly a fascinating place where you can find it all, from beaches and the wilds of the Outback, to hip cafes and soaring skyscrapers. It is also known as a place where everything is trying to kill you, as it is home to dangerous and poisonous animals of almost every species!Â
If you think that you know this vast and fascinating country like the back of your hand, see if your Australian general knowledge is up to snuff with this quiz! Let's see if your down under knowledge is truly on top!Â
Which country colonized Australia in the past?
France
The US
Britain
Australia had been inhabited by indigenous people for about 60,000 years before British settlement and colonization. The country's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770.
Japan
Advertisement
Australia is considered to be one of the most democratic countries on earth: True or false?
True
Australia is ranked 8th globally in terms of democracy. This means it is considered a full democracy. Canada ranks above it and Finland ranks below it.
False
Advertisement
Which landscape is Australia the most known for?
The Outback
Australia is largely overtaken by large arid deserts, known as the Outback. It extends from the northern to southern coastlines of the country and is largely intact and uninhabited.
The Rainforest
The Savannah
The Tundra
Advertisement
Which of these does Australia have?
President
Prime Minister
Australia, like the UK, has a prime minister. While Elizabeth II is technically the Queen of Australia, she has no say in the day-to-day decisions of the country.
King
None of the above
Advertisement
Most of Australia's plants and animals are _________ Australia.
Not from
Unique to
Australia is very old, isolated and has a range of weather patterns and habitats. This had led to an incredibly diverse and unique collection of plants and animals to thrive. For example, over 80% of the mammals found in Australia are found nowhere else on earth.
Leaving
None of the above
Advertisement
Australia ranks low in the human development index: True or false?
True
False
Australia is the third most highly ranked country on earth according to the human development index. As of 2018, only Norway and Switzerland sit above it. Factors like life expectancy, access to education, and income per capita all help inform where a country falls on the human development index.
Advertisement
Australia is the __________ inhabited continent.
Coldest
Wettest
Most populated
Driest
Australia is the driest inhabited continent. About 80% of the continent's land gets less than 2 feet of rain per year.
Advertisement
Australia touches which ocean?
Pacific
Australia has shores on both the Pacific and Indian oceans. It it also separated from Asia and New Zealand by several seas.
Atlantic
Arctic
None of the above
Advertisement
What is the national language of Australia?
Spanish
Chinese
English
Australian English is not specified in any government documents as the legal national language of Australia. However, as the first language of most of the population, it is the functional de facto national language.
Hindi
Advertisement
Britain established Australia originally as a place to send:
Political enemies
Religious zealots
Prisoners
In 1783, the British sent men to establish a penal colony in Australia, their holding at the time called New South Wales. A penal colony is a place where prisoners are exiled away from the general public.
Vacationers
Advertisement
What is the official name of Australia?
The Kingdom of Australia
The People's Republic of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia
While most people call it Australia, the official name of this country is The Commonwealth of Australia. It is a sovereign state that takes up the mainland of the Australian continent.
The People's Republic of Australia
Advertisement
Where is Australia located?
Oceania
Australia is the largest country in the area of Oceania. Its other neighbors in Oceania include New Zealand, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Asia
The Americas
The Northern Hemisphere
Advertisement
Australia is the world's largest country by area: True or false?
True
False
Australia is the 6th largest country on earth by total land area. It sits between Brazil and India in terms of land area, but only has a population of about 25 million.
Advertisement
What killed many of Australia's indigenous peoples?
Diseases
Frontier conflict
Government effort
All of the above
Indigenous Australians were not prepared to deal with the diseases of the West, and were also killed and discriminated against heavily by Europeans. Violence and policy caused their populations to massively decline.
Advertisement
Australia has one of the world's largest ________ populations.
Male
Immigrant
Australia has one of the world's largest immigrant populations. Roughly a quarter of their population is immigrants who come from the UK, Europe, or Asia.
Artist
Catholic
Advertisement
Which of these is Australia's capital?
Sydney
Canberra
Canberra is Australia's capital. It is Australia's largest inland city, but not its largest overall city.
Perth
Melbourne
Advertisement
Does Australia have a large army?
Yes
Australia has one of the largest defense budgets on earth of any country. It currently has troops deployed around the world in the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific.
No
Advertisement
Australia's largest city is:
Canberra
Brisbane
Melbourne
Sydney
Sydney is Australia's largest major metropolitan area. It has a population of over 4 million and is considered to be one of the world's most livable cities year after year.
Advertisement
When did Australia become independent of the UK?
1540
1803
1901
Australia became an independent nation on Jan. 1, 1901. On this day, British Parliament passed legislation allowing Australia to govern themselves as part of the Commonwealth of Australia.
1999
Advertisement
The first westerners to find Australia were:
British
Dutch
The Dutch first discovered Australia in 1606. They initially named it New Holland.
Portuguese
American
Advertisement
Historically, the Australian government tried to prevent who from immigrating to Australia?
Women
Asians
Historically, Australia largely tried to prevent immigrants from China and throughout Asia from settling there. This began with its creation as a nation in 1901, however the policies which supported this were gone by the early 1970s.
Europeans
Americans
Advertisement
How many states are within Australia?
2
6
Australia is broken up into 6 states and 10 territories. The mainland states of Australia are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
15
21
Advertisement
Which of these landscapes can be found in Australia?
Deserts
Mountains
Rainforests
All of the above
Australia is nearly 3 million square miles in size and contains a lot of diverse landscapes and animals. Deserts, mountains, rainforests, cityscapes and more can be found across the continent.
Advertisement
Australia is home to many of the _________ in the world.
Biggest sharks
Smallest birds
Most poisonous snakes
Australia is famously home to some of the world's most dangerous animals. Its famously poisonous snakes include: The eastern brown snake, mainland tiger snake, inland taipan and Mulga snake.
Tallest people
Advertisement
Australia is one of the world's _________developed countries.
Most
Australia is highly developed, with one of the world's largest economies. It has a high-income economy, which is one of the main factors that makes a country a first world country.
Least
Poorest
Smallest
Advertisement
The Stolen Generations in Australia refers to the Australian government's practice of:
Executing prisoners
Taking aboriginal children
For decades, the Australian government took indigenous children from their parents and communities in an attempt to assimilate them. It is estimated that between 1910-1970, as much as one-third of all indigenous Australian children were taken from their families.
A massive plague
Their revolutionary war
Advertisement
Did Australia fight in World War I?
Yes
Australia is a commonwealth of Great Britain. In 1914, it joined World War I fighting on the side of Britain. Australian soldiers took part in many major battles on the Western Front.
Only in the final months
They sent supplies but not troops.
No, because Australia didn't exist yet
Advertisement
Australia is a formal military ally of which country?
China
India
The U.S.
Since 1951 Australia has been a formal military ally of the U.S. This is the result of a treaty between the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia.
None of the above
Advertisement
Australia has the highest __________ rate in the world.
Carbon dioxide production
Birth
Mammal extinction
Many of Australia's biomes and plant and animal species are threatened by human activities. Their country has the highest mammal extinction rate of any country on earth.
Education
Advertisement
Australia is the world's smallest:
Kingdom
Continent
Australia is the world' smallest continent, and is often called the island continent. Due to being a massive landmass surrounded by water on all sides, it is sometimes considered to be the world's largest island.
Country
Island
Advertisement
Australia is home to the world's largest:
Coral reef
Australia is famous for the Great Barrier Reef. As the world's largest coral reef, it extends for over 1,200 miles off the country's northeast coast.
Mountain
City
Skyscraper
Advertisement
Is Australia is one of the most densely populated countries on earth?
It's the most.
It's top 10.
It's in the middle.
Not at all
While population density varies a lot across Australia, overall it has a population density of roughly 3.3 people per square km. This makes it one of the most sparsely populated countries on earth.
Advertisement
Australia is the _________ country in the world.
Wealthiest
Australia surpassed Switzerland in 2018. In terms of average wealth for its citizens, it is the richest country on earth.
Most populous
Oldest
Smallest
Advertisement
What are conditions like in Australia for its indigenous people today?
Equal to other Australians
Poor
Native Australian populations face higher levels of imprisonment and unemployment than other Australian populations. Men and women of native descent also have life expectancies between 10-20 years shorter than other Australians.
Good
Slightly disadvantageous
Advertisement
Which religion is followed by the most Australians?
Islam
No religion
About 30% of Australians reported to belong to no religion at all. The largest religious denomination on the continent is Roman Catholic, with over 20% of Australians claiming to be Roman Catholic.
Hinduism
Anglican
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
