Australia is a country/continent lying between two oceans. These are the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. The climate is generally between arid and semi arid. It is temperate in the south and eastern parts, but tropical in the north.
But not all facts about Australia are of a generally-known nature. Some facts are not too well known by the public. But they are there! For example, what makes Australian English a bit hard to understand? What about people do Australians loathe? What makes Australians appear not to be result oriented? And why do Aussies always strive to reach a win-win agreement in negotiations?
Get the answers to all these and more in the following 10 cool facts about Australia. Well, go on; enjoy your reading!
SEE ALSO: 12 Amazing Facts About South Korea You’ll Love To See
Capital: Canberra
Population: 22,507,617 (2014 Estimate)
Government: Democratic Federal State System
Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II
Language: English
Governor General: Sir Peter Cosgrove
Currency: Australian Dollar
Prime Minister: Malcolm Turnbull
Cool Facts About Australia
1. The Need to Listen Well
Even though English is the official language of Australia, the colourful vocabulary and way the English language is used by Australians requires getting used to. The Australian accent, the phonetic system, and especially their slangs which they call strine could be a bit hard to understand at first.
2. Down-to-Earth People
Australians are very down-to-earth people. And when you engage in a conversation with them, they are usually mindful of what they say and how they say it so as not to give any impression that they are better than you in any way. Well, I daresay that is cool about them.
3. Loathe Pretentiousness
Australians value authenticity, love sincerity, but loathe pretentiousness. They appreciate and even prefer people who are modest, humble, self deprecating, and witty. If you know you have the opposite of these qualities, it is not likely that Australians would get along well with you.
SEE ALSO: 11 Weird Facts About Vietnam You Never Knew
4. Downplay Their Achievements
The people don’t draw attention to their academic or other achievements, and they tend to distrust anyone who does it. Personally, to the over-ambitious, an Australian would come across as not result oriented. This is because they deliberately downplay their own achievements. Cool!
5. Win-Win Agreement
Australia’s population is not so high. In view of such small population for a whole continent, the people do business with a thought on the possibility of meeting and doing business again in the future. For that reason, they do not drive such a hard bargain; they rather focus on trying to reach a win-win agreement.
6. Casual Even in Greeting
When greeting, being so down-to-earth, they make it very casual. They usually shake hands and add a casual, “G’day mate.” This is not meant to demean you; they are just being very friendly and trying to make you relax around them. Simply say a cool: “Hello, how are you?”
7. The Prefer First-Names
One thing is certain: Aussies are a most friendly people and easy to get along with. Even when meeting for the first time, Australians prefer to be in first-name basis. So feel free to use an Aussie’s first name; he would appreciate it.
8. What to Take Along to Dinner
When invited to the home of an Australian for dinner, it would be well appreciated if you take along a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers to the hostess. But in addition to that, a good bottle of wine is also appreciated. Gifts are usually opened when given.
9. Take Your Booze Along
You will find that many of the invitations to the home of an Australian would be for a barbeque or a barbie as they locally call it. Typically, guests to barbeque always bring their own booze. But in a few cases, you might also be told to bring along your won meat.
SEE ALSO: 10 Interesting Facts About United Arab Emirates You’ll Love To See
10. Arrive Early for Dinner
If invited to dinner, endeavour to arrive not later than 15 minutes. And when you have finished eating, indicate it by laying your cutlery on the table parallel to your plate, making sure the handles are on the right side. But while eating, keep your elbows off the table.
Leave a Reply