Let's Test Your Knowledge Over Australia Quiz

Roughly 2,800 separate reefs constitute the Great Barrier Reef - considered the world largest coral reef system and the largest structure built by living organisms. It covers 135,000 square miles (350,000 square kilometers), an expanse greater than Poland.

Less than two years into his term as prime minister, Holt dove into the high tide in Melbourne and was never seen again. The 59-year-old had nearly drowned while snorkeling nearby just months earlier.

The sweltering heat and oppressive humidity that linger before the rains come in the southern spring cause many Australians to"go troppo" - tempers flare and fights break out. It's also called mango madness since it all happens around the time the mangoes are ripening.

Tucked into the tip of the Northern Territory, Kakadu National Park is managed jointly by the Australian government and Aborigines whose ancestors have lived on the land for thousands of years. The park is a refuge for crocodiles and cockatoos and also happens to encompass a uranium mine.

Both the red kangaroo and the emu appear on the Australian coat of arms, flanking a crest displaying a badge from each of the commonwealth's six states. Neither of the animals walks backwards easily-so their inclusion symbolizes Australia's forward progression.

Since 1923, Aussies have been addicted to the salty Vegemite, a pungent paste made of brewer's yeast and malt extracts. A 1940s ad campaign featured children singing that they were "happy little Vegemites," a phrase still sometimes used to describe Australian children.

The secret ballot was first used in Australia following a voting reform bill that abolished the English practice of announcing one's vote in front of all others present. The secret ballot was referred to the "Australian ballot" or "kangaroo voting" when the concept spread to Europe and the United States.

Most of the 160,000-some British men and women sent to live and work in Australia had been found guilty of petty theft or misdemeanors. More serious crimes, such as stealing goods worth more than a shilling (about $50), meant death by hanging.

At Easter, Australian parents bring home chocolate bilbies-long-eared marsupials-for the kids. Australians don't like bunnies. After rabbits were introduced from Europe in the 1800s, they did what rabbits do-ate and multiplied-until croplands and habitats, including the bilby's, were destroyed.

"Waltzing Matilda" is Aussie slang for drifting around the outback on foot with a bedroll-your "matilda" -slung over your shoulder. Banjo Paterson wrote the words to the famous song in 1895.