This Australian trivia quiz is a crash course in the Land Down Under, from Federation and the country's first prime minister to the coat of arms, Uluru and the stars on the flag. There are questions on states, mountains, the Olympics and the switch to dollars and cents too. It's a fun challenge for Americans who love Australia and a quick way to learn what every Aussie already knows.
Australia is the only nation that covers an entire continent, and it's roughly the size of the lower 48 states. Yet most of its people live in a thin band of cities along the coast, while the vast interior, known as the Outback, is dry, red and lightly populated. That mix of huge distances and a small population shapes a lot of Aussie history, from how the country was governed to how people got around.
A fun example: before the colonies joined together, each one built its own railways, and they didn't agree on the width of the track. Travelers crossing a colonial border often had to get off one train and board another, a headache that took decades to fix.
When you tackle the questions, remember that the seasons run opposite to ours, so Christmas falls in summer, and that Australia's past is tightly linked to Britain, which explains a lot about its symbols, sports and money. Australia also has its own unique wildlife and landscapes, so names that sound unfamiliar to American ears are often the real deal.