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One of the world’s most deadly
spiders, the Sydney funnel-web,
lives in Australia. Its bite
could kill, but, luckily an
antivenom was invented in
the 1980s, so there
is a cure—so
long as you get
to the hospital
quickly.5
About 820 different languages are
spoken in Papua New Guinea.DID YOU KNOW?
FASCINATING FACTS2
No one knows exactly how many
islands there are in
the Pacific Ocean.
Estimates vary from
20,000 to 30,000.1
Australia is the flattest of all the
continents. Its highest point, Mount
Kosciuszko, is only 7,310 ft (2,228 meters)
high—just a quarter of the height of
Mount Everest.3
New Zealand
is the home of
bungee jumping.
One of the pioneers
of this extreme sport
was a New Zealander
named A. J. Hackett,
who demonstrated
it in 1987 by bungee
jumping off the Eiffel
Tower in Paris, France.PAPUA NEW GUINEA
tribesmen during a festival.CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLDMUSIC
This traditional Australian wind
instrument, called a didgeridoo,
is made from a hollow
tree trunk. It makes a
droning sound.FARMING
Sheep farming is important in both
Australia and New Zealand—in fact,
there are about five times as many
sheep as people in Australia. Wool
and meat are among the countries’
biggest exports.SPORTS
The most popular spectator sports
in Australia and New Zealand are
cricket and rugby. New Zealand
is also famous for extreme sports,
such as bungee jumping, white
water rafting, and snowboarding.
ALL BLACKS The New
Zealand rugby team is known as
the All Blacks. They perform a
fierce Maori dance, called a
“haka,” before each match.
TOURISM
Many people visit Australasia to
take part in outdoor activities, such
as snorkeling on the Barrier Reef,
surfing and windsurfing on
Australia’s beaches, and trekking DIDGERIDOOS are in New Zealand.
traditionally made from
Eucalyptus trees.
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.