Sydney, Australia

Geography: Sydney, is the first and largest city, located in the state of New South Wales which is on the continent of Australia located between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.

Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)

National Symbols: Southern Cross constellation (five, seven-pointed stars) The kangaroo and the emu

National Anthem: "Advance Australia Fair"

Language:  English

Area Comparison:  Australia is slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

Distance from Pittsburgh: 15,500km or 9,631miles

Terrain: The land mostly low plateau with deserts with a fertile plain in southeast.  Over 90% of Australia is dry, flat and arid. Almost three-quarters of the land cannot support agriculture in any form.

Highest Point:  Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m

Weather You Should Expect: The climate of Australia is generally arid to semiarid, temperate in south and east but tropical in north.  Sydney's oceanic climate means warm summers and mild winters.

Average Temperature in January:  A temperature range between nine and sixteen degrees Celsius in winter and up to an average peak of 26 degrees Celsius in summer.

What You Must See: Book a concert, opera or dance performance at the Sydney Opera House (one of the seven wonders of the modern world) and take a tour of the venue to see behind the scenes.  Take the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly for a water tour of Sydney which better than any tourist ride! See the best of the Harbour and all of Sydney’s expensive waterfront property. Walk through the Courso at Manly to the beach and have lunch before ferrying back to the city. Do the Harbour BridgeClimb. Y ou can actually walk up, across and back down the Sydney’s great landmark. Go to Bondi Beach and take the long beautiful walk from Bondi through the rocks to Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly beaches. The Sydney Fish Market where there is a mind-blowing array of fish and seafood – in fact, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Go to Chinatown for Yum Cha where fantastic Chinese food is brought to your table on carts and you can choose what you want to taste. The Botanic Gardens, right beside the Opera house, offer a beautiful walk by the water. Walk around The Rocks - Sydney’s most historic area just near Circular Quay. Lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and old architecture to explore. Visit a few of Sydney’s unique “suburbs” or visit the Olympic site at Homebush Bay.

Historical Fact: Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Captain James Cook took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries and became the Commonwealth.

Science Trivia: The invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast and is one of the most consistent winds in the world

Interesting Fact: Australia is the world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country. The population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts. It is the smallest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent in the world. It is the only country which is also a whole continent.

Fun Fact: A 10kg Tasmanian Devil is able to exert the same biting pressure as a 40kg dog. It can also eat almost a third of its body weight in a single feeding.

Another Fun Facts: The box jellyfish is considered the world's most venomous marine creature. The box jellyfish has killed more people in Australia than stonefish, sharks and crocodiles combined. The Sydney Funnelweb spider is considered the world's most deadly spider. It is the only spider that has killed people in less than 2 hours. Its fangs are powerful enough to bite through gloves and fingernails. The only animals without immunity to the funnelweb's venom are humans and monkeys.

Everything You Need to Know About the Flag:

The flag is blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901. The star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories. On the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars.