Australia
Australia is the foreign country of my dreams. Home of the most iconic opera house, the Sidney opera house, and the most famous pouched animal, the kangaroo. Australia as a country is unique in that it is the only country in the world that is also a continent. Strangely, it is not the biggest country in the world though it ranks in the top ten largest countries in the world.
Australia is a tourist haven. Chief among its attractions is its fauna. It hosts some of the unique and scarce animals. It has the largest number of pouched animals. The most famous of these mammals is the kangaroo that is found only in Australia. Others include the koala, emu, Tasmanian devil, kookaburra and the dark billed platypus all native to Australia. I especially would love to see the koala which until recently found out that it is not a bear as I earlier thought but a cute, cuddly animal.
Plant and nature lovers will fall in love with Australia too. The reason is that Australia has more than 100m hectares of forest cover, which like the animals also holds some very rare and unique plants. The Wollemi pine, for example, is only found in Australia and is believed to have existed since the time of the dinosaurs. For those fascinated with deserts, Australia has more than ten deserts. Its deserts receive less than 500mm of rain annually. These deserts make Australia the second driest continent surpassed only by Antarctica and the driest among the inhabited continents. The Uluru-kata Tjuta national park in the western desert area is a must visit.
The Australian experience would not be complete without a visit to the marine park. Situated between two oceans, the Pacific, and Indian oceans, Australia boasts of a long coastline with various marine parks. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park on Australia’s east coast is one of the largest living structures on earth. It is visible from outer space. It features coral reefs, mangrove islands, and coral cays.
To conclude, human-made attractions are also available. The city of Sydney not only the famous opera house but also the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It’s the largest arched bridge world over. A guided tour to the top its top offers a spectacular view of the city and harbor.
