Australia

Actually true

• Aboriginal culture is the oldest continuous culture on Earth

  Aboriginal Australians have lived on the continent for at least 65,000 years, with living traditions, art and languages still practised today.

• Most people live within a short drive of the coast

  Over 85% of Australians live within 50km of the sea, leaving the vast interior 'outback' sparsely populated.

• Wildlife really is uniquely dangerous and unique

  Australia has more venomous snake and spider species than anywhere on Earth, alongside marsupials found nowhere else, like the platypus.

• Coffee culture rivals Europe's

  Melbourne in particular has an obsessive, highly skilled independent café scene that predates many international chains locally.

Commonly believed, wrong

• "Everyone lives near dangerous wildlife constantly"

  Snake and spider encounters are rare for most city-dwelling Australians, who live urban, coastal lives far from remote bushland.

• "It's always hot and dry everywhere"

  Tasmania and southern Victoria have genuinely cold, wet winters, and the Snowy Mountains get regular snowfall.

• "Sydney is the capital"

  Canberra, a purpose-built city, is the actual national capital — a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne.

• "Kangaroos hop down the streets of every city"

  Kangaroos are common in rural and semi-rural areas but not a normal sight in Sydney or Melbourne's city centres.