Texans might boast that everything is bigger in their state, but when it comes to cattle, the Lone Star State falls far behind Australia, the undisputed cattle king of the world. For example, consider Anna Creek Station in South Australia, which is larger than the entire country of Israel. The 9,266-square-mile (24,000-sq-km) ranch is so big that it can take weeks to round up the roughly 17,000 head of cattle grazing there. By comparison, the biggest cattle ranch in the United States boasts an area of less than 1,300 square miles (3,367 sq km). Australia's dry climate and sparse population make it the perfect location for hundreds of cattle stations that dwarf those in America.
No bull here:
- Besides having the largest cattle ranch, South Australia also is home to the Coober Pedy mines, the world's largest producer of opals.
- Cattle are red-green colorblind, which means that bulls taking part in bullfights get agitated by the waving of the matador's cape, not because of its red color.
- Australia is home to the largest herd of feral camels in the world.