why is Australia called" down under"?

Answer 1

Possibly because it's "under" the equator? That's my guess.

Answer 2

Most of the maps were drawn by people from the northern hemisphere and globes are made with north at the top. This puts Australia down the map and under the northern hemisphere.

In Australia we consider ourselves to be on top of the world and the northern hemisphere is down under. It makes as much sense.

Some people have a very weird sense of geography. Tasmania is part of Australia, it is one of the six States. It is separated from the mainland by Bass Strait which is about as wide as Lake Superior. Hobart in Tasmania is Australia's most southerly city and is the same latitude south as New York is north. The rest of Australia is closer to the equator than this. The Antarctic is a very long way to the south.

Answer 3

It's called that because in relation to the United Kingdom (country that colonised Australia) Australia is "Down Under" on the Earth.

Hope this has helped,

S.O.

Answer 4

because it's probably on the other side of the planet from where you are. So you only look down to the ground and say DOWN UNDER is where Australia is.

Answer 5

I guess when you look at the world map, Australia is in the southern hemisphere, and hence "down" below all the others. Hence they call themselves "down under"

Another guess: they were used in the past as a place where criminals are sent - and these people were looked down upon. hence down under???

Answer 6

Because it's down...and under!

Answer 7

Because it's in the Southern Hemisphere.

Answer 8

It's in the Southern Hemisphere, at the bottem of the world!

Answer 9

It is down under, under the equator, under the date line. It is about as close as you can go south without hitting the antarctic circle, or Tazmania.

Answer 10

Because it is located "down" below another another continent, and "under" the equator.