Australia is both a continent and a country.

In area, it is the worlds sixth largest country and the smallest, flattest, and-- except for Antarctica-- driest continent. About 19 million people live in Australia. Australia is nearly as big as the whole United States. If so, then why is such a vast land so underpopulated? It is because of Australia's climate, natural vegetation and the patterns of settlements and land use.

Migration History
The first Australians were known as Aborigines. They were thought to have crossed the bridge from Southeast Asia to Australia about 50 thousand years ago. They were nomadic hunters and gatherers and lived in small groups and spoke many distinct languages. Their customs varied from one group to another but they all shared a deep respect for nature and the land. At some point the land bridge connecting Australia to Southeast Asia sank under the sea, leaving the Aborigines isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years until 1770, when Captain James Cook landed on the east coast of the isle and claimed it for Great Britain.

European Settlement
European settlement began 18 years after Cook arrived. Great Britain used Australia as a solution to their overflowing quantity of prisons, which were overcrowded with the poor. During the next 80 years, more than a huge amount of men, women, and children (160,000) were transported from Britain to Australia. After their sentences ended, many prisoners stayed in Australia and other settlers from Britain joined them, marking the beginning of european settlement. Meanwhile European population grew, Aborigines were dwindling in population, especially on the 1900s. They suffered tremendous losses, and only 1/4 of the original population remains today. After WWII, immigration to Australia increased from other parts of the world and today many immigrants come from nearby countries of southeast Asia.

Patterns of Settlement

Basically Australia looks like a ragged square but the real Australia where people live and work is a ribbon. The vast majority of Australias population lives in the east and southeastern coasts or URBAN RIM because of its discouraging harsh climate. The reason Australia has a very small population compared to its grand size is because of its hot, dry climate and forbidding interior that discourages widespread settlement.

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Environmental Change
Australians refer to the harsh wilderness region of the central and western plains and plateaus as the outback. The Aborigines were the first humans to live in the outback. They learned over time how fragile their environment was and felt a sacred obligation to protect it.

Aborigines and the Land

The Aborigines were known for their rich oral traditions that preserved their religious beliefs and explained how their ancestors created the world. One of their oral traditions says that when humans were created, the ancestors gave them the responsibility for

taking care of the earth: Now we have done these things, you make sure they remain like this for all time. You must not change anything. Over countless generations, the Aborigines took this responsibility to heart. They handed down ancient knowledge from parent to child and left records of these and other stories on rock paintings and carvings. They learned to take from the land what they needed to survive without destroying their precious Earth.

European Land Use

The European settlers had a different view. They wanted to make the land produce something that could be sold for money. After the Australian gold rush in 1850, new immigrants and Australians swarmed out of the cities, eager to join the search. Today, gold, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, uranium, and lead are minerals mined in various locations throughout Australia. The area has large deposits of oil and natural gas. Many gold seekers stayed on in Australia to build farms and sheep ranches. Today, huge sheep and cattle ranches aka stations, make up most of the economic activity in the outback. Life on a station is difficult as Australias climate risks heat exhaustions and dehydration. Sheep or jumbucks are raised in the cooler plains regions. These are raised for their meat and Merinos sheep fine, curly wool, making Australia one of the world leaders in wool producing. Cattle are raised in the hotter areas and receive water through artesian wells Recently, Australia is one of the worlds leading producers of cattle due to its demand for beef and its climate and it has high standard of living.