Why 95% of Australia is Empty

Summary by Krater

This video examines why Australia is so sparsely populated, exploring geographic, climatic, historical, and geological factors that limit its human carrying capacity.

From the video

Answers: Why is Australia so sparsely populated?

• Australia population density
• Australian geography and climate
• Rainfall and drought in Australia
• History of Australian immigration
• Freshwater resources in Australia

What it concludes

• Australia's interior is largely empty due to a combination of geographic isolation, cold ocean currents, mountain ranges creating rain shadows, and subtropical high-pressure belts.
• Australia has an estimated 492 cubic kilometers of renewable fresh water resources, which is more than many countries with significantly higher populations.
• Only about 6 percent of Australia's land is arable and suitable for agriculture, but because the continent is so large, this represents a massive amount of farmland relative to its population.
• European colonization of Australia began in 1788 at Sydney with around 1,300 people, marking the start of a long period of low population growth compared to other continents.
• Australia's population growth was constrained for decades by immigration restrictions like the White Australia Policy, which was finally overturned in 1973.