Australia is one of the oldest pieces of land on our planet, and its age reflects on the low level of soil fertility and vast amount of desert throughout the country. Because of this great age, Australia has a diverse range of habitats and is considered a magadiverse country. Considering its size, its population of 21,450,000 is an indication of the harsh environment which shrouds most of this mammoth landmass. The ratio of area:population gives an average of 360,000m² of land per person, to put that into perspective compare it to the United States’ 32000m² and UK’s measly 4000m². Coastal regions are the most populous, focused mostly in the south east but also in the far south and west, leaving the inland areas and much of the north a baron landscape.
It is believed that Australia was first inhabited between 42,000 and 48,000 years ago, possibly by the ancestors of the current Indigenous Australians. In the 17th century Dutch explorers recorded sightings of the western and northern coastlines, and in 1707 James Cook mapped the east coast and named it New South Wales, which he claimed for the British. It wasn’t until 1788 that settlement was attempted by Europeans, which was set up in Port Jackson in New South Wales by Captain Arthur Phillip on the 26th January. That date is now celebrated as Australia day.
Places I visited:
