Australia Is Huge. So Why Does Almost Nobody Live Here?

Australia is one of the world's largest countries — yet its population is overwhelmingly concentrated around a handful of coastal cities. So why is the middle of Australia so sparsely populated? In this episode of Why On Earth?, we look at the real forces shaping Australia's population map: water, climate, distance, infrastructure, history, the Great Artesian Basin, inland towns, agriculture and mining. This is not a story about an “empty” continent. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived across Australia for at least 65,000 years, and remote communities continue deep connections to Country today. Sources used for fact-checking: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Geoscience Australia Australian Government DCCEEW National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) #Australia #Geography #Outback #WhyOnEarth