Book Summary The population of Australia is relatively young compared other developed nations. During the twenties century, Australia’s population grew rapidly, mainly as a result of the immigration of young people from other countries. Australia’s large number of young people is the reason why many people in the country have a youthful outlook on life. All the major settlements in Australia are coastal cities. The country cannot support large numbers of people because it is mainly hot, arid desert that most people find to harsh of an environment to live in. Nine out of every ten Australians live in cities or urban areas. This is more than in most other countries. Australia’s history dates back to when Indigenous Australians arrived on the continent from Asia. The Indigenous Australians settled across most of the continent, including in the interior. They developed a way of life that allowed them to cope with the harsh environment. Indigenous Australians lived in groups, and, for thousands of years, their way of life continued without interruption from the outside world. During this time, the climate gradually became drier, wetter, and then drier again. The Indigenous Australian shrank or grew as the climate changed. Australia is one of the oldest landmasses on Earth. Parts of its western area, called the Australian Craton, are 3.8 billion years old. Its eastern area, the Tasman Fold Belt, is younger, at 250 to 500 million years old. The whole continent is slowly drifting northward, at just 2.2 inches a year. Lying beneath about 20 percent of Australia is one of the world’s largest groundwater stores, the Great Artesian Basin. The Outback of eastern Australia depends on the Basin for its water supplies. Australia is about the same size as the mainland of the United States, the country has only about 20 million people, compared to the 290 million people living the United States. This means that Australians live surrounded by plenty of open space. But many parts of the country are not suitable for people to live in. Lack of water and other resources, together with