Another Aussie Map

[BobH]

Aussie Population Map.jpg

I've long known that much of Australia is a desert, but I was not aware that population was distributed as the map shows. This led me to compare Texas to Australia. Oz has 24,490,000 people (according to an Internet population clock as of today) vs 25,145,500 in Texas (from 2010 Census data) and 7,692,000 square miles - 3.18 people/square mile - vs. 268,581 - 9.12 people/square mile(not comparable at all). Much of West Texas is desert or very dry high plains and is sparsely populated as is most of central Australia.

What struck me most was the nearly identical population and the ~1:3 population density . . . and I always thought of Texas as having wide open spaces!

Pay no attention to the Airedale looking West and the cat looking Southeast.

[John Gray]

For me, that is a rather unsatisfactory map: either a location is populated, or it isn't.
What happened around Darwin? Is it really that concentrated?

[Rudi]

...and here I thought we were gonna talk about dogs and cats again.

PS: Is quite a study you put together there Bob; with all that area and population stats and comparisons.

[BobH]

For me, that is a rather unsatisfactory map: either a location is populated, or it isn't.
What happened around Darwin? Is it really that concentrated?

Sorry, John.

I should have stated that the map demonstrates that 98% of Australia's population is in those areas highlighted. I didn't mean that other areas are not populated, just that the geographic concentration is as shown.

mea culpa

[John Gray]

Ah, OK - I was hoping for a gradated map showing concentration of inhabitants per square <whatever>, darker for the higher concentrations! I'm sure there must be one somewhere!

[BobH]

A bit more I discovered about Australia.

Its latitude spans from 10° 41' 21" S at Cape York, Queensland, to 43° 38' 40" S Southeast Cape, Tasmania, spanning ~ 33° latitude.

Sticking with my comparison to Texas whose latitude spans from 25° 50' N to 6° 30' N spanning ~11° latitude.

Oz is closer to the Equator by ~15°, closer to a pole by ~9° latitude; so one would expect its climate to be both warmer and colder than that of Texas. I suspect that broad generalization is far from accurate; so I looked at average temperatures.

Choosing Hobart, Tasmania as being a representative of a Southern (cooler) Australian city comparable to Amarillo as a representative Northern (cooler) city, I found the data below. I apologize for the comparisons not being directly related but close enough for a general idea, I think. And, don't forget that January in the Southern Hemisphere is roughly equivalent to July in the Northern Hemisphere:
Hobart statistics . . .

Hobart Averages.GIF

Amarillo statistics (in Celsius for comparability) . . .

Amarillo weather.GIF

I was surprised that Amarillo seems to be a bit colder in Winter. That Amarillo is hotter in Summer is probably due to the influence of the ocean on Tasmania.

I'll make another post with the Darwin-Brownsville statistics as I'm limited to 3 graphics per post.

[BobH]

Similarly, choosing Darwin as a representative warmer city and Brownsville as its counterpart, I found the data below.
Darwin statistics . . .

Darwin weather.GIF

Brownsville statistics . . .

Brownsville weather.GIF

No real surprises here, I think, given Darwin's closer proximity to the Equator except that Darwin seems to be a bit more moderate in Summer. Both are coastal cities.

I started this little investigation because I've been watching some Aussie TV by streaming video. I couldn't quite get a feel for the environment; so I checked maps to see if Australia is climatically similar to Texas. Given that Australia covers more latitude, I expected differences. Given, too, that both are mostly temperate areas, I expected some similarities. It has been an interesting exercise.

Perhaps one day before meeting the Grim Reaper I will satisfy a life-long yen to see Down Under.

[PJ_in_FL]

Initial assumptions - what a messy thing - need to be accurate for everything else after it to be valid.

Just saying, with a population of 25,145,500 over 268,581 sq.mi. the population density of Texas is actually 93.62 persons/Sq.Mi., not 9.12. So a ratio of 1:30 is more accurate comparing Australia with Texas.

Better get a new calculator.

[PJ_in_FL]

But wait, there's more!

Australia's area is 2,969,907 square miles, not 7,692,000. That's the area in square KILOMETERS. So let's run the numbers again:

Australia: 24,489,400 people over 2,969,907 square miles = 8.24 people per square mile

Texas: 27,862,596 people over 268,581 square miles = 103.72 people per square mile

Population density of Australia to Texas is 1:12.58

Data courtesy of Wikipedia, calculations courtesy of Excel.

[jstevens]

PJ,

How do the stats compare for and per person?

[AlanMiller]

For me, that is a rather unsatisfactory map: either a location is populated, or it isn't.
What happened around Darwin? Is it really that concentrated?

Darwin is like an island population in an ocean of virtually nothing. So yes, it IS really that concentrated.

Alan

[AlanMiller]

Looking at the "standard" map of the world can easily give misimpressions. Many Aussies (of the 80s) returned very disappointed from the Greek Islands, the "summer sun & fun" playground of the Europeans. Instead of the expected palm trees of the tropical pacific, they experienced a climate much like that of Melbourne.

As a first guide, I use lines of latitude, especially relative to the tropics, to get into the right ballpark.

Alan

[viking33]

Looking at the "standard" map of the world can easily give misimpressions. Many Aussies (of the 80s) returned very disappointed from the Greek Islands, the "summer sun & fun" playground of the Europeans. Instead of the expected palm trees of the tropical pacific, they experienced a climate much like that of Melbourne.

As a first guide, I use lines of latitude, especially relative to the tropics, to get into the right ballpark.

Alan

Now that's an Engineer talking!

[BobH]

Sorry for the sloppiness of my posts and my calculations. I guess I need to return to 5th grade and learn how to do ratios again.

Senior moments or brain fahrts?

[ChrisGreaves]

I've long known that much of Australia is a desert, but I was not aware that population was distributed as the map shows. This led me to compare Texas to Australia. ...

Hi Bob.
I see that someone has already pointed out that Texas is quite a small state

I tell people that for a first approximation, draw a line through San Diego due east to somewhere in South Carolina, then flip the USA around that line as an axis.

San Diego is congruent to Perth in all major aspects (latitude, climate, Spanish background, vegetation, coastal plain with a river running through it, large natural park within a mile of downtown, 60 miles N-S, 30 miles E-W, ...)
But from Perth it gets hotter as you go North, whereas from San Diego it gets cooler as you go North!

Cheers
Chris

[RonH]

This thread must be what URANIUM does to ones brain Bob

[ChrisGreaves]

This thread must be what URANIUM does to ones brain Bob

Perhaps someone could draw Bob's attention to some vacation Hot-Spots ...

900px-Australia_location_map.svg.png

[BobH]

This thread must be what URANIUM does to ones brain Bob

Yes, that and 7 and a half decades of wear and tear!

[RonH]

7 and a half Bob... same as me. Looking at the map from Chris, it should be easy for me to get URANIUM when I go to Oz later this year for our holidays.

[BobH]

Safe travels, Ron!

Keep us posted!