Why "Nobody" Lives On Australia's Big Island State: Tasmania

Intro Australia is a huge country by size with a pretty small population overall and because Australia is overwhelmingly dominant in the region it's often forgotten that it also owns the 26th largest island in the world Tasmania an island that is almost the exact same size as Sri Lanka but unlike Sri Lanka which is home to over 20 million people Tasmania only has about 570,000 people or 2% of Australia's total population so why don't more people live on a Australia's Big Empty Island we're heading down under for today's episode but while it might be easy to look at the general population distribution of Australia at large and that might become a future episode someday I became fascinated with Tasmania and why more people don't live there specifically given Australia's increasingly severe wildfires and warming temperatures overall it's quite surprising that more people don't opt for tasmania's relatively cooler temperatures but of course as usual there's a geographic reason for this but first because today's video is all about Australia Hunter and I finally had to get to our episode all about the insane geography of invasive species Australia in particular has suffered greatly at the hands of Critters that were simply never supposed to be there you can listen to the podcast Episode by clicking this link or by checking out the description History [Music] below Australia is known mostly as an anglosphere country due to its colonization by the British Empire in the late 1700s but people have existed in Australia for far longer the Aboriginal peoples of Australia have what is considered to be the world's oldest continuous culture with evidence suggesting their presence in the region for at least 65,000 years these indigenous communities thrived across the diverse Landscapes of Australia from the coastal regions to the Arid interior developing Rich cultures languages and deep connections to the land but as we see around the world during this time colonization would change their lives completely the first major change to Australia's landscape came with the arrival of European settlers in 1788 the British established a penal colony in what would become the state of New South Wales marking the beginning of a new era the colonization brought profound changes including the introduction of new invasive animals and plants the spread of diseases to which indigenous populations had no immunity and the start of a long painful history of displacement and conflict between the British Empire and the Aber Originals much in the same way Africa North America and South America were Australia's development was marked by the expansion of European settlements the discovery of gold and development of agricultural Industries with which Goods could then be shipped back to England the Gold Rush of the 1850s in particular brought a surge in population and wealth transforming the social and economic landscape in 1901 Australia officially Federated uniting the colonies into a single Commonwealth but while Australia became a mostly independent Federated country in 1901 making its own laws and governing itself it would actually take until 1986 for Australia to truly break free from the United Kingdom this would formally seed any and all control the United Kingdom had over the entirety of Australia which included the island of Tasmania in a weird way the history of Tasmania formerly known as van Demon's land mirrors and magnifies the broader Australian narrative initially used as a penal colony in the early 1800s Tasmania saw an intense conflict between the Europe settlers and the Aboriginal populations of the island the black war between 1824 and 1831 a tragic and violent period led to the near complete destruction of tasmania's indigenous population after the war Tasmania developed into an agricultural and Mining Center the discovery of tin and copper led to economic growth while the Island's natural beauty and unique Wildlife began attracting tourist in the 1900s tasmania's economy Diversified into sectors like manufacturing and services with a growing emphasis on Environmental Conservation given its vast quantities of temperate rainforests Tasmania is a microcosm of Australia everything that happened on the mainland happened in Tasmania as well but one thing that is very different is the geography attached to this stunning Island but before we explore tasmania's physical geography if you're enjoying this video hit that subscribe button more fun geography videos are just a single click [Music] Physical Geography away Tasmania Australia's smallest state is an island of unique physical geography distinct in many ways from the mainland's landscape situated about 200 Mi south of the Australian Mainland and separated by the bass straight Tasmania is well known for its rugged Beauty extensive Wilderness areas and diverse ecosystems and it must be pointed out that despite being Australia's smallest state the island itself is still quite large all told Tasmania is the 26th largest island in the world nearly the same size as s Lanka and larger than the US state of Florida both of which have many millions more people than Tasmania the Island's terrain is predominantly mountainous a stark contrast to much of Mainland Australia's flatter landscape overall the Central and western parts of Tasmania are dominated by the central Highlands in the rugged West Coast Range this mountainous terrain is a part of the Tasmanian wilderness world heritage area known for its ancient temperate rainforest and Alpine areas the highest peak is Mount Osa reaching 5,300 5 ft that said mount Osa is not Australia's tallest mountain rather Mount Kosco in New South Wales is reaching 7,310 ft still quite small in terms of global mountain peak height due to its mountainous terrain most of tasmania's population is located near the coast but even the Island's coastline is markedly different from much of Mainland Australia while the mainland boasts long sandy beaches and large open Bays tasmania's Coast is characterized by steep Cliffs secluded Coes and small often rugged beaches this is especially evident in the famous tasmin Peninsula home to the dramatic Sea Cliffs of tasmin National Park the climate of Tasmania is another point of Distinction unlike the mainland's predominantly arid and semiarid climates Tasmania experiences a temperate maritime climate this results in cooler temperatures higher rainfall and a far Greener landscape compared to much of Australia the west coast of Tasmania is particularly noted for its high rainfall fostering Lush rainfor for while the east coast is relatively drier and sunnier home to the Island's agricultural regions finally in terms of ecology Tasmania is renowned for its unique flora and fauna the Island's isolation from the mainland has allowed for the evolution of distinctive species such as the famous Tasmanian Devil the cool temperate rainforests are home to Unique tree species like the huan pine some of which are among the oldest living trees in the world despite the greenery cooler climates and Lush vegetation however Tasmania exists as something of a an afterthought in terms of Australian migration very few Australians have decided to make Tasmania their [Music] home Tasmania despite its natural beauty and unique environment has a significantly lower population compared to Mainland Australia in fact the single city of Melbourne located just 200 Mi north of the island has a population nearly nine times the size of the entirety of the state of Tasmania which begs the question if Tasmania is such a l Paradise why don't more people live there as with population migration around the world economic opportunities play a crucial role in determining where people choose to live in this way Tasmania and Australia are not all that different from say the United States or Canada cities like Melbourne and Sydney are economic powerhouses of Australia offering a wide range of job opportunities Tasmania on the other hand has a more limited economic base historically reliant on resource intensive Industries like Mining and agriculture Tasmania has yet to to experience the same level of industrial or technological development as Mainland cities this limitation has influenced migration patterns with many seeking employment opportunities gravitating towards the mainland secondly the climate and geographic isolation of Tasmania is a huge deterrent for attracting people tasmania's cooler wetter climate contrasts sharply with the warmer sunnier conditions found in much of Mainland Australia while this kind of climate can be appealing to some especially during an age of a warming Earth overall this kind of weather has historically been far less attractive to those who have the option to live somewhere warmer and being an island separated from the mainland by the bass straight Tasmania is more isolated affecting the ease of Travel and Transport and while the island is only 200 mil south of Melbourne tasmania's largest city Hobart is on the far southern side of the island making the largest population Center even more isolated than the island itself this isolation can be a significant consideration for individuals and businesses alike finally education and infrastructure also play A Part major cities like Melbourne and Sydney are home to some of Australia's top universities and cultural institutions drawing students and academics from around the world tasmania's educational offerings while growing are not as extensive and in terms of infrastructure while Tasmania has seen significant improvements it still lags behind the larger cities in areas like transportation and Healthcare facilities all of these things play their role in The crucial decision for where people decide to live today the largest metropolitan regions Australia are led by Sydney with 5.3 million people Melbourne with 5 million and Brisbane with 2.6 million even Perth often considered to be the most isolated major city in the world is home to 2.2 million Australians all of which are far larger than tasmania's largest city Hobart which has just 253,000 people but while everything in this segment contributes reasons to why so few people live in Tasmania certainly one of the big reasons is its physical geographic location in one of the windiest regions of the world Climate [Music] World The Roaring 40s are a notable feature of the Earth's atmospheric circulation characterized by strong Westerly winds found in the southern hemisphere roughly between the latitudes of 40 and 50° South these winds are especially significant for Tasmania profoundly influencing its climate environment and even Lifestyle the Roaring 40s are created by the temperature contrast between the Equator and the poles and are intensified by Earth's rotation the absence of significant land masses at these latitudes in the southern hemisphere allows these winds to travel across the ocean with little Interruption gaining both speed and moisture as a result Tasmania situated at the edge of these latitudes experiences the full force of these winds in terms of climate The Roaring 40s brings cool moist air to Tasmania contributing to its temperate maritime climate this results in relatively consistent rainfall throughout the year particularly on the western side of the island where the winds first make landfall the high levels of precipitation support the Island's Lush rainforest and have a significant impact on agricultural practices favoring crops and livestock suited to cooler wetter conditions the strength and consistency of the Roaring 40s have also shaped tasmania's landscape the western coast facing the brunt of these winds is characterized by rugged dramatic scenery with steep Cliffs and large waves this has not only created a unique natural environment but also poses challenges to navigation and settlement along the coast but it's not all bad due to strong winds The Roaring 40s have been harnessed for renewable energy in Tasmania the state has an ideal location for wind farms and these winds play a crucial role in tasmania's efforts to produce sustainable energy in fact as of early 2023 Tasmania became the first Australian state to become 100% powered by renewable energy this unique Geographic benefit makes Tasmania uniquely suited towards a future with green energy and could prove to be a population driver in the years to come Tasmania is often ignored on the world stage and even in Australia proper but the small island state is quite unique and offers a climate that in a warming world is quite enticing but unless something dramatic happens on the mainland Tasmania will likely continue to be Australia's smallest state for a long time I hope you enjoyed learning more about Australia and Tasmania if you did please subscribe to my channel if you want to learn more about the geography of invasive species click here if you want to watch more of my videos click here thanks for watching see you next time