Among the six giant countries in the world, Canada and the United States can actually have more mountains, especially in an east-west direction.
But the country that lacks mountains the most is undoubtedly Australia.
On satellite maps, it can be seen that the surface of Kangaroo Country is desolate, in stark contrast to the lush greenery of Indonesia and New Zealand.
Australia monopolizes a vast continent with an area of 7.69 million Km ²， And the United States mainland (9.37 million Km ²- Alaska enclave 1.73 million km ²） Almost the same size!
The area of Kangaroo Country is approximately equal to the United States mainland (excluding Alaska enclaves). Generally, maps exaggerate the size of the North and South polar regions, while Kangaroo Country is located at low latitudes and its actual area is larger than the visual map.
Australia's latitude is relatively low, but according to the climate zone, it is not entirely tropical. The tropical range north of the Tropic of Cancer accounts for about one-third, and the subtropical range south accounts for two-thirds, which is more reasonable than India (most of which is within the Tropic of Cancer).
In addition to area, the geographical pattern of Australia and the United States is also somewhat similar, with a mountain range in the east, a large plain in the middle, and a mountainous plateau in the west.
The Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States are 3200km long, 130-560km wide, and have an altitude of 1000-1500m; The Great Divide in Eastern Australia is approximately 3000km long, 160-320km wide, with an altitude of 800-1000m. The two mountains are equally sized.
The Central United States has a vast Central Plains with a total area of over 1.5 million kilometers ²， Australia has the "Great Artesian Basin", which is called differently, but the Great Plains is no different.
The area of the large artesian basin has reached over 1.7 million km ²， The vast majority of them are plain terrain, infinitely close to the United States.
Such a huge country with a similar terrain pattern and a warmer climate, why is the population of the United States approximately 332 million, while Australia only has a population of 25.98 million, less than a fraction of the United States?!
There are many historical reasons here, including different starting points, development stages, and industries.
But from a natural geographical perspective, the fundamental reason is that Australia's climate is not livable.
Most of the land is desert, similar to the Sahara Desert, Arabian Desert and other places on satellite maps, lacking greenery and vitality. Some grassland areas also have fragile and weak environments, which can easily deteriorate and become irreparable if forcibly developed.
The reason why Australia has such a dry climate is not only due to latitude, but also mainly due to the lack of high mountains. The United States is transparent from north to south, while Australia is transparent from east, west, north to south. Ocean currents pass through and cannot retain water.
In the western United States, there are towering mountains such as the Rocky Mountains and Nevada Mountains, many of which are over 4000 meters high. The thermal difference between land and sea is like a high-power water pump, attracting sea winds and carrying water vapor. The mountains are high enough to intercept water vapor, form precipitation, converge into rivers, nourish vast plains, and create a world granary.
Most of the western plateau in Australia has an altitude of 200-500 meters and is very flat, unable to trap water vapor, making the central and western plains very dry; The location of the Murray Darling River is similar to that of the Mississippi River in the United States, but the hydrological conditions are vastly different, even frequently interrupted.
The Mississippi River connects the central United States mainland, with a drainage area of approximately 3.2 million kilometers ²， The Murray Darling River only has water from the right side of the Great Divide, and there is no water flow to the west.
Assuming that the western plateau of Australia can reach an altitude of three to four kilometers, there will be a fundamental improvement in the climate of the eastern and central regions, with a significant increase in livable land area, which should be able to support a population of three to five billion and develop relatively well.
In this way, with so many mineral resources, it will become a country with high-quality land and a first-class ranking between China and the United States. Or as many people have imagined, if Australia maintains such terrain and latitude is 10-15 ° higher, the climate will also undergo fundamental changes.
The only larger mountain watershed in Australia is not a place (as shown in Figure 1), directly connected to the seaside without leaving any empty space. In the picture, the largest city can be seen delicately adjacent to the mountains, with a narrow plain.
Even if the Great Divide grows a bit further west, like the Appalachian Mountains in the United States, leaving more plains along the eastern coast as development space can still be much better than the current geographical conditions.
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