How many people live on the whole contenent of Australia?

The population of Australia is about 20.5 million people but there are vast areas of the country which is basically uninhabited by people, simply due to the nature of the land. We have a very dry continent in fact and large areas in central Australia have not seen any rain for a considerable number of years. The greatest percentage (about 80%) of the population live on the coastal regions of Australia, which is not good. It means that the services we expect here in Australia are stretched to the limit and housing has become way too expensive for many people. Also there have to be jobs for people and what can now be build along the coastal areas is limited because of concerns to the environment etc.

Well, actually it’s 20,752,752 and me, but I haven’t yet been classified as a mammal, because my mother had so much respect for the English language. How fussy can you get?