Urbanisation in the USA and Australia

Both the United States and Australia are very large countries that are highly urbanised. In
fact, both are among the world’s most urbanised nations. The United States and Australia
have some similarities and some differences in terms of how urbanised they are, as
revealed in Table 1 and Figure 1 below.

1. What percentage of people in the United States live in urban areas?

Over 80%

2. What is the difference between the percentage of people living in rural areas between the
USA and Australia?
9% more in Australia

3. Which country has more cities with a population of more than 1 million people?
USA

FIGURE 1 Population of the top 10 urban settlements in (a) the United States and (b)
Australia
 4. Compare the size of the 10 largest cities in the United States and in Australia.
a. What is the largest city in the United States, and what is its approximate population?
New York is the largest city in the USA and its approximate population is 8.3 million.

b. Which is larger - San Jose or Adelaide?

Adelaide

c. Which is smaller - Sydney or Los Angeles?

Sydney

5. Explain, in your own words, the causes of urbanisation in the United States and Australia.
In the USA and Australia, there are a lot of immigrants immigrating into the major cities for jobs,
education and services

Migration within Australia

In the United States, it is common for

young people to leave home and travel to
a university in another state or on the
opposite side of the country. This is less
common in Australia. People move for
many reasons. The average Australian
will live in 11 houses during their
lifetime—this means that many people
will live in more. You may move to live in
a larger house, or a smaller house as
your family size or income changes. On retirement you may want to live near the
mountains or the sea.
Forty per cent of Australians have changed the place where they live in the past five years
(see Table 1 above). Some have moved only within their suburb, but 6 per cent, or 1.2
million people, have moved from a different country.
The major movements of Australians since 1788 are shown in Figure 1(below). The Great
Australian Divide separates Australia into two regions, known as the Heartland and the
Frontier. The Heartland is home to about 19 million people who live in a modern,
urbanised, industrial state. The Frontier is a sparsely populated region of only about 3
million people who live in a place that is remote but rich in resources.

6. How many houses does an average Australian live in during their lifetime?
11

7. What are 2 possible changes, mentioned in the information above, for why you might move
house?
Some retired people may want to move near the mountains and people move houses as their
family size changes.

8. Using the information in Table 1, how many people changed suburb/state between 2006
and 2011?
5.2 million

9. What are 3 things identified in the legend of Figure 1?

- 19th century migration
- 20th century migration
- 21st century migration

10. What is the title of Figure 1?

Australia’s moving population.

11. What is the scale of Figure 1?

500km per 1.4 cm

12. What is the source of Figure 1?

Benard Sait, KPMG Demographic 2001.

13. What does FIFO stand for?

Fly-in, fly-out

14. How many people lived east of the Great Dividing Range in 2011?
19 million

15. What are the 2 places in Victoria shown on the map in Figure 1?
Melbourne and Dimboola

16. What are the 2 places in the Northern Territory shown on the map in Figure 1?
Darwin and Alice Springs

Watch this: Internal migration within Australia (3 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi5TU90qGLE

17. How many people left capital cities for regional areas last year?
43 000 people net

18. Did the population of Queensland increase or decrease in 2020? By how much?
Increase of 30,000 people

19. What definition is given for ‘net figure’?

The difference between arrivals and departures

20. Which state had the largest population decrease?

NSW

21. What were 3 things mentioned which change as a result of population increase or
decrease?
- The environment (eg. someone wants to move somewhere more sunny)
- Lockdowns
- House prices are too expensive in bigger cities

Extension
Watch the video below and reflect on the population change within Melbourne.

Watch this: Melbourne exodus (5 mins)

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fwgl4jY1eU

1. What was Melbourne on track to do before lockdowns/COVID-19 struck?

2. Between March and September 2020, how many people left Melbourne?

3. Why is this loss significant?

4. What typically helps Melbourne’s population to grow?

5. How does data in Melbourne compare to Brisbane and Sydney?

6. What is the population of Melbourne?

7. What age group of people are predominantly leaving Melbourne?

 8. Why is the loss of this age group significant?

vUrbanisation in the USA and Australia

Both the United States and Australia are very large countries that are highly urbanised. In
fact, both are among the world’s most urbanised nations. The United States and Australia
have some similarities and some differences in terms of how urbanised they are, as
revealed in Table 1 and Figure 1 below.

1. What percentage of people in the United States live in urban areas?

Over 80%

2. What is the difference between the percentage of people living in rural areas between the
USA and Australia?
9% more in Australia

3. Which country has more cities with a population of more than 1 million people?
USA

FIGURE 1 Population of the top 10 urban settlements in (a) the United States and (b)
Australia
 4. Compare the size of the 10 largest cities in the United States and in Australia.
a. What is the largest city in the United States, and what is its approximate population?
New York is the largest city in the USA and its approximate population is 8.3 million.

b. Which is larger - San Jose or Adelaide?

Adelaide

c. Which is smaller - Sydney or Los Angeles?

Sydney

5. Explain, in your own words, the causes of urbanisation in the United States and Australia.
In the USA and Australia, there are a lot of immigrants immigrating into the major cities for jobs,
education and services

Migration within Australia

In the United States, it is common for

young people to leave home and travel to
a university in another state or on the
opposite side of the country. This is less
common in Australia. People move for
many reasons. The average Australian
will live in 11 houses during their
lifetime—this means that many people
will live in more. You may move to live in
a larger house, or a smaller house as
your family size or income changes. On retirement you may want to live near the
mountains or the sea.
Forty per cent of Australians have changed the place where they live in the past five years
(see Table 1 above). Some have moved only within their suburb, but 6 per cent, or 1.2
million people, have moved from a different country.
The major movements of Australians since 1788 are shown in Figure 1(below). The Great
Australian Divide separates Australia into two regions, known as the Heartland and the
Frontier. The Heartland is home to about 19 million people who live in a modern,
urbanised, industrial state. The Frontier is a sparsely populated region of only about 3
million people who live in a place that is remote but rich in resources.

6. How many houses does an average Australian live in during their lifetime?
11

7. What are 2 possible changes, mentioned in the information above, for why you might move
house?
Some retired people may want to move near the mountains and people move houses as their
family size changes.
 8. Using the information in Table 1, how many people changed suburb/state between 2006
and 2011?
5.2 million

9. What are 3 things identified in the legend of Figure 1?

- 19th century migration
- 20th century migration
- 21st century migration

10. What is the title of Figure 1?

Australia’s moving population.

11. What is the scale of Figure 1?

500km per 1.4 cm

12. What is the source of Figure 1?

Benard Sait, KPMG Demographic 2001.

13. What does FIFO stand for?

Fly-in, fly-out

14. How many people lived east of the Great Dividing Range in 2011?
19 million

15. What are the 2 places in Victoria shown on the map in Figure 1?
Melbourne and Dimboola

16. What are the 2 places in the Northern Territory shown on the map in Figure 1?
Darwin and Alice Springs

Watch this: Internal migration within Australia (3 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi5TU90qGLE

17. How many people left capital cities for regional areas last year?
43 000 people net

18. Did the population of Queensland increase or decrease in 2020? By how much?
Increase of 30,000 people
 19. What definition is given for ‘net figure’?
The difference between arrivals and departures

20. Which state had the largest population decrease?

NSW

21. What were 3 things mentioned which change as a result of population increase or
decrease?
- The environment (eg. someone wants to move somewhere more sunny)
- Lockdowns
- House prices are too expensive in bigger cities

Extension
Watch the video below and reflect on the population change within Melbourne.

Watch this: Melbourne exodus (5 mins)

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fwgl4jY1eU

1. What was Melbourne on track to do before lockdowns/COVID-19 struck?

2. Between March and September 2020, how many people left Melbourne?

3. Why is this loss significant?

4. What typically helps Melbourne’s population to grow?

5. How does data in Melbourne compare to Brisbane and Sydney?

6. What is the population of Melbourne?

7. What age group of people are predominantly leaving Melbourne?

8. Why is the loss of this age group significant?