The solution for Australia is much simpler. Although the interior is large, it's almost uninhabited. The vast majority of Australians live on the eastern and south-eastern seaboard, dominated by one large river system (the Murray-Darling). There's plenty of room - 25 000 km of coastline (we use about half of it), for 25 million people. Apart from small island states, we are probably the most coastal nation of any significance.
I am very skeptical of cold winters theory but I also think the question of African underdevelopment cannot be completely explained by geography and climate.
- Africa does have many river systems, e.g. the Niger or Congo. Sure there's not many coastal inlets but this is similar to China
- Southern China and India are also hot climates
- China was highly isolated from the rest of the world, much more than (east) Africa was, which had been in contact with the middle east for millenia.
- It's a mystery why if farming developed in West Africa and the Americas at about the same time, that the American civilisations produced things like Tenochtitlan, which as far as I can see was not equalled in West Africa.
I've never been able to find any combination of factors that was present in Africa but not elsewhere in the world which did develop more.
I don’t think you read the points made properly. I explained in detail why agriculture arose late in Africa. Read how animals adapted to humans. Animals in the Americas were not adapted to humans at all which is why most large game got slaughtered and South America got very few domesticated animals.
The Congo and Niger rivers are nothing like the great rivers that powered early agriculture powerhouses. Climate is totally different. Same with the landscape. Not remotely suitable for agriculture in the same way or even to live. Massive problems with tropical diseases.
The conditions of Tenochititlan is totally different from Africa. You cannot compare them. That is highlands making temperature almost European. Due to volcanoes it has extremely fertile soil. They say probably the best in the world. The mountains gave rivers and lakes for irrigation.
To suggest the conditions of Africa somehow have been similar elsewhere suggests a very superficial comparison. Only scratch a little below the surface and you see vast differences.
The solution for Australia is much simpler. Although the interior is large, it's almost uninhabited. The vast majority of Australians live on the eastern and south-eastern seaboard, dominated by one large river system (the Murray-Darling). There's plenty of room - 25 000 km of coastline (we use about half of it), for 25 million people. Apart from small island states, we are probably the most coastal nation of any significance.
Wonderful and thought provoking summary!
I am very skeptical of cold winters theory but I also think the question of African underdevelopment cannot be completely explained by geography and climate.
- Africa does have many river systems, e.g. the Niger or Congo. Sure there's not many coastal inlets but this is similar to China
- Southern China and India are also hot climates
- China was highly isolated from the rest of the world, much more than (east) Africa was, which had been in contact with the middle east for millenia.
- It's a mystery why if farming developed in West Africa and the Americas at about the same time, that the American civilisations produced things like Tenochtitlan, which as far as I can see was not equalled in West Africa.
I've never been able to find any combination of factors that was present in Africa but not elsewhere in the world which did develop more.
I don’t think you read the points made properly. I explained in detail why agriculture arose late in Africa. Read how animals adapted to humans. Animals in the Americas were not adapted to humans at all which is why most large game got slaughtered and South America got very few domesticated animals.
The Congo and Niger rivers are nothing like the great rivers that powered early agriculture powerhouses. Climate is totally different. Same with the landscape. Not remotely suitable for agriculture in the same way or even to live. Massive problems with tropical diseases.
The conditions of Tenochititlan is totally different from Africa. You cannot compare them. That is highlands making temperature almost European. Due to volcanoes it has extremely fertile soil. They say probably the best in the world. The mountains gave rivers and lakes for irrigation.
To suggest the conditions of Africa somehow have been similar elsewhere suggests a very superficial comparison. Only scratch a little below the surface and you see vast differences.