“NATURE VERSUS THE AUSTRALIAN. 
———————— —. 
The “heat equator” must be drawn through Wyndham, Darwin, 
and Thursday Island, for these places are much hotter than any to the 
north or south. We are unable, therefore, to say that tropical Aus- 
tralia is cooler than other sim‘larly placed regions, with the possible 
exception of North Africa. (The current temperature maps have 
fostered the error by recording temperature reduced to sea-level instead 
- of the actual temperatures of the places concerned. Consider what this 
means for regions like Mexico.) 
Heat as such is not of paramount importance, provided it be dry 
heat. In this respect Australia is fortunate in her arid interior, for 
the humidity is never very high except in the coastlands. Throughout 
— SCALE OF RAINFALL VALUES.— 
eet Re syn ce 1S 
O 
KX 
FIG. C. 
Economic.regions of Australia based on variations in the amount, season, 
; uniformity, and reliability of the Rainfall. (For regions-see Text.) 
the summer months only the region north of a line through Broome, 
- Daly Waters, and Rockhampton has a high humidity. It is very hot 
' inland, certainly, with many days in succession over 90 degrees, The 
human organism can bear this without much discomfort or loss of 
health, provided the air be dry—but it is otherwise with plant life. 
Hence, from a hygienic point of view, a low rainfall is desirable in our 
tropics, but from an economic point of view this is disastrous. 
We shall do well to consider the incidence of the rainfall at this 
stage, for this element is the controlling factor over almost the whole 
(CUEREEE Scho "Ojo 
