The south of the country receives most of its rain in winter and the north is wettest in summer. The single most important factor determining land use and rural production in Australia is the presence or absence of rainfall. Due to a lack of mountainous barriers, low plains and marked depressions in the interior, Australia's rainfall is abundant in some areas and virtually absent in others. The lack of rainfall in many areas has lead to extensive utilisation of ground water resources and the extensive development of dams, reservoirs, large tanks and other storage facilities. Population Australia's population at the last census in 1996 was 18,311,500.
Most people live in the capital cities and along the coast.
There are 6.2 million people in New South Wales with 3.879 million living in Sydney. The second most populated city in Australia is Melbourne with 3.3 million people and Brisbane with 1.5 million people is the third most populated capital city. Canberra, the Nation's Capital, has a relatively small population of 307,000. According to figures collected at the 1996 census, the Aboriginal population was 386,049. The Australian population is aging with the proportion of people aged 65 and over steadily increasing.