The Australian federation, by comparison with many others, is in a fortunate position. It does not have to deal with a legacy of interregional hostilities arising from racial, religious or other cultural differences. Although economic development has not proceeded at a uniform pace in the different States and some of them are better endowed with economic resources than others, average real incomes and living standards do not exhibit extreme differences between one State or region and another. Despite its large area and comparatively small population, the various regions of Australia are economically interdependent and the population has a high degree of geographical mobility.