Diamond’s use of the term “have-not" comes in chapter 5. The term distinguishes between those societies that had the means to develop agriculture, and those that did not. The “have-not” regions typically are those that are either cut off geographically from the rest of the word, or have harsh climates, or both. Australia fits this description. Although Aboriginal Australians developed some technologies far in advance of other societies (such as boats), their society remained based on hunting and gathering for centuries, until large scale European colonization brought with it agriculture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Not only did the crops from nearby Indonesia not spread to Australia, the harsh desert climate made growing difficult and unproductive. In this sense, Australia is the greatest “have-not” region.
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