 what's the meaning "if only" here?
Dear teachers,
the next is one paragraph extracted from one article titled The English Countryside. please read it.
Most Englishmen, if only because of the natural formation of their island, are essentially more at home in the lowlands than on the heights. The popular idea of an English village is of one in a valley, where it can be overlooked from the hills, clustered about its ancient church; and similarly, the general conception of a farm in this country is of a more or less commodious homestead in a valley, sheltered by ample trees, with broad fields like open hands stretched out to receive the sun, and a river flowing not far away.
what's the meaning "if only" here? I look it up in the dictionary, the example sentence is " If they had only come earlier!" but I don't think "if only" in the paragraph above has the same meaning as it has in the example sentence.
what does "if only " mean in the text?
what does "be of " mean here?
would you please explain/paraphrase it?
thanks a lot | 
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