Tasmania
Tasmania (/tæzˈmeɪniə/; Palawa kani: lutruwita[14]) is an island state of Australia.[15] It is located 240 kilometres (150 miles) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated from it by the Bass Strait, with the archipelago containing the southernmost point of the country. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 1000 islands.[16] It is Australia's least populous state, with 569,825 residents as of December 2021. The state capital and largest city is Hobart, with around 40 percent of the population living in the Greater Hobart area.[17] Tasmania is the most decentralised state in Australia, with the lowest proportion of its residents living within its capital city.[18]
Not to be confused with Tanzania or Tasmannia.
Tasmania
Australia
1 January 1901
12 senators (of 76)
5 seats (of 151)
68,402 km2 (26,410 sq mi) (7th)
1,617 m (5,305 ft)
8.9/km2 (23.1/sq mi) (4th)
2020 estimate
AU$59,779 (7th)
Yellow wattlebird (unofficial)
(Anthochaera paradoxa)[9]
Tasmanian blue gum
(Eucalyptus globulus)[10]
Tasmanian devil
(Sarcophilus harrisii)[8]
Leatherwood (unofficial)
(Eucryphia lucida)[11]
Bottle Green (PMS 342), Yellow (PMS 114), & Maroon (PMS 194)[12]
Tasmania's main island was inhabited by Aboriginal peoples.[19] It is thought that Aboriginal Tasmanians became separated from the mainland Aboriginal groups about 11,700 years ago, after rising sea levels formed Bass Strait.[20] The island was permanently settled by Europeans in 1803 as a penal settlement of the British Empire to prevent claims to the land by the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars.[21] The Aboriginal population is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 7,000 at the time of British settlement, but was almost wiped out within 30 years during a period of conflicts with settlers known as the "Black War" and the spread of infectious diseases. The conflict, which peaked between 1825 and 1831 and led to more than three years of martial law, cost the lives of almost 1,100 Aboriginal people and settlers.
Under British rule the island was initially part of the Colony of New South Wales but became a separate colony under the name Van Diemen's Land (named after Anthony van Diemen) in 1825.[22] Approximately 80,000 convicts were sent to Van Diemen's Land before this practice, known as transportation, ceased in 1853.[23] In 1855 the present Constitution of Tasmania was enacted, and the following year the colony formally changed its name to Tasmania. In 1901 it became a state of Australia through the process of the federation of Australia.
Today, Tasmania has the smallest economy of the Australian states and territories, and comprises principally tourism, agriculture and aquaculture, education and healthcare.[24] Tasmania is a significant agricultural exporter, as well as a significant destination for eco-tourism. About 42 percent of its land area, including national parks and World Heritage Sites (21%) is protected in some form of reserve.[25] The first environmental political party in the world was founded in Tasmania.[26]
Tasmania is named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who made the first reported European sighting of the island on 24 November 1642. Tasman named the island Anthony van Diemen's Land after his sponsor Anthony van Diemen, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies. The name was later shortened to Van Diemen's Land by the British. It was officially renamed Tasmania in honour of its first European discoverer on 1 January 1856.[27]
Tasmania was sometimes referred to as "Dervon", as mentioned in the Jerilderie Letter written by the notorious Australian bushranger Ned Kelly in 1879. The colloquial expression for the state is "Tassie". Tasmania is also colloquially shortened to "Tas", mainly when used in business names and website addresses. TAS is also the Australia Post abbreviation for the state.
In the reconstructed Palawa kani language, the main island of Tasmania is called lutruwita,[28] a name originally derived from the Bruny Island Tasmanian language. George Augustus Robinson recorded it as Loe.trou.witter and also as Trow.wer.nar, probably from one or more of the eastern or Northeastern Tasmanian languages. However, he also recorded it as a name for Cape Barren Island. In the 20th century, some writers used it as an Aboriginal name for Tasmania, spelled "Trowenna" or "Trowunna". It is now believed that the name is more properly applied to Cape Barren Island,[28] which has had an official dual name of "Truwana" since 2014.[29]
A number of Palawa kani names, based on historical records of aboriginal names, have been accepted by the Tasmanian government. A dozen of these (below) are 'dual-use' (bilingual) names, and another two are unbounded areas with only Palawa names.[30]
There are also a number of archaeological sites with Palawa names. Some of these names have been contentious, with names being proposed without consultation with the aboriginal community, or without having a connection to the place in question.[31]
As well as a diverse First Nations geography, where remnants are preserved in rough form by European documentation, Tasmania is known as a place for unorthodox place-names.[32] These names often come about from lost definitions, where descriptive names have lost their old meanings and have taken on new modern interpretations (e.g. 'Bobs Knobs'). Other names have retained their original meaning, and are often quaint or endearing descriptions (e.g. 'Paradise').
Granton Vineyard in autumn
