Tasmania is the smallest state of Australia. Most of its land is a triangle-shaped island. The state also includes the nearby islands of Bruny, King, and Flinders as well as many smaller islands. Macquarie Island, about 900 miles (1,450 kilometers) to the southeast, is a part of Tasmania, too. Tasmania's capital is Hobart. GeographyTasmania lies about 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Victoria, a state in southeastern Australia. The main island is 180 miles (290 kilometers) long. Its widest part is 175 miles (280 kilometers) wide. The state covers an area of 26,410 square miles (68,401 square kilometers). A flat, raised area called a plateau covers much of the main island. Mountains rise in the west. Mount Ossa, at 5,305 feet (1,617 meters), is the highest point. The Derwent and the South Esk are the major rivers. The island also has more than 4,000 lakes. Most of these lakes are shallow. But Lake Saint Clair, with a depth of more than 700 feet (215 meters), is Australia's deepest lake. Tasmania's climate is mild and moist. Tasmania is home to small, fierce animals called Tasmanian devils. They are marsupials, or mammals that carry their young in pouches. Tasmanian devils feed mainly on dead sheep and other animals, but they may attack live animals. PeopleTasmania is home to about 500,000 people. Most of them have British ancestors. Most of the people live in the southeast and the north. Hobart, in the southeast, is the largest city and main port. Launceston is the main city of northern Tasmania. EconomyMany Tasmanians work in services—for example, communications, computer work, and tourism. Manufacturing is also important to the economy. Tasmania has many resources to use in manufacturing. Its forests provide wood for the lumber and paper industries. Mines provide iron, zinc, lead, copper, and tin, which are used to make metal products. In addition, Tasmania produces many foods and drinks. Tasmanian farmers grow potatoes, onions, peas, apples, grapes, and hops. They raise dairy cows, beef cattle, and sheep. The coastal waters provide fish. HistoryPeople called Negritos may have lived on the island as early as 40,000 years ago. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman reached the island in 1642. He named it Van Diemen's Land after the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). At that time several thousand Negritos lived on the island. The last full-blooded Negrito in Tasmania died in 1876. Tasmania became a part of the British colony of New South Wales (in southeastern Australia) in 1803. In 1825 it became a separate colony. Many of the Europeans who lived there were prisoners sent to the island from Great Britain. In 1856 the people of Van Diemen's Land elected their own government. They changed the island's name to Tasmania, after the explorer Tasman. In 1901 Tasmania became a state of Australia. |