Damon Mcknight
Australia is surrounded by thousands of islands, including the world's largest sand island, K'gari. The country is divided into six states and two territories, and of these, Tasmania is the only Australian state that is not located on the Australian mainland. The state of Tasmania encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th largest island in the world, and the surrounding 1,000 islands, including Flinders Island and King Island. Other islands within Australia include Rottnest Island, Kangaroo Island, and Groote Eylandt.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the island state | Tasmania (TAS) |
| Colloquial name | Tassie |
| Location | 240 kilometres (150 miles) south of the Australian mainland |
| Capital | Hobart |
| Population | 573,479 (as of June 2023) |
| Landmass | 68,401 km2 (26,410 sq mi) |
| Number of islands | 334 islands (or islets) within the state, with the main island making up 94% of the state's land area |
| Surrounding ocean | Southern Ocean, Pacific Ocean on the east, Indian Ocean on the west, Great Australian Bight, Tasman Sea |
| Economy | Tourism, agriculture, aquaculture, education, and healthcare |
| Points of interest | Dazzling beaches, rugged mountains, winding rivers, picturesque landscapes, World Heritage Sites |
| Other islands | Rottnest Island, Lord Howe Island, Groote Eylandt, K'gari (world's largest sand island), Flinders Island, King Island, Mornington Island, Macquarie Island |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Tasmania, the island state
Tasmania is an island state of Australia, located 240 kilometres (150 miles) south of the Australian mainland. It is separated from the mainland by the Bass Strait, which is a relatively shallow body of water. Tasmania is the smallest of Australia's states and has a landmass of 68,401 square kilometres (26,410 square miles). The island state comprises the main island of Tasmania, which includes 94% of the state's land area, and the surrounding 1,000 islands, 334 of which have a land area greater than 100 hectares (250 acres). Tasmania is the 26th-largest island in the world and the only Australian state that is not located on the Australian mainland.
Tasmania was first inhabited by Aboriginal peoples, who today generally identify as Palawa or Pakana. It is believed that Aboriginal Tasmanians became isolated from mainland Aboriginal groups around 11,700 years ago when rising sea levels formed the Bass Strait. Evidence indicates the presence of Aboriginal people in Tasmania about 42,000 years ago. At the time of the British occupation and colonisation in 1803, the indigenous population was estimated at between 3,000 and 10,000.
Tasmania was 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 island was officially renamed "Tasmania" in honour of its first European discoverer on 1 January 1856.
Tasmania has a decentralised population, with around 40% of its 573,479 residents living in the Greater Hobart area, which includes the state capital, Hobart, and the surrounding localities. Tasmania is a significant agricultural exporter and a popular destination for eco-tourism, with about 42% of its land area, including national parks and World Heritage Sites (21%), protected in some form of reserve. The state also produces a major portion of Australia's hydroelectric power and has a diverse range of natural resources.
Australian Anti-Discrimination Laws: What's Covered?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Lord Howe Island, a remote island
Lord Howe Island is a small oceanic island in the Tasman Sea, 600 kilometres (370 miles) east of the Australian mainland. It is the most remote island of Australia that does not fall under external territory status. The island is a distinct terrestrial ecoregion known as the Lord Howe Island subtropical forests. It is part of the Australasian realm and shares many biotic affinities with Australia, New Guinea, and New Caledonia.
The island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant, rising through the clear waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean. It is a remnant of a now-extinct shield volcano, dating to around 7 million years ago, which has been eroded to one-fortieth of its original size. The Lord Howe Island Group comprises 28 islands, islets, and rocks. The most notable of these is the volcanic and uninhabited Ball's Pyramid, which is about 23 kilometres southeast of Howe. The underwater world around Ball's Pyramid is home to a unique coral community with giant fan corals, rare Spanish dancers, and the protected Ballina angelfish.
The island is about 10 kilometres long and between 0.3 and 2.0 kilometres wide, with an area of 14.55 square kilometres. The west coast features a sandy semi-enclosed sheltered coral reef lagoon. Most of the population lives in the north, while the south is dominated by forested hills rising to the island's highest point, Mount Gower, at 875 metres. Mount Gower is part of the Seven Peaks Walk on Lord Howe Island and offers a challenging day trek. There are also gentler walks, such as the Valley of the Shadows amid groves of Banyan trees and Kentia palms.
The island is famous for its wonderful walks and hikes through subtropical forests and along coastal ridges, offering spectacular views. It is also legendary for snorkelling and diving in the crystal-clear waters of the world's southernmost coral reef. Other tourist activities include stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, golf, lawn bowls, tennis, fishing, yachting, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and boat trips.
A Simple Guide to Name Change by Deed Poll in Australia
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Rottnest Island, home to quokkas
Rottnest Island, a popular tourist spot off the coast of Perth, is renowned for its natural attractions and its population of quokkas, or kwoka in Noongar. The name 'Rottnest' comes from 17th-century Dutch explorers who considered the animals to be large rats, hence the name 'Rat's Nest'. These small marsupials are related to kangaroos and wallabies and are a vulnerable species. Rottnest Island is home to the world's largest quokka population, with around 10,000 quokkas living on the island today. The quokkas have plenty of natural resources and no natural predators, so visitors have ample opportunities to spot them.
Quokkas are herbivores, and their diet on the island consists of various plants such as leaves, seeds, and shrub buds. They are also known to climb trees to find food. Quokkas are nocturnal and spend most of the day sleeping and resting under shady bushes, so early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to spot them.
Rottnest Island offers a unique wildlife experience and is a great place to take a quokka tour. Visitors can cycle to Stark Bay, where they can see tall fig trees and date palms creating the perfect reserve for the island marsupials. Another spot to see quokkas is Parker Point, where there is a natural dip in the road leading to a shrub forest of native tea trees.
Wadjemup, or Rottnest Island, is also home to a diverse range of other wildlife, including bird species such as the golden whistler, red-capped robin, silvereye, and singing honeyeaters. The surrounding lakes and oceans are inhabited by Australian shelducks, bridled and crested terns, humpback whales, long-nosed fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, and Australian sea lions.
Overall, Rottnest Island is a beautiful and idyllic destination, offering visitors the chance to experience the joy of spotting quokkas in their natural habitat and explore the island's diverse ecosystems.
Shipping to Australia: Newegg's Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
K'gari, the world's largest sand island
Australia is divided into six states and two territories, with Tasmania being the only Australian state that is not located on the Australian mainland. However, K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, is the world's largest sand island. It is located in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, and is recognised for its unique natural landscape and attractions. The island is about 123 km (76 mi) long and 22 km (14 mi) wide, and it is covered by extensive coastal dune fields, rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes, and coastal heaths.
K'gari is a World Heritage-listed site, inscribed in 1992, and is part of the traditional lands of the Butchulla people, who named it "K'gari", meaning "paradise". The island has a rich Aboriginal cultural history and incredible natural scenery, including tall rainforests and freshwater lakes. The sand on the island has been accumulating for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock, and it provides a natural catchment for the sediment carried on a strong offshore current northwards along the coast.
The island is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including a small number of mammal species and a variety of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The dunes on the island are also a unique feature, with the oldest dune system dating back 700,000 years, making it the world's oldest recorded sequence. The coloured sands at Rainbow Gorge, The Cathedrals, The Pinnacles, and Red Canyon are examples of the sand being stained over thousands of years due to conglomeration with clay.
K'gari offers some of the best four-wheel driving adventures in the country, with 75 Mile Beach running up the surf side of the island and scenic drives interlacing the hinterland. The island is a perfect choice for outdoor adventures, with bountiful flora and fauna and unique natural landscapes. Up to 500,000 people visit the island each year, and it is a popular destination for beach-goers and nature enthusiasts alike.
The Evolution of UGG: From Australia to the World
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Macquarie Island, with unique geology
Macquarie Island is a small spit of land located roughly midway between Antarctica and the island of Tasmania. It is the only place where rocks from the Earth's mantle are exposed above sea level. The island is the result of the same geologic processes as the Himalaya mountain range. When the Indian Plate (the tectonic plate on which the Indian subcontinent lies) collided with the Asian supercontinent 50 million years ago, the immense force that resulted created the Himalayas. Similarly, Macquarie Island was formed by the collision between the Indo-Australian and Pacific Plates.
The island is part of the ocean floor, raised above sea level by tectonic forces. The island is believed to have originated as an underwater ridge, shaped by sea-floor spreading between 11 and 30 million years ago. The spreading eventually stopped, and the area of the Earth's crust that formed that region of the ocean floor began to compress, pushing rocks from deep within the Earth's mantle upwards along the present-day ridge line. The island is continually buffeted by the wind and waves of the Southern Ocean, and the uplifted rock shows the effects of these relentless forces.
Macquarie Island is the highest point of the Macquarie Ridge complex, a 1600 km series of deep trenches and high ridges on the ocean floor, reaching southwest from New Zealand's South Island, along the eastern edge of the Pacific Tectonic Plate to the junction with the Indo-Australian Plate and the Antarctic Plate. The Macquarie ridge lies entirely on the seafloor, except for where it rises above sea level at Macquarie Island. The island is an example of an ophiolite - a section of Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed. The unique exposures include excellent examples of pillow basalts without any hint of continental crust contamination and other extrusive rocks.
The island's unique geological features were one of the two criteria cited when it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Macquarie Island is one of the few places on Earth where humans can walk on ocean rocks from a depth of 6km below the surface. The island is also one of the most geologically active areas of Australia, currently rising at a rate of about 0.8 mm per year.
Understanding Australia's Cash Rate: A Guide
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Tasmania is an island state of Australia. It is located 240 kilometres south of the Australian mainland and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th-largest island in the world, and the surrounding 1000 islands.
Tasmania is known for its dazzling beaches, rugged mountains, and winding rivers. It is also known for its stunning landscapes and vast wilderness, making it a popular destination for hiking and eco-tourism. About 42% of its land area, including national parks and World Heritage Sites (21%), is protected in some form of reserve.
The capital of Tasmania is Hobart, a cosmopolitan city surrounded by quaint regional towns, exquisite food and wine trails, and plenty of family-friendly activities.
Tasmania is the largest Australian island, with a landmass of 68,401 square kilometres. However, Australia is also home to thousands of islands, including the world's largest sand island, K'gari.
![Loxton'S Medical Directory of Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Malay States, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Etc. (1910) [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61FbOFgXaEL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
