Tasmania is an Australian state situated on the eponymous island, 240 km south of mainland Australia and separated from it by Bass Strait. The Administration also extends to the next island (King, Flinders and others) and remote Macquarie Island. Population – 494,520 people (2008). Area – 68 332 km ². The capital and largest city – Hobart. Other major cities – Launceston, Devonport and Burnie.

Geography

The island is a structural continuation of the Great Dividing Range of Australia. Beaches form numerous bays (Macquarie, Storm, etc.).

Geology

It is believed that the island of Tasmania was part of mainland Australia until the end of the last glacial epoch (about 10,000 years ago). Most of the island consists of diabase intrusion of the Jurassic period (O magma) into other rocks, sometimes forming large columnar structure. Tasmania is the world’s largest area of distribution of diabase, which forms here a lot of peculiar mountains and cliffs. From it is mainly composed central plateau and south-eastern part of the island. Mount Wellington near Hobart folded from diabase unique columns organ pipe is a typical example. In the south, at about the level of Hobart, diabase passes through layers of sandstone and similar sedimentary rocks. In the south-west of Precambrian quartzites from very ancient marine sediments form strikingly sharp ridges and mountains, such as Federation Peak and Frenchmens Cap. In the north-east and east you can see the continental granites are similar to coastal granites mainland Australia. To the north and west is characterized by mineral-rich volcanic rocks. In the south and the north-west are also found with magnificent limestone caves.

Zone of quartzite and dolerite in the high mountains are the traces of glaciers, especially in the central plateau and the south-west of the island. For example, Mount Cradle previously was nunataks. Combinations of these different rocks generate great unique landscapes. At the extreme southwestern tip of the state of rock composed almost entirely of quartzite, which gives rise to a false impression of year-round ice caps at the tops of the mountains.

Relief

In the relief is dominated by isolated steep-slope plateaus and highlands altitude 600-1000 m. Lowland Midlands, located downstream Teymar-Macquarie, separates the Eastern Highlands (the highest point – Mount Legge Peak, 1572 m) from the Central Plateau (the highest point – Mount Ossa, 1617 m – the highest peak of Tasmania).

Climate

Climate in the north is subtropical south mild and humid. In Hobart, the average July temperature – 8 ° C, February – 17 ° C. On the plateau and the mountains the temperature of winter months – below 0 ° C. In the western part of the island falls more than 1000 mm of rainfall per year (in the Gulf Macquarie – 2800 mm) in the east – an average of 600 mm per year.

Waterways

Major rivers – Teymar-Macquarie (north) and Derwent (south) are affluent, but rapids and navigable they are only in the lowlands. The Central Plateau has many lakes of glacial origin.

Flora and fauna

Flora and fauna of Tasmania is very original – a large number of representatives are endemic. Even those who arrived from mainland Australia, have to pass additional environmental control at Tasmania, similar to the pass coming to Australia.

44% of the Tasmanian territory covered by forest, and 21 per cent is national park. Teeming with trout lakes, rivers and waterfalls, renovates rain and melt water, fed by the forest, where there are evforiya tirukalli, eucalyptus, myrtle, acacia chernodrevesnaya, sassafras, eukrifiya shiny fillokladus Alpine, Dixon and Antarctic dakridium Franklin – and environmentalists are still “war” with miners, builders, manufacturers of paper and hydroelectric power. Naked Desert Queenstown, Mining and industrial city, recalls the severe consequences of a reckless waste of natural resources.

Suffered and fauna of these places, especially tilatsin or Tasmanian wolf – an animal grayish-yellow color, resembling a dog. During the dark stripes on the back and the sacrum called him a tiger. Very sorry, but this lean, timid carnivore get the habit to carry poultry and sheep. For those killed tilatsinov given reward, and by 1936 they had disappeared.

Other unique marsupial of Tasmania, Tasmanian devil, may face extinction because of the unique cancer – facial tumor. Currently, Australian scientists has worked intensively to prevent the spread of the disease among Tasmanian devils. Tasmania is also famous for chinned petrels. Since the flight in the Tasman Sea and practically coasting around the circle the Pacific Ocean, shearwater from year to year back to their sandy nests.

Not far from the nests chinned petrels, where they fly only at night, lives another bird that “flies” under water, a small penguin – with a short beak, and weighing no more than a cat.

Population

In 1991 the population of Tasmania was 359,383 people. Most of the inhabitants – the British-Australians (80%). This nation have formed mainly descendants of immigrants from Britain and Ireland. They are accustomed to reckon with their history in 1788 when the island drove the first colonists. About 1% – Aborigines, the indigenous population of Tasmania. It is believed that they live on an island about 40 thousand years. Also here is Chinese, Indians and other nationalities.

The official language is English with a local accent. The overwhelming majority of the population, including Aboriginal people – Christians (mostly Catholics, followed by Protestants and parishioners of the Church of England, after – the Orthodox). About 4% are Buddhists and Muslims.

History

Etymology of the name

The island was discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642, who named it Van Diemen’s Land (in honor of Governor-General of the Dutch colonies in the East Indies – Anthony van Diemen, organized an expedition to find new land.) And in the middle of the XIX century (1 January 1856) the island of Tasmania was named in honor of the Dutch navigator.

Period Aboriginal

Tasmania was originally settled by Tasmanian Aborigines (Tasmanians). Findings suggesting that their presence in this region, which later became the island at least 35,000 years. Rising sea levels cut Tasmania from mainland Australia about 10,000 years ago.

At the time of European contact Tasmanians were divided into nine main ethnic groups. It is estimated that during the emergence of British settlers in 1803, the local population ranged from 5 to 10 thousand people. Because of the Europeans brought infectious diseases to which natives had no immunity, war and persecution of the indigenous population of the island was reduced to 1833 to 300 people. Almost all the natives were moved by George Augustus Robinson to Flinders Island.

A woman named Truganini (1812-1876) was the last thoroughbred tasmaniykoy. However, there is evidence that the latter was the other woman, Fanny Cochrane Smith, who was born in Vaybalenu and died in 1905.

The first Europeans

The first European who saw Tasmania at Nov. 24, 1642 was Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Tasman landed in the Gulf of Blackman. In 1773, Tobias Freneau became the first Englishman who landed on the shore of Tasmania in the Gulf Advenche. French expedition, led by Marc Joseph Marion Dyufrenom, landed on an island in the Gulf of Blackman in 1772. Captain James Cook, a young William Blaem stayed on board in the Gulf Advenche in 1777. Uliyam Bly returned here in 1788 (on board the Bounty) and in 1792 (on the ship Providence, with a young Matthew Flinders). Many other Europeans visited the island, leaving behind a colorful array of names of topographic features. Matthew Flinders and George Bass in the years 1798-1799 for the first time proved that Tasmania is an island.

The first settlement Risdon Cove was founded by the British in 1803 on the eastern shore of the estuary of the River Derwent. A small party of settlers was sent to Sydney under the command of John Bowen, to prevent French claims on the island. Alternative Sullivans Cove settlement was founded by Captain David Collins in 1804, five miles south on the west coast, where there was more drinking water sources. Later the settlement was named in honor of Hobart then Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Hobart. Settlement Risdon was later abandoned.

The first settlers were mostly convicts and their armed guards. They aim of the development of agriculture and industry. On the island there was a set of settlements, including the convict prison at Port Arthur in the south-east and Macquarie Harbour on the west coast. For 50 years, from 1803 to 1853 years, some 75,000 convicts were transported to Tasmania. Van Diemen’s Land was separated from New South Wales and proclaimed an independent colony with its own judiciary and the legislative council on Dec. 3, 1825.

Colony of Tasmania

British colony existed on the island of Tasmania during the period from 1856 to 1901 years, when she, along with five other Australian colonies became a member of the Commonwealth. Ability to self-government of the colony came in 1850 when the British Parliament passed the Australian colonies, providing them with all the right of the legislature. The Legislative Council of Van Diemen’s Land adopted a constitution in 1854, which was sanctioned by Queen Victoria in 1855. At the end of that year the Privy Council approved the name change of the colony with the Van Diemen’s Land “to” Tasmania “. In 1856, first met the newly elected bicameral parliament, thereby approving Tasmania as a self-governing colonies of the British Empire.

The economy of the colony was subject to cyclical fluctuations, but for full time experienced steady growth. With a slight external threats and strong trade ties with the empire in the second half of the XIX century colony of Tasmania has gone through a number of favorable periods, becoming one of the world’s centers of shipbuilding. Colony established its own armed forces, which played a significant role in the second Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. During this war Tasmanian soldiers were awarded the first two for the Australians Victoria Cross. Tasmanians voted for the creation of a federation with the largest majority of all the Australian colonies, and January 1, 1901 Tasmania became the colony of the Australian state of Tasmania.

XX Century

Staff significantly affected by the fires of 1967, which brought the material and human losses. In 1970 the government announced plans to fill the water of Lake Pedder, with important implications for the environment. The destruction of the bridge Tasman, which in 1975 crashed cargo ship MV Lake Illawarra, has made it virtually impossible intersection of River Derwent near Hobart. International attention attracted a campaign against the project of building a dam Franklin in the early 1980′s. This campaign promoted the development of the green movement. April 28, 1996 incident, known as the massacre at Port Arthur, when Martin Bryant shot and killed 35 people (both locals and tourists) and injured 22. Following this rule, the use of firearms was immediately reviewed and new laws on possession of weapons have been taken across the country, and the law of the state of Tasmania has the most stringent in Australia. In April 2006 a small earthquake caused the collapse of the Beaconsfield mine. One person was killed and two were cut off below ground within 14 days. Tasmanian Society for some time been divided into supporters and opponents of the construction of pulp and paper mill in Bell Bay. Supporters called for the creation of new jobs, while opponents argued that pollution would have a negative impact on both the fishing industry and tourism development.

Political Structure

Form of political order is determined by the Tasmanian constitution, dating from the year 1856, although since it was introduced many changes. Tasmania is the State of the Commonwealth, and its relationship with the Union and the distribution of powers between different levels of government are governed by the Constitution of Australia.

Tasmania is represented in the Senate, 12 senators on an equal footing with other states. In Tasmania, House of Representatives shall be entitled to 5 seats, which represents a minimum guaranteed by the Constitution. In general, the number of House members from each state is determined in proportion to the population, and Tasmania could never get a 5 place only on the basis of this principle. Elections to the lower house of the Tasmanian Parliament are based on a multi-proportional system.

At the parliamentary elections in Tasmania in 2002 the Labour Party won 14 out of 25 seats in the lower chamber. Number of votes cast for the Liberal Party, greatly diminished, and she was able to get only 7 seats. Green got 4 seats, representing more than 18% of the popular vote, most of the green in any of the parliaments of the world. February 23, 2004, after a diagnosis of lung cancer, the Prime Minister Jim Bacon resigned. During his last months in office he launched a vigorous anti-smoking campaign, which resulted in a ban on smoking in many public places, including pubs. He died four months later. As prime minister was replaced by Paul Bacon Lennon. After two years in power, his party won elections in 2006. Lennon resigned in 2008. He was replaced by David Bartlett, who after the 2010 elections, formed a collaboration with green coalition government. Bartlett, resigned in January 2011. He was succeeded by Lara Giddings, the first woman – Premier of Tasmania.