Tasmania

Tasmania is an island and a state of Australia. Its area is 24,450 sq. miles with population over 400,000. The capital is Hobart. Other cities are Devonport, Burnie and Ulverston. The chief port of Tasmania is Launceston.

Tasmania is 268 miles off the southeast coast, between the Indian Ocean and the Tasman Sea. It is a small state but very beautiful. Many Australians have vacation there. Children attend school until they are 16. There are 286 state schools and 260 private. Abel Tasman (1603-59) was a Dutch navigator who led the expedition which discovered Tasmania and NZ in 1642. European settlers killed most of the aborigines. Those who remained were taken to Flinders Island for protection.

Tasmania was a separate British colony in 1825 - 1910. Tasmania is mountainous and largely forested. The seeds that produced California's first eucalyptus trees came from Tasmania. The highest point is Mount Ossa, 1,617 m. The chief rivers are the Derment, Mersey, Arthur, Gordon and Tamar. Temperature in January is +16°C and +10°C in July. The native animals include a small bearlike beast Tasmanian devil and Tasmanian wolf. The exports of Tasmania include metals, newsprint, timber, fruit, wool, cereals, dairy products. State University was opened in 1890.