Top 10 facts about Tasmania



Ten things you didn't know about Tasmania



ON November 24, 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to discover Tasmania.

 

1. Tasman named it Anthoonij van Diemenslandt, after his sponsor, the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

2. The British shortened the name to Van Diemen’s Land. It was officially renamed Tasmania on January 1, 1856.

3. Until late in the 18th century only the south-east of Van Diemen’s Land was explored. It was not confirmed to be an island until 1798.

 



It was officially named Tasmania on January 1, 1856



 



The Tasmanian Devil, which is only found in Tasmania, is the largest carnivorous marsupial



In the 19th century it was Britain’s prime penal colony with around 75,000 convicts sent there

 

4. In the 19th century it was Britain’s prime penal colony with around 75,000 convicts sent there.

5. In all it accounted for 40 per cent of all convicts sent to Australia. The last penal settlement in Tasmania closed in 1877.

6. Tasmania is the world’s 26th largest island. The Tasmanian state includes 334 other islands as well.

7. The Tasmanian Devil, which is only found in Tasmania, is the largest carnivorous marsupial.

 

The actor Errol Flynn was born in Tasmania where his father was a university biology professor

8. The Warner Brothers cartoon Tasmanian Devil Taz was introduced in 1954 and went on to have his own series called Taz-Mania.

9. Tasmania became part of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

10. The actor Errol Flynn was born in Tasmania where his father was a university biology professor.