Tasmania
formerly (1642-1856) Van Diemen's Land
Island in the Indian Ocean, southeast of Australia, separated
from the mainland by Bass Strait; state of Australia
Area:
About 68,000 sq km/26,248 sq mi
Capital:
Hobart
Towns and Cities:
Launceston (chief port), Devonport, Burnie, Queenstown
Features:
The smallest of the Australian states; territory includes numerous
smaller islands; World Heritage Area in the southwest; unique
flora and fauna, including the Huon pine and the Tasmanian devil
(a marsupial found only in Tasmania)
Products:
Wool, dairy products, apples and other fruit, processed foods, timber,
paper, iron, tungsten, copper, silver, coal, cement
Population:
(1996) 459,700
History:
The first European to visit was Abel Tasman in 1642; British penal
colony established at Risdon Cove in 1803; part of New South Wales
until 1825; name changed to Tasmania in 1856; became a state of
the Australian Commonwealth in 1901.
Territory
Over 50 islands are administered by Tasmania. The main ones are the
Furneaux group, at the eastern end of Bass Strait, including Flinders
Island, Cape Barren Island, and Clarke Island; Chappell Islands
and the Kent group, at the eastern end of Bass Strait; the Hunter
Islands, including King Island, at the western end of Bass Strait;
Bruny Island and Maria Island, off the south and southeast coasts;
the uninhabited, subarctic, volcanic Macquarie Island.
Physical
Tasmania was once joined to mainland Australia, but is now separated
by Bass Strait, which is about 230 km/143 mi wide. The island's
interior is mountainous, its two mountain chains being continuations
of the Dividing Range of the mainland. The central plateau averages
915 m/3,000 ft in height, and contains Tasmania's highest peak,
Mount Ossa (1,617 m/5,305 ft). Other peaks are Barn Bluff (1,560
m/5,118 ft), Mount Field West (1,430 m/4,692 ft), and Cradle Mountain
(1,540 m/5,052 ft). The eastern range runs parallel with the east
coast, and has an average height of 1,150m/3,773 ft. The highest
peaks are Mount Barrow (1,400 m/ 4,593 ft) and Ben Lomond (1,573
m/ 5,161 ft).
In the south is Mount Wellington (1260 m/4,134 ft), at the foot
of which stands Hobart. The central plateau is dotted with numerous
freshwater lakes, the largest being the Great Lake (104 sq km/40
sq mi), which is 1,160 m/3,806 ft above sea level; other lakes
include Lake Sorell (about 52 sq km/20 sq mi); Lake St Clair;
Arthur Lake; and Lake Echo. These lakes form the headwaters of
the rivers flowing south, west, and north. Among the main rivers
is the Derwent, which issues from Lake St Clair and flows for
about 210 km/ 130 mi to its estuary at Hobart, where there is
a deep and sheltered harbour. Other rivers flowing into the Southern
Ocean are the Huon (about 160 km/99 mi in length) on the south
coast and the Arthur on the northwest coast. On the north of the
island, flowing into Bass Strait, are the Mersey and the Tamar;
the Tamar is navigable up to Launceston, 64 km/40 mi from its
mouth. The rivers Gordon and King enter the sea on the west coast.
The west coast of Tasmania is wild and rocky, but there are several
accessible ports, including Port Davey (formerly used by whaling
vessels), Pieman River, and Macquarie Harbour.
Climate
Tasmania has a temperate climate. The average temperature of Hobart
in the hottest month is 17ºC/62ºF. The winter is cold enough to
produce thin ice in the lowlands and snow in the mountains and
plateaux. The average temperature in the coldest month is 8ºC/46ºF.
The mean temperature for the year is 12ºC/54º F. The average rainfall
is about 575 mm/23 in, but there is much variation in different
districts, rainfall in the west sometimes reaching 4,318 mm/ 170
in a year.
Economy
Tasmania has a diverse economy, based on agriculture, mining, forestry,
manufacturing, and tourism. Pasture land is used for grazing dairy
cattle and sheep, and beef and cattle are major exports. The mild,
moist climate is suitable for growing fruit and vegetables. Apples
are the most important fruit crop, followed by pears, raspberries,
and blackcurrants. The chief vegetable crops are peas, beans,
and potatoes, and 80% of Australia's hops are grown in Tasmania.
The climate is not suitable for large-scale cereal growing. Barley
and oats are grown, but the amount of land sown with wheat is
negligible.
Tasmania's forests have been exploited for the production of
pulp, paper, and newsprint. Newsprint and paper are produced at
Burnie, on the northwest coast, and Boyer; pulp and paper at Wesley
Vale and Port Huon, 59 km/37 mi southwest of Hobart; and woodchips
at Long Reach. Industrial gases (liquid oxygen and nitrogen) are
manufactured at Hobart, Launceston, and Burnie.
The high rainfall and mountainous terrain of much of the island
is ideal for the generation of hydroelectric power. This supplies
all of the island's electricity requirements.
Tourism
Tourism makes a major contribution to the economy of Tasmania (it was
estimated that 450,000 people visited the island in 1994). Many
visitors are attracted to the national parks which cover more
than 20% of the island. The largest of these is South West National
Park, which is part of a vast World Heritage Area in the southwest
of the island, recognized by UNESCO. This region includes the
Franklin Lower Gordon Wild Rivers National Park and the Cradle
Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Franklin River is a wilderness
area saved from a hydroelectric scheme in 1983, and also has a
prehistoric site. Port Arthur, a former penal settlement on the
Tasman Peninsula on the south coast, 100 km /62 mi southeast of
Hobart, also attracts many visitors. The area referred to as the
`Land of a Thousand Lakes´ in central Tasmania is also a popular
tourist destination, and the lakes are popular for angling and
fishing.
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