Tasmania
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Tasmania, island state of Australia. It lies about 150 miles (240 km) south of the state of Victoria, from which it is separated by the relatively shallow Bass Strait. Structurally, Tasmania constitutes a southern extension of the Great Dividing Range. The state comprises a main island called Tasmania; Bruny Island, nestling close to the southeastern coast of the main island; King and Flinders islands in Bass Strait; numerous smaller islands off the coast of the main island; and subantarctic Macquarie Island, about 900 miles (1,450 km) to the southeast. The main island is roughly heart-shaped, with a maximum length and width of about 200 miles (320 km), and its latitude and climate are broadly comparable to those of northern California and northwestern Spain. With an area slightly larger than that of Sri Lanka, Tasmania is the smallest of Australia’s states. Hobart is the state capital.
The state owes its name to the Dutch navigator-explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 became the first European to discover the island. Until 1856, however, the island was known as Van Diemen’s Land, named for Anthony van Diemen, the governor of the Dutch East Indies who had sent Tasman on his voyage of exploration. The island of Tasmania contains some of the most spectacular mountain, lake, and coastal scenery in the country, and much of its land is protected in national parks and reserves. The state also produces a major portion of Australia’s hydroelectric power and possesses a great diversity of natural resources. Nevertheless, Tasmania has remained among the poorest of Australia’s states, with a steadily decreasing share of the country’s population. Although insularity renders much of its political, economic, and social life distinctive, proximity to Melbourne and air travel make Tasmania less isolated and more cosmopolitan than is often assumed in other Australian states. Area 26,410 square miles (68,401 square km). Population (2021) 557,571.
- Also Known As:
- Van Diemen’s Land
- Capital:
- Hobart
- Population:
- (2021) 557,571
- Date Of Admission:
- 1901
- State Bird:
- none
- State Flower:
- Tasmanian blue gum
- Seats In Federal House Of Representatives:
- 5 (of 150)
- Time Zone:
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (GMT + 10)
- Premier:
- Peter Gutwein (Liberal Party)
- Total Area1 (Sq Km):
- 68,401
- Total Area1 (Sq Mi):
- 26,410
- Formerly:
- Van Diemen’s Land
- Mainland and island areas only; excludes coastal water.
Land
Relief
Tasmania is essentially a mountainous island. In the west, where the highest peak on the island, Mount Ossa, reaches 5,305 feet (1,617 metres), the landscape comprises several parallel northwest-southeast ridges and valleys. Eastward lies a series of plateaus at various elevations; the highest point is Ben Lomond in the northeast, which rises to 5,161 feet (1,573 metres) at Legges Tor. But the dominant feature of Tasmanian geography is the glaciated, lake-studded Central Plateau, bounded on the north and east by a 2,000-foot (610-metre) fault scarp and sloping gently southeastward from 3,500 to 2,000 feet (1,070 to 610 metres). Much of the east is made up of a low, dissected plateau averaging about 1,200 feet (370 metres). Extensive plains are confined to the far northwest, the lower South Esk River valley, and the northeast. The Bass Strait islands represent outliers of the northern coastal platforms. Fossil-laden cliffs on the northern shore of Tasmania and on Maria Island off the eastern coast indicate areas that once lay beneath the sea. Conversely, postglacial submergence in the southeast has produced one of the finest examples of a drowned coastline.
Drainage
There are two major river systems in Tasmania—the Derwent in the southeast and the South Esk in the northeast. Many smaller systems, especially in the western region, flow to the west coast. The Central Plateau is studded with more than 4,000 lakes in a landscape similar to that of northern Canada and Finland; almost all, including Great Lake, are shallow. Lake St. Clair, the deepest lake in Australia (reaching more than 700 feet [215 metres]), is a piedmont lake similar to the lakes of northern Italy. Several of the state’s lakes, notably Lake King William, are artificial reservoirs created as a part of hydroelectric power development.
Soils
Most Tasmanian soils are leached, acidic, poorly drained, high in humus, and low in fertility. Least fertile and most extensive are the soils of the west and northeast, especially the moor peats. Fertile areas occur extensively in the northwest and locally elsewhere, notably in the northeast and southeast. Brown earths occupy the drier areas east of the Central Plateau; black earths, the southeast; and alluvial soils, the narrow valley floors to the east. Other fertile soils are those of former swamps in the far northwest and the Bass Strait islands.
Climate
Tasmania, located in the midlatitude westerly wind belt and dominated by southern maritime air masses, generally enjoys a moist, equable climate, with mild to warm summers, mild winters in most settled areas, and rain during all seasons. However, the southwest has much rugged weather, and the southeast can suffer drought. Collision between tropical air masses—in summer from the continent and in spring and autumn from the eastern Tasmanian coast—and the mountainous surface results in greater climatic variety than in other parts of Australia. Annual precipitation, seasonal moisture deficiencies, and temperatures range widely and irregularly across the state. Average annual precipitation exceeds 100 inches (2,500 mm) on the western ranges and declines eastward to less than 20 inches (510 mm) in some places; along the north coast it exceeds 30 inches (760 mm) in all locations. The seasonal incidence in the north and west is greatest in winter, and in the south and east it is greatest in spring. Summer rainfall may vary markedly from year to year, especially in the drier east. Mean January temperatures are higher in the north and east than elsewhere, reaching 64 °F (18 °C) at Launceston; mean July temperatures are 46 to 49 °F (8 tο 9 °C) in all coastal stations, declining sharply with elevation.