Tasmania

taz-ma'ni-a, an island 140 miles south of Australia. It constitutes a state of that commonwealth. It was discovered by Tasman, a Dutch navigator, in 1642. He called the island Van diemen's Land, but the name was changed subsequently in his honor. Area, 24,339 square miles. It is as large as the mainland of Scotland. Tasmania is noted for mineral wealth. Wheat is the principal crop. Minerals, wool, timber, fruit, and grain are the chief exports. A million dollars' worth of apples are shipped yearly to the London market. The plants and animals resemble those of southern Australia. An animal not found elsewhere is the Tasmanian wolf. In 1804 England began to banish criminals to Tasmania, a policy which was followed until 1853. It is a mountainous land, called sometimes the "Switzerland of the south." Lofty plateaus, mountain peaks, glens, waterfalls, alpine lakes and forests combine to form the grandest of scenery. As the island lies farther to the south, the climate is colder and the air more invigorating than that of Australia, to which it serves as a summer resort. Over a hundred thousand tourists visit the island each summer. There are excellent macadamized roads. Automobile trips are popular. The capital and principal port is Hobart, of which a distinguished traveler says: "It is surrounded by hills and mountains, from which views may be had that would make the fortune of any district in Europe, and the air of Hobart is perfect here." The population of the island is 180,000. The original inhabitants, the Tasmanians, are extinct. See Australia