Place details
Place nameTasmania
Other namesTasmanien, Van Diemen's Land
CountryAustralia
Latitude-43
Longitude147
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Europeans arrived in 1642 (Dutch Tasman); British settled in 1803 as penal colony; had Anglo-Aboriginal conflicts late 19th cen.; Tasmanian Aboriginals were extinct 1876; island has unique animal species, including Tasmanian Devil; largest city is Hobart.