Editing Tasmania

{{Short description|State of Australia}}
{{other uses}}
{{redirect|Tassie|people with this surname|Tassie (surname)}}
{{distinguish|Tanzania|Tasmannia}}
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{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use Australian English|date = April 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox political division
| name                             = Tasmania
| native_name                      = {{Native name|mis|Lutruwita|paren=omit}} ([[palawa kani]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tacinc.com.au/pulingina-to-lutruwita-place-names-map/ |title=Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre – Official Aboriginal and Dual Names of places |publisher=Tacinc.com.au |date=2022-07-28 |access-date=2022-08-02 |archive-date=25 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925075102/http://tacinc.com.au/official-aboriginal-and-dual-names/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| settlement_type                  = [[States and territories of Australia|State]]
| image_flag                       = Flag of Tasmania.svg
| flag_size                        = 130px
| flag_link                        = Flag of Tasmania
| image_seal                       = Coat of arms of Tasmania.svg
| seal_size                        = 130px
| seal_type                        = Coat of arms
| seal_link                        = Coat of arms of Tasmania
| motto                            = {{native name|la|Ubertas et Fidelitas}}<br />({{langx|en|Fertility and Faithfulness}})
| nickname                         = {{hlist|Tassie|The Apple Isle|The Holiday Isle}}
| image_map                        = {{Australian state map|Map=Tasmania in Australia.svg|align=center|border=none|width=300px}}
| map_caption                      = Location of Tasmania in Australia<br />Coordinates: {{coord|42|S|147|E|type:adm1st_region:AU-TAS_dim:300000|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type                 = Country
| subdivision_name                 = Australia
| established_title                = Before federation
| established_date                 = [[Colony of Tasmania]]
| established_title2               = [[Federation of Australia|Federation]]
| established_date2                = 1 January 1901
| named_for                        = [[Abel Tasman]]
| demonym                          = {{hlist|Tasmanian|Taswegian (colloquial)<ref>{{cite web |title=Taswegian |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/taswegian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903215126/https://www.lexico.com/definition/taswegian |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 September 2021 |website=Lexico OED |access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref>|Vandemonian (humorous)<ref>{{cite web |title=Vandemonian |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/vandemonian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120132220/https://www.lexico.com/definition/vandemonian |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 January 2021 |website=Lexico OED |access-date=5 September 2021}}</ref>}}
| capital                          = [[Hobart]]
| largest_city                     = capital
| coordinates                      = {{coord|42|52|50|S|147|19|30|E|type:city_region:AU-TAS|display=inline}}
| admin_center                     = [[Local government areas of Tasmania|29 local government areas]]
| admin_center_type                = Administration
| leader_title1                    = [[Monarchy of Australia|Monarch]]
| leader_name1                     = [[Charles III]]
| leader_title2                    = [[Governor of Tasmania|Governor]]
| leader_name2                     = [[Barbara Baker]]
| leader_title3                    = [[Premier of Tasmania|Premier]]
| leader_name3                     = [[Jeremy Rockliff]] ([[Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division)|Liberal]])
| national_representation          = [[Parliament of Australia]]
| national_representation_type1    = [[Australian Senate|Senate]]
| national_representation1         = [[List of senators from Tasmania|12 senators]] (of 76)
| national_representation_type2    = [[House of Representatives (Australia)|House of Representatives]]
| national_representation2         = [[List of electoral divisions in Tasmania|5 seats]] (of 151)
| legislature                      = [[Parliament of Tasmania]]
| upper_house                      = [[Tasmanian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]
| lower_house                      = [[Tasmanian House of Assembly|House of Assembly]]
| judiciary                        = [[Supreme Court of Tasmania]]
| area_km2                   = 68402
| area_rank                        = 7th
| area_rank_link                   = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| elevation_max_m                  = 1617
| elevation_max_point              = [[Mount Ossa (Tasmania)|Mount Ossa]]
| population_estimate              = {{Increase}} 571,165<ref name=ABSPop>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/mar-2022|title=National, state and territory population – March 2021|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=26 September 2022|access-date=27 November 2022|archive-date=21 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121204624/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/mar-2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_estimate_rank         = 6th
| population_rank_link             = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| population_estimate_year         = March 2022
| population_density_km2           = 8.9
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| population_density_rank          = 4th
| population_density_rank_link = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| GDP_nominal                      = {{increase}} AU$32.102 billion<ref name="gspref">{{cite web |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/national-accounts/australian-national-accounts-state-accounts/latest-release |title=5220.0 – Australian National Accounts: State Accounts, 2019–20 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=20 November 2020 |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=17 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617110448/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/allprimarymainfeatures/E6765105B38FFFC6CA2568A9001393ED?opendocument |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_type                 = [[List of Australian states and territories by gross state product|GSP]]
| GDP_nominal_year                 = 2020
| GDP_nominal_rank                 = 8th
| GDP_nominal_rank_link            = List of Australian states and territories by gross state product
| GDP_nominal_per_capita           = {{increase}} AU$59,779
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank      = 7th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank_link = List of Australian states and territories by gross state product
| Gini                             = 44.8<!--number only-->
| Gini_year                        = 2016
| Gini_change                      = IncreaseNegative
| Gini_ref                         = <ref>{{cite web |title=6524.0.55.002 – Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas, 2011–2016 |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/6524.0.55.002Main+Features12011-2016?OpenDocument#:~:text=In%202015%2D16%2C%20Australia%20had,0.420%20in%20the%20Northern%20Territory. |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=19 June 2018 |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905233122/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/6524.0.55.002Main+Features12011-2016?OpenDocument#:~:text=In%202015%2D16%2C%20Australia%20had,0.420%20in%20the%20Northern%20Territory. |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Gini_rank                        = 3rd
| HDI                              = 0.921<!--number only-->
| HDI_year                         = 2021<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change                       = increase
| HDI_ref                          = <ref>{{cite web |title=Sub-national HDI |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/AUS/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0 |website=Global Data Lab |access-date=18 February 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032707/https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/AUS/?levels=1+4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| HDI_rank                         = 8th
| HDI_rank_link                    = List of Australian states and territories by Human Development Index
| timezone                         = [[Australian Eastern Standard Time|AEST]]
| utc_offset                       = +10:00
| timezone_DST                     = [[Australian Eastern Daylight Time|AEDT]]
| utc_offset_DST                   = +11:00
| calling_code                     = 
| postal_code_type                 = [[Postcodes in Australia#Allocation|Postal abbreviation]]
| postal_code                      = TAS
| website                          = {{URL|tas.gov.au}}
| iso_code                         = [[ISO 3166-2:AU|AU-TAS]]
{{Infobox place symbols
| embedded = Yes
| mammal   = [[Tasmanian devil]]<br />(''Sarcophilus harrisii'')<ref name="faunaemb">{{cite web
  |url=http://www.gazette.tas.gov.au/editions/2015/21518_-_Special_25_May.pdf
  |title=Proclamation of Tasmanian Devil as Tasmania's Animal Emblem
  |date=25 May 2015
  |publisher=Parliament of Tasmania
  |access-date=2 June 2015
  |archive-date=24 July 2015
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724070232/http://www.gazette.tas.gov.au/editions/2015/21518_-_Special_25_May.pdf
  |url-status=live
  }}</ref>
| bird     = [[Yellow wattlebird]] (unofficial)<br />(''Anthochaera paradoxa'')<ref name=StateEmblems>{{cite web
  |title=Tasmanian State Emblems
  |url=http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/StateEmblems.htm
  |publisher=Parliament of Tasmania
  |access-date=1 June 2015
  |archive-date=25 December 2018
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225064058/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/StateEmblems.htm
  |url-status=dead
  }}</ref>
| flower   = [[Eucalyptus globulus|Tasmanian blue gum]]<br />(''Eucalyptus globulus'')<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/FloraProclamation.htm
  |title=Proclamation of Tasmanian floral emblem
  |work=Tasmanian Government Gazette
  |date=27 November 1962
  |publisher=Parliament of Tasmania
  |access-date=23 January 2013
  |archive-date=25 December 2018
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225064026/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/FloraProclamation.htm
  |url-status=dead
  }}</ref>
| plant    = [[Eucryphia lucida|Leatherwood]] (unofficial)<br />(''Eucryphia lucida'')<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gray |first1=Alan M. |title=Eucryphia lucida – Leatherwood |url=http://anpsa.org.au/APOL34/jun04-3.html |website=Australian Native Plants Society |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905224138/http://anpsa.org.au/APOL34/jun04-3.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| mineral  = [[Crocoite]]<br />(''PbCrO<sub>4</sub>'')<ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/MineralProclamation.htm
  |title=Proclamation of Tasmanian mineral emblem
  |work=Tasmanian Government Gazette
  |date=4 December 2000
  |publisher=Parliament of Tasmania
  |access-date=23 January 2013
  |archive-date=25 December 2018
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225064059/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/MineralProclamation.htm
  |url-status=dead
  }}</ref>
| colour   = ''Bottle Green'' (PMS 342), ''Yellow'' (PMS 114), & ''Maroon'' (PMS 194)<ref>{{cite web|title=Sporting colours|url=http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/People_Performance_and_Governance/Executive_Services/protocol_office/sporting_colours|website=Department of Premier and Cabinet|publisher=Tasmanian Government|access-date=5 September 2021|archive-date=5 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905224141/http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/People_Performance_and_Governance/Executive_Services/protocol_office/sporting_colours|url-status=live}}</ref><br />{{scarf|{{cell|#006747}}{{cell|#f7e34a}}{{cell|#991f36}}}}
}}
}}
[[File:Tasmania.A2005320.2355.250m.jpg|thumb|Tasmania from space]]

'''Tasmania''' ({{IPAc-en|t|æ|z|ˈ|m|eɪ|n|i|ə}}; [[palawa kani]]: ''Lutruwita''<ref>{{cite web |title=Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre – Official Aboriginal and Dual Names of places |url=https://tacinc.com.au/pulingina-to-lutruwita-place-names-map/ |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=tacinc.com.au |archive-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630010627/http://tacinc.com.au/official-aboriginal-and-dual-names/ |url-status=live }}</ref>) is an island [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of [[Australia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Tasmania|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tasmania|access-date=7 May 2021|work=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary|archive-date=26 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326033228/https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tasmania|url-status=live}}</ref> It is located {{convert|240|km|mi|abbr=off}} to the south of the [[Mainland Australia|Australian mainland]], and is separated from it by the [[Bass Strait]]. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the [[List of islands by area#Islands|26th-largest island in the world]], and the [[List of islands of Tasmania|surrounding 1000 islands]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Islands|date=15 May 2014|url=https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/landforms/islands|access-date=14 May 2021|publisher=[[Geoscience Australia]]|archive-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613131720/https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/landforms/islands|url-status=live}}</ref> It is Australia's smallest and least populous state, with 573,479 residents {{As of|2023|June|lc=y}}. The [[List of Australian capital cities|state capital]] and largest city is [[Hobart]], with around 40% of the population living in the Greater Hobart area.<ref name="ABSCapitalPop2">{{cite web|date=24 April 2018|title=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2016–17: Main Features|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3218.0Main+Features12016-17|access-date=13 October 2018|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|archive-date=13 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013133101/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3218.0Main+Features12016-17|url-status=live}} Estimated resident population, 30 June 2017.</ref> Tasmania is the most decentralised state in Australia, with the lowest proportion of its residents living within its capital city.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-06/population-outside-hobart-means-struggle-for-services/101829418 | title=Tasmania to 'rewrite' its population strategy as forecast sees state reaching target 15 years early | newspaper=ABC News | date=5 January 2023 | access-date=10 June 2023 | archive-date=10 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610002350/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-06/population-outside-hobart-means-struggle-for-services/101829418 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Tasmania's main island was first inhabited by [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal peoples]], who today generally identify as Palawa or Pakana.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Horton |editor-first=David |date=1994 |title=The Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia |location=Canberra |publisher=Aboriginal Studies Press}} (See: Vol. 2, pp.1008–10 [with map]; individual tribal entries; and the 'Further reading' section on pp.1245–72).</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Hamacher | first1=Duane | last2=Nunn | first2=Patrick | last3=Gantevoort | first3=Michelle | last4=Taylor | first4=Rebe | last5=Lehman | first5=Greg | last6=Law | first6=Ka Hei Andrew | last7=Miles | first7=Mel | title=The archaeology of orality: Dating Tasmanian Aboriginal oral traditions to the Late Pleistocene | journal=Journal of Archaeological Science | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=159 | year=2023 | issn=0305-4403 | doi=10.1016/j.jas.2023.105819 | doi-access=free | page=105819| bibcode=2023JArSc.159j5819H }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Aboriginal Life Pre-Invasion|url=http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/A/Aboriginal%20life%20pre-invasion.htm|access-date=3 September 2018|publisher=www.utas.edu.au|archive-date=31 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831160544/http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/A/Aboriginal%20life%20pre-invasion.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>  
It is believed that [[Aboriginal Tasmanians]] became isolated from mainland Aboriginal groups around 11,700 years ago, when rising sea levels formed [[Bass Strait]].<ref name="nma2">{{cite web|title=Separation of Tasmania|url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/separation-of-tasmania|access-date=22 July 2020|publisher=National Museum Australia|location=Canberra|archive-date=19 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819040459/https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/separation-of-tasmania|url-status=live}}</ref>  

In 1803, Tasmania was permanently settled by Europeans as a [[Penal colony|penal settlement]] of the [[British Empire]], partly to pre-empt French territorial claims during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref>Frank Bolt, ''The Founding of Hobart 1803–1804'', {{ISBN|0-9757166-0-3}}</ref> At the time of British arrival, the Aboriginal population is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 7,000. Within three decades, however, this number declined drastically due to violent conflict, known as the [[Black War]], and the spread of [[infectious disease]]s. The Black War peaked between 1825 and 1831, resulting in the declaration of martial law for more than three years and causing the deaths of nearly 1,100 Aboriginal people and settlers.

Under British rule, the island was initially part of the [[Colony of New South Wales]]; however, it became a separate colony under the name [[Van Diemen's Land]] (named after [[Anthony van Diemen]]) in 1825.<ref>{{cite web|title=Van Diemens Land|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Van-Diemens-Land|access-date=3 September 2018|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|archive-date=3 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903121550/https://www.britannica.com/place/Van-Diemens-Land|url-status=live}}</ref> Approximately 80,000 [[Convicts in Australia|convicts]] were sent to Van Diemen's Land before this practice, known as [[penal transportation|transportation]], ceased in 1853.<ref>{{cite web|title=Convicts and the British colonies in Australia|url=http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/convicts-and-the-british-colonies|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101181100/http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/convicts-and-the-british-colonies|archive-date=1 January 2016|access-date=31 December 2015|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia}}</ref> In 1855, the present Constitution of Tasmania was enacted, and the following year the colony formally changed its name to Tasmania. In 1901, it became a [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of Australia through the process of the [[federation of Australia]].

Today, Tasmania has the [[List of Australian states and territories by gross state product|second smallest economy of the Australian states and territories]], and comprises principally tourism, agriculture, aquaculture, education, and healthcare.<ref>{{cite web |title=Estimated full time employment {{!}} Tasmania {{!}} economy.id |url=https://economy.id.com.au/tasmania/employment-by-industry |website=economy.id.com.au |publisher=State Growth Tasmania |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=11 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911182125/https://economy.id.com.au/tasmania/employment-by-industry |url-status=live }}</ref> Tasmania is a significant agricultural exporter, as well as a significant destination for eco-tourism. About 42% of its land area, including [[national parks]] and [[Tasmanian Wilderness|World Heritage Sites]] (21%), is protected in some form of reserve.<ref>{{cite web|date=29 January 2014|title=Complete National Parks and Reserves Listings|url=https://parks.tas.gov.au/about-us/managing-our-parks-and-reserves/reserve-listing|access-date=7 May 2021|publisher=[[Parks and Wildlife Service]]|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129134207/https://parks.tas.gov.au/about-us/managing-our-parks-and-reserves/reserve-listing|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[United Tasmania Group|first environmental political party]] in the world was founded in Tasmania.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Howes|first1=Michael|title=United Tasmania Group (UTG)|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/245350/United-Tasmania-Group-UTG|access-date=21 January 2015|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|archive-date=21 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121145929/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/245350/United-Tasmania-Group-UTG|url-status=live}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Etymology}}Toponymy==
Tasmania is named after [[Dutch people|Dutch]] [[explorer]] [[Abel Tasman]], who made the first reported European sighting of the island on 24 November 1642. Tasman named the island '''Anthony van Diemen's Land''' after his sponsor [[Anthony van Diemen]], the Governor of the [[Dutch East Indies]]. The name was later shortened to '''Van Diemen's Land''' by the British. It was officially renamed "Tasmania" in honour of its first European discoverer on 1 January 1856.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/php/BecomingTasmania/BTAppend2.htm |title=Appendix 2: Select chronology of renaming |last1=Newman |first1=Terry |year=2005 |work=Becoming Tasmania – Companion Web Site |publisher=[[Parliament of Tasmania]] |access-date=26 August 2011 |archive-date=22 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110422111627/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/php/BecomingTasmania/BTAppend2.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Tasmania was sometimes referred to as "Dervon", as mentioned in the [[Jerilderie Letter]] written by the notorious Australian [[bushranger]] [[Ned Kelly]] in 1879. The colloquial expression for the state is "Tassie". Tasmania is also colloquially shortened to "Tas", mainly when used in business names and website addresses. TAS is also the [[Australian postal abbreviations|Australia Post abbreviation]] for the state.

In the constructed [[palawa kani]] language, the main island of Tasmania is called "Lutruwita",<ref name=":4">{{cite news |title=Tasmanian Aboriginal place names |publisher=Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre |url=http://tacinc.com.au/tasmanian-aboriginal-place-names/ |access-date=30 November 2019 |archive-date=19 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119003129/http://tacinc.com.au/tasmanian-aboriginal-place-names/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a name originally derived from the [[Bruny Island Tasmanian language]]. [[George Augustus Robinson]] recorded it as ''Loe.trou.witter'' and also as  ''Trow.wer.nar'', probably from one or more of the [[Eastern Tasmanian languages|eastern]] or [[Northeastern Tasmanian languages]]. However, he also recorded it as a name for [[Cape Barren Island]]. In the 20th century, some writers used it as an Aboriginal name for Tasmania, spelled "Trowenna" or "Trowunna". It is now believed that the name is more properly applied to Cape Barren Island,<ref name=":4" /> which has had an official [[dual naming|dual name]] of "Truwana" since 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aboriginal and Dual Names of places in lutruwita (Tasmania) |publisher=Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre |url=http://tacinc.com.au/official-aboriginal-and-dual-names/ |access-date=30 November 2019 |archive-date=19 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119033057/http://tacinc.com.au/official-aboriginal-and-dual-names/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A number of [[palawa kani]] names, based on historical records of aboriginal names, have been accepted by the Tasmanian government. A dozen of these (below) are 'dual-use' (bilingual) names, and another two are unbounded areas with only palawa names.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tacinc.com.au/official-aboriginal-and-dual-names/|title=Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre – Official Aboriginal and Dual Names of places|website=tacinc.com.au|access-date=23 September 2019|archive-date=25 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925075102/http://tacinc.com.au/official-aboriginal-and-dual-names/|url-status=live}}</ref>

;Bilingual names
{{columns-list|colwidth=13em|
* Kanamaluka / [[Tamar River]]
* Kunanyi / [[Mount Wellington (Tasmania)|Mount Wellington]]
* Laraturunawn / Sundown Point
* Nungu / West Point
* Pinmatik / [[Rocky Cape, Tasmania|Rocky Cape]]
* Takayna / [[The Tarkine]]
* Taypalaka / [[Green Point, Tasmania|Green Point]]
* Titima / [[Trefoil Island]]
* Truwana / [[Cape Barren Island]]
* Wukalina / [[Mount William National Park|Mount William]]
* Yingina / [[Great Lake (Tasmania)|Great Lake]]
}}

;Palawa names
* Larapuna: an unbounded area centred on the [[Bay of Fires]]
* [[Narawntapu National Park]] (formerly Asbestos Range National Park)
* Putalina: an unbounded area centred on Oyster Cove (including the community of [[Oyster Cove, Tasmania|Oyster Cove]])

There are also a number of archaeological sites with Palawa names. Some of these names have been contentious, with names being proposed without consultation with the aboriginal community, or without having a connection to the place in question.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://andaman.org/BOOK/chapter52/8-Tasmania-ancient/8-Tasmania-ancient2/archaeology2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115205007/http://andaman.org/BOOK/chapter52/8-Tasmania-ancient/8-Tasmania-ancient2/archaeology2.htm|archive-date=15 November 2010|title=archaeology|date=15 November 2010}}</ref>

As well as a diverse First Nations geography, where remnants are preserved in rough form by European documentation, Tasmania is known as a place for [[Place names considered unusual|unorthodox place-names]].<ref>{{cite web |title=QUIRKY PLACE NAMES OF TASMANIA |url=https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/articles/quirky-place-names-of-tasmania |website=Discover Tasmania |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901000432/https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/articles/quirky-place-names-of-tasmania |url-status=live }}</ref> These names often come about from lost definitions, where descriptive names have lost their old meanings and have taken on new modern interpretations (e.g. 'Bobs Knobs'). Other names have retained their original meaning, and are often quaint or endearing descriptions (e.g. [[Paradise, Tasmania|'Paradise']]).

==History==
{{Main|History of Tasmania}}
[[File:Tasmania simple geology map.png|thumb|left|Map showing the general geological surface features of Tasmania. Note the extent of [[Diabase|dolerite]], and the mosaics in the west.]]

===Physical history===
{{Main|Geology of Tasmania}}
[[File:Tessellated Pavement Sunrise Landscape.jpg|thumb|[[Tessellated pavement]], a rare rock formation on the [[Tasman Peninsula]]]]
The island was adjoined to the mainland of Australia until the end of the [[last glacial period]] about 11,700 years ago.<ref name="nma2"/> Much of the island is composed of [[Jurassic]] [[Diabase|dolerite]] intrusions (the upwelling of [[magma]]) through other rock types, sometimes forming large columnar joints. Tasmania has the world's largest areas of dolerite, with many distinctive mountains and cliffs formed from this rock type. The [[Central Plateau (Tasmania)|central plateau]] and the southeast portions of the island are mostly dolerites. [[Mount Wellington (Tasmania)|Mount Wellington]] above [[Hobart]] is a good example, showing distinct columns known as the Organ Pipes.

In the southern midlands as far south as Hobart, the dolerite is underlaid by [[sandstone]] and similar sedimentary stones. In the southwest, [[Precambrian]] [[quartzite]]s were formed from very ancient sea sediments and form strikingly sharp ridges and ranges, such as Federation Peak or [[Frenchmans Cap, Tasmania|Frenchmans Cap]].

In the northeast and east, continental [[granite]]s can be seen, such as at Freycinet, similar to coastal granites on mainland Australia. In the northwest and west, mineral-rich volcanic rock can be seen at [[Mount Read (Tasmania)|Mount Read]] near [[Rosebery, Tasmania|Rosebery]], or at [[Mount Lyell, Tasmania|Mount Lyell]] near [[Queenstown, Tasmania|Queenstown]]. Also present in the south and northwest is [[limestone]] with caves.

The quartzite and dolerite areas in the higher mountains show evidence of [[glaciation]], and much of Australia's glaciated landscape is found on the Central Plateau and the Southwest. [[Cradle Mountain]], another dolerite peak, for example, was a [[nunatak]]. The combination of these different rock types contributes to scenery which is distinct from any other region of the world.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} In the far southwest corner of the state, the geology is almost wholly quartzite, which gives the mountains the false impression of having snow-capped peaks year round.

===Aboriginal people===
{{Main|Aboriginal Tasmanians}}
[[File:Terre de Diemen, navigation, vue de la cote orientale de l'Ile Schouten.jpg|thumb|1807 engraving by French explorer [[Charles Alexandre Lesueur]] shows seafaring Aboriginal people and a large canoe on the eastern shore of [[Schouten Island]].]]
Evidence indicates the presence of [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal people]] in Tasmania about 42,000&nbsp;years ago. [[Sea level rise|Rising sea levels]] cut Tasmania off from mainland Australia about 10,000&nbsp;years ago and by the time of European contact, the Aboriginal people in Tasmania had nine major nations or ethnic groups.<ref name="ryan1">{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages= 3–6|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref> At the time of the British occupation and colonisation in 1803, the indigenous population was estimated at between 3,000 and 10,000.

Historian [[Lyndall Ryan|Lyndall Ryan's]] analysis of population studies led her to conclude that there were about 7,000 spread throughout the island's nine nations;<ref name="lyndall">{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines  | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages= 4, 43|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref> Nicholas Clements, citing research by [[Brian Plomley|N.J.B. Plomley]] and [[Rhys Jones (archaeologist)|Rhys Jones]], settled on a figure of 3,000 to 4,000.<ref>{{Citation|last= Clements|first= Nicholas|title= Frontier Conflict in Van Diemen's Land (PhD thesis)|year= 2013|publisher= University of Tasmania|pages= 324, 325|url= http://eprints.utas.edu.au/17070/2/Whole-Clements-thesis.pdf|access-date= 23 April 2015|archive-date= 18 May 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150518103925/http://eprints.utas.edu.au/17070/2/Whole-Clements-thesis.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref> They engaged in [[fire-stick farming]], hunted game including [[kangaroo]] and [[wallaby|wallabies]], caught seals, mutton-birds, shellfish and fish and lived as nine separate "nations" on the island, which they knew as "Trouwunna".

=== European arrival and governance ===

[[File:Abel Tasman Navigateur en Australie (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Tasmania is named after Dutch explorer [[Abel Tasman]], the first European to sight the island, in 1642.]]

The first reported sighting of Tasmania by a [[Ethnic groups in Europe|Europe]]an was on 24 November 1642 by Dutch explorer [[Abel Tasman]], who landed at today's [[Blackman Bay, Tasmania|Blackman Bay]]. More than a century later, in 1772, a French expedition led by [[Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne]] landed at (nearby but different) [[Blackmans Bay, Tasmania|Blackmans Bay]], and the following year [[Tobias Furneaux]] became the first Englishman to land in Tasmania when he arrived at [[Adventure Bay, Tasmania|Adventure Bay]], which he named after his ship [[HMS Adventure (1771)|HMS ''Adventure'']]. Captain [[James Cook]] also landed at [[Adventure Bay, Tasmania|Adventure Bay]] in 1777. [[Matthew Flinders]] and [[George Bass]] sailed through [[Bass Strait]] in 1798{{ndash}}1799, determining for the first time that Tasmania was an island.<ref name="hughes121">{{Citation|last=Hughes|first=Robert|title=The Fatal Shore|publisher=Pan|year=1987|location=London|isbn=978-0-330-29892-6|pages=120–125|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/fatalshorehistor00hugh/page/120}}</ref>

Sealers and whalers based themselves on Tasmania's islands from 1798,<ref>{{Citation | last=Boyce | first = James | title = Van Diemen's Land  | publisher = Black Inc | year = 2010 | location = Melbourne | page=15| isbn = 978-1-86395-491-4}}</ref> and in August 1803 [[New South Wales]] Governor [[Philip Gidley King|Philip King]] sent Lieutenant [[John Bowen (Royal Navy officer)|John Bowen]] to establish a small military outpost on the eastern shore of the [[River Derwent (Tasmania)|Derwent River]] in order to forestall any claims to the island by French explorers who had been exploring the southern Australian coastline. Bowen, who led a party of 49, including 21 male and three female convicts, named the camp Risdon.<ref name="hughes121" /><ref>{{Citation | last=Boyce | first = James | title = Van Diemen's Land  | publisher = Black Inc | year = 2010 | location = Melbourne | page=21| isbn = 978-1-86395-491-4}}</ref>

[[File:John Glover - Mount Wellington and Hobart Town from Kangaroo Point - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Painting by [[John Glover (artist)|John Glover]] of [[Mount Wellington (Tasmania)|Mount Wellington]] and [[Hobart]], 1834]]

Several months later, a second settlement was established by Captain [[David Collins (lieutenant governor)|David Collins]], with 308 convicts, {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=off}} to the south in [[Sullivans Cove]] on the western side of the Derwent, where fresh water was more plentiful. The latter settlement became known as Hobart Town or Hobarton, later shortened to [[Hobart]], after the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|British Colonial Secretary]] of the time, [[Lord Hobart]]. The settlement at Risdon was later abandoned. Left on their own without further supplies, the Sullivans Cove settlement suffered severe food shortages and by 1806 its inhabitants were starving, with many resorting to scraping seaweed off rocks and scavenging washed-up whale blubber from the shore to survive.<ref name="hughes121" />

A smaller colony was established at Port Dalrymple on the Tamar River in the island's north in October 1804 and several other convict-based settlements were established, including the particularly harsh [[penal colony|penal colonies]] at [[Port Arthur, Tasmania|Port Arthur]] in the southeast and [[Macquarie Harbour]] on the West Coast. Tasmania was eventually sent 75,000 convicts—four out of every ten people transported to Australia.<ref name="hughes121" /> By 1819, the Aboriginal and British population reached parity with about 5000 of each, although among the colonists men outnumbered women four-to-one.<ref name="parity">{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines  | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages= 54–57, 71|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref> Free settlers began arriving in large numbers from 1820, lured by the promise of land grants and free convict labour. Settlement in the island's northwest corner was monopolised by the [[Van Diemen's Land Company]], which sent its first surveyors to the district in 1826. By 1830, one-third of Australia's non-Indigenous population lived in Van Diemen's Land and the island accounted for about half of all land under cultivation and exports.<ref>{{Citation | last=Boyce | first = James | title = Van Diemen's Land  | publisher = Black Inc | year = 2010 | location = Melbourne | pages=140, 145, 202| isbn = 978-1-86395-491-4}}</ref>

====Black War====
{{main|Black War}}

[[File:Benjamin Duterrau - Timmy, a Tasmanian Aboriginal, throwing a spear - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|upright|Painting of a Tasmanian Aboriginal throwing a spear, 1838]]

Tensions between Tasmania's Aboriginal and white inhabitants rose, partly driven by increasing competition for kangaroo and other game.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13150130?searchTerm=treaty%20aboriginal |title=The Fate Of The Aboriginal Inhabitants (Sydney Morning Herald, 21 Feb 1867, p.8) |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 February 1867 |access-date=17 August 2022 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817003525/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13150130?searchTerm=treaty%20aboriginal |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://theconversation.com/tasmanias-black-war-a-tragic-case-of-lest-we-remember-25663 | title = Tasmania's Black War: a tragic case of lest we remember? | first = Nicholas | last = Clements | date = 24 April 2014 | work = Honorary Research Associate, University of Tasmania | publisher = The Conversation | access-date = 27 October 2016 | archive-date = 27 October 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161027124612/http://theconversation.com/tasmanias-black-war-a-tragic-case-of-lest-we-remember-25663 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url = https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-War | title = Black War – Australian History | encyclopedia = The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica | access-date = 27 October 2016 | archive-date = 27 October 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161027125931/https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-War | url-status = live }}</ref> Explorer and naval officer [[John Oxley]] in 1810 noted the "many atrocious cruelties" inflicted on Aboriginal people by convict [[bushranger]]s in the north, which in turn led to black attacks on solitary white hunters.<ref>{{Citation | last=Clements | first = Nicholas | title = The Black War  |page=36| publisher = University of Queensland Press | year = 2014 | location = Brisbane | isbn = 978-0-70225-006-4}}</ref> Hostilities increased further with the arrival of 600 colonists from [[Norfolk Island]] between 1807 and 1813. They established farms along the River Derwent and east and west of [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]], occupying ten percent of Van Diemen's Land. By 1824 the colonial population had swelled to 12,600, while the island's sheep population had reached 200,000. The rapid colonisation transformed traditional kangaroo hunting grounds into farms with grazing livestock as well as fences, hedges and stone walls, while police and military patrols were increased to control the convict farm labourers.<ref>{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines  | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages=58, 62, 66, 74–75|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref>

Violence began to spiral rapidly from the mid-1820s in what became described as the "[[Black War]]".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65989331 |title=The Black War (The Cornwall Chronicle, Launceston: 8 Sep, 1860, p.3) |newspaper=Cornwall Chronicle |date=8 September 1860 |access-date=10 August 2022 |archive-date=10 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810231144/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65989331 |url-status=live }}</ref> Aboriginal inhabitants were driven to desperation by hunger – that included a desire for agricultural produce, as well as feeling anger at the prevalence of abductions of women and girls. New settlers motivated by fear carried out self-defence operations as well as attacks as a means of suppressing the native threat – or even in some cases, exacting revenge.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8791038 |title=The Black Natives (Hobart Town Gazette, 11 Nov 1926, p.2) |newspaper=Hobart Town Gazette |date=11 November 1826 |access-date=10 August 2022 |archive-date=10 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810225234/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8791038 |url-status=live }}</ref> Van Diemen's Land had an enormous gender imbalance, with male colonists outnumbering females six to one in 1822{{mdash}}and 16 to one among the convict population. Historian Nicholas Clements has suggested the "voracious appetite" for native women was the most important trigger for the explosion of violence from the late 1820s.<ref>{{Citation | last=Clements | first = Nicholas | title = The Black War  |pages=20, 49| publisher = University of Queensland Press | year = 2014 | location = Brisbane | isbn = 978-0-70225-006-4}}</ref>

From 1825 to 1828, the number of native attacks more than doubled each year, raising panic among settlers. Over the summer of 1826{{ndash}}1827 clans from the Big River, Oyster Bay and North Midlands nations speared stock-keepers on farms and made it clear that they wanted the settlers and their sheep and cattle to move from their kangaroo hunting grounds. Settlers responded vigorously, resulting in many mass-killings. In November 1826, Governor [[Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet|Sir George Arthur]] issued a government notice declaring that colonists were free to kill Aboriginal people when they attacked settlers or their property, and in the following eight months more than 200 Aboriginal people were killed in the Settled Districts in reprisal for the deaths of 15 colonists. After another eight months, the death toll had risen to 43 colonists and probably 350 Aboriginal people.<ref>{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines  | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages=93–100|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref> In April 1828, Arthur issued a [[1828 Proclamation of Demarcation|Proclamation of Demarcation]] forbidding Aboriginal people to enter the settled districts without a passport issued by the government.<ref name="Carroll2014">{{cite book |author=Khadija von Zinnenburg Carroll |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P9CpBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA92 |title=Art in the Time of Colony |date=28 April 2014 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |isbn=978-1-4094-5596-7 |pages=92–}}</ref><ref name="Morgan2003">{{cite book|author=Sharon Morgan|title=Land Settlement in Early Tasmania: Creating an Antipodean England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bTJeskna35YC&pg=PA151|date=11 December 2003|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-52296-0|pages=151–}}</ref> Arthur declared [[martial law]] in the colony in November that year, and this remained in force for over three years, the longest period of martial law in Australian history.<ref>{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines  | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages=101–105, 123|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last=Clements | first = Nicholas | title = The Black War  |pages=95–101| publisher = University of Queensland Press | year = 2014 | location = Brisbane | isbn = 978-0-70225-006-4}}</ref>

In November 1830, Arthur organised the so-called "[[Black Line]]", ordering every able-bodied male colonist to assemble at one of seven designated places in the Settled Districts to join a massive drive to sweep Aboriginal people out of the region and on to the [[Tasman Peninsula]]. The campaign failed and was abandoned seven weeks later, but by then Tasmania's Aboriginal population had fallen to about 300.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Forgotten War|last = Reynolds|first = Henry|publisher = UNSW Australia|year = 2013|isbn = 9781742233925|page = 63}}</ref>

==== Removal of Aboriginal people ====

[[File:Truganini and last 4 tasmanian aborigines.jpg|thumb|Four elderly full-blood Tasmanian Aboriginal people, {{circa|1860s}}. [[Truganini]], for many years claimed to be the last full-blood Aboriginal person to survive, is seated far right.]]

After hostilities between settlers and Aboriginal peoples ceased in 1832, almost all of the remnants of the Indigenous population were persuaded by government agent [[George Augustus Robinson]] to move to [[Flinders Island, Tasmania|Flinders Island]]. Many quickly succumbed to infectious diseases to which they had no immunity, reducing the population further.<ref>{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines  | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages=1199–216|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last= Clements|first= Nicholas|title= Frontier Conflict in Van Diemen's Land (PhD thesis)|year= 2013|publisher= University of Tasmania|pages= 329–331|url= http://eprints.utas.edu.au/17070/2/Whole-Clements-thesis.pdf|access-date= 23 April 2015|archive-date= 18 May 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150518103925/http://eprints.utas.edu.au/17070/2/Whole-Clements-thesis.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref> Of those removed from Tasmania, the last to die was [[Truganini]], in 1876.

The near-destruction of Tasmania's Aboriginal population has been described as an act of genocide by historians including [[Robert Hughes (critic)|Robert Hughes]], [[James Boyce (author)|James Boyce]], [[Lyndall Ryan]] and Tom Lawson.<ref name="hughes121" /><ref>{{Citation | last=Boyce | first = James | title = Van Diemen's Land  | publisher = Black Inc | year = 2010 | location = Melbourne | page=296| isbn = 978-1-86395-491-4}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last=Ryan | first = Lyndall | title = Tasmanian Aborigines  | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 2012 | pages= xix, 215|location = Sydney | isbn = 978-1-74237-068-2}}</ref> However, other historians including [[Henry Reynolds (historian)|Henry Reynolds]], [[Richard Broome]] and Nicholas Clements do not agree with the genocide thesis, arguing that the colonial authorities did not intend to destroy the Aboriginal population in whole or in part.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Broome|first=Richard|title=Aboriginal Australians|publisher=Allen and Unwin|year=2019|isbn=9781760528218|edition=Fifth|location=Crows Nest|page=44}}</ref><ref name=":2">Clements, Nicholas (2013). pp. 110–12</ref> Boyce has claimed that the April 1828 "Proclamation Separating the Aborigines from the White Inhabitants" sanctioned force against Aboriginal people "for no other reason than that they were Aboriginal".<ref name=":3" /> However, as Reynolds, Broome and Clements point out, there was open warfare at the time.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Boyce described the decision to remove all Tasmanian Aboriginal people after 1832{{mdash}}by which time they had given up their fight against white colonists{{mdash}}as an extreme policy position. He concluded: "The colonial government from 1832 to 1838 [[Ethnic cleansing|ethnically cleansed]] the western half of Van Diemen's Land."<ref name=":3">{{Citation | last=Boyce | first = James | title = Van Diemen's Land  | publisher = Black Inc | year = 2010 | location = Melbourne | pages=264, 296| isbn = 978-1-86395-491-4}}</ref> Nevertheless, Clements and Flood note that there was another wave of violence in north-west Tasmania in 1841, involving attacks on settlers' huts by a band of Aboriginal Tasmanians who had not been removed from the island.<ref>Clements, Nicholas (2013). pp. 264–65</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Flood|first=Josephine|title=The Original Australians, the story of the Aboriginal people|publisher=Allen and Unwin|year=2019|isbn=9781760527075|location=Crows Nest|page=107}}</ref>

==== Proclamation as a colony ====
{{Further|Colony of Tasmania}}

[[File:Convict labourers in Australia in the early 20th century.jpg|thumb|A [[Convicts in Australia|convict]] ploughing team breaking up new ground at the farm at Port Arthur]]

Van Diemen's Land{{mdash}}which thus far had existed as a territory within the colony of [[New South Wales]]{{mdash}}was proclaimed a separate colony, with its own judicial establishment and [[Tasmanian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]], on 3 December 1825. Transportation to the island ceased in 1853 and the colony was renamed Tasmania in 1856, partly to differentiate the burgeoning society of free settlers from the island's convict past.<ref>{{Citation | last=Boyce | first = James | title = Van Diemen's Land  | publisher = Black Inc | year = 2010 | location = Melbourne | pages=1, 158| isbn = 978-1-86395-491-4}}</ref>

The [[Tasmanian Legislative Council|Legislative Council of Van Diemen's Land]] drafted a new constitution which gained Royal Assent in 1855. The [[Privy Council]] also approved the colony changing its name from "Van Diemen's Land" to "Tasmania", and in 1856 the newly elected [[bicameral parliament]] sat for the first time, establishing Tasmania as a [[responsible government|self-governing]] colony of the British Empire.<ref>{{cite web|last=Museum of Australian Democracy|title=Constitution Act 1855 (Tas)|url=https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-sdid-34.html|access-date=25 July 2021|website=Documenting Democracy|archive-date=24 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724232320/https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-sdid-34.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The colony suffered from economic fluctuations, but for the most part was prosperous, experiencing steady growth. With few external threats and strong trade links with the Empire, Tasmania enjoyed many fruitful periods in the late 19th century, becoming a world-centre of shipbuilding. It raised a local defence force that eventually played a [[Military history of Australia during the Second Boer War|significant role]] in the [[Second Boer War]] in South Africa, and Tasmanian soldiers in that conflict won the first two [[Victoria Cross]]es awarded to Australians.

==== Federation ====

In 1901, the Colony of Tasmania [[Federation of Australia|united]] with the five other Australian colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Tasmanians voted in favour of federation with the largest majority of all the Australian colonies.

===20th and 21st century===
Tasmania was an early adopter of [[electric]] [[street lighting]]. Australia's first electric street lights were switched on in [[Waratah, Tasmania|Waratah]] in 1886.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-09/tamworth-135-years-electric-streetlights-australia-first-council/103078122 |title=Tamworth celebrates 135 trailblazing years as Australia's first with electric streetlights |date=2023-11-09 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |last1=Sanders |first1=Peter |last2=Reading |first2=Kristy |archive-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504235241/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-09/tamworth-135-years-electric-streetlights-australia-first-council/103078122 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]] became the first completely electrified city on the island in 1885, followed closely by the township of [[Zeehan]] in 1900.

The state economy was riding mining prosperity until World War I. In 1901, the state population was 172,475.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moyle |first1=Helen |title=Australia's fertility transition : a study of 19th-century Tasmania |date=Feb 2020 |publisher=ANU Press |location=Canberra |isbn=9781760463366 |page=49 |jstor=j.ctvxrpxqd |url=https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/australias-fertility-transition |access-date=27 July 2020 |archive-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712232038/https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/australias-fertility-transition |url-status=live }}</ref> The 1910 foundation of what would become [[Hydro Tasmania]] began to shape urban patterns, as well as future major damming programs.<ref name="urbanisation cultural artefact">{{cite web |last1=Turnbull |first1=Paul |title=Urbanisation – Cultural Artefact – Companion to Tasmanian History |url=https://www.utas.edu.au/tasmanian-companion/biogs/E001035b.htm |website=www.utas.edu.au |access-date=27 July 2020 |language=en-gb |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727165948/https://www.utas.edu.au/tasmanian-companion/biogs/E001035b.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Hydro's influence culminated in the 1970s when the state government announced plans to flood environmentally significant [[Lake Pedder]]. As a result of the eventual flooding of Lake Pedder, the world's first green party was established; the [[United Tasmania Group]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Green Politics|url=https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/G/Green%20Politics.htm|access-date=7 June 2021|website=www.utas.edu.au|archive-date=7 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607094501/https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/G/Green%20Politics.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> National and international attention surrounded the campaign against the [[Franklin Dam]] in the early 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Commons Librarian |date=2022-08-31 |title=Franklin River Campaign |url=https://commonslibrary.org/franklin-river-campaign/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003094947/https://commonslibrary.org/franklin-river-campaign/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tasmanian [[Enid Lyons]] became the first female member of the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] at the [[1943 Australian federal election|1943 federal election]] and first female to serve in the [[Cabinet of Australia|federal cabinet]]. In May 1948, [[Margaret McIntyre]] achieved another milestone as the first female elected to the Parliament of Tasmania. Less than six months after her election, McIntyre died in the [[1948 Australian National Airways DC-3 crash|crash of the ''Lutana'']] near [[Quirindi, New South Wales|Quirindi]] on 2 September 1948.

After the end of World War II, the state saw major urbanisation, and the growth of towns like [[Ulverstone, Tasmania|Ulverstone]].<ref name="urbanisation cultural artefact"/> It gained a reputation as "Sanitorium of the South" and a health-focused tourist boom began to grow. The'' [[Princess of Tasmania]]'' began her maiden voyage in 1959, the first car ferry to Tasmania.<ref name="urbanisation cultural artefact"/> As part of the boom, Tasmania allowed the opening of the first casino in Australia in 1968.<ref name="urbanisation cultural artefact"/> Queen [[Elizabeth II]] visited the state in 1954, and the 50s and 60s were charactered by the opening of major public services, including the Tasmanian Housing Department and [[Metro Tasmania]] public bus services. A jail was opened at Risdon in 1960, and the [[State Library of Tasmania]] the same year. The University of Tasmania also moved to its present location in 1963.

The state was badly affected by the [[1967 Tasmanian fires]], killing 64 people and destroying over 652,000 acres in five hours.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Beavis |first1=Laura |title=Black Tuesday bushfires: Two more Tasmanians officially recognised as victims of 1967 blaze |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-07/black-tuesday-plaque-honouring-1967-tasmanian-bushfire-victims/8246740 |access-date=23 November 2023 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=7 Feb 2017 |language=en |archive-date=23 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123043216/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-07/black-tuesday-plaque-honouring-1967-tasmanian-bushfire-victims/8246740 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1975 the [[Tasman Bridge disaster|Tasman Bridge collapsed]] when the bridge was struck by the bulk ore carrier ''[[SS Lake Illawarra|Lake Illawarra]]''. It was the only bridge in Hobart, and made crossing the [[Derwent River (Tasmania)|Derwent River]] by road at the city impossible. The nearest bridge was approximately {{convert|20|km}} to the north, at Bridgewater.

Throughout the 1980s, strong environmental concerns saw the building of the Australian Antarctic Division headquarters, and the proclamation of the [[Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area]]. The Franklin Dam was blocked by the federal government in 1983, and  [[CSIRO]] opened its marine studies centre in Hobart. [[Pope John Paul II]] would hold mass at [[Elwick Racecourse]] in 1986.

The 1990s were characterised by the fight for [[LGBT rights in Tasmania]], culminating in the intervention of the [[United Nations Human Rights Committee]] in 1997 and the decriminalization of homosexuality that year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Commons Librarian |date=2023-12-22 |title=Campaigns that Changed Tasmania |url=https://commonslibrary.org/campaigns-that-changed-tasmania/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229135207/https://commonslibrary.org/campaigns-that-changed-tasmania/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  [[Christine Milne]] became the first female leader of a Tasmanian political party in 1993, and major council amalgamations reduce the number of councils from 46 to 29.

Following the [[Port Arthur massacre (Australia)|Port Arthur massacre]] on 28 April 1996, which resulted in the loss of 35 lives and injured 23 others, the Australian Government conducted a review of its [[firearm]]s policies and enacted new [[Gun laws of Australia|nationwide gun ownership laws]] under the [[National Firearms Agreement]].

In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II once again visited the state. [[Gunns]] rose to prominence as a major forestry company during this decade, only to collapse in 2013. In 2004, Premier [[Jim Bacon (politician)|Jim Bacon]] died in office from lung cancer. In January 2011 philanthropist [[David Walsh (art collector)|David Walsh]] opened the [[Museum of Old and New Art]] (MONA) in Hobart to international acclaim. Within 12 months, MONA became Tasmania's top tourism attraction.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 May 2012|title=MONA takes top billing Trips – The Mercury – The Voice of Tasmania|url=http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/12/30/288361_trips.html|access-date=10 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501182239/http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/12/30/288361_trips.html|archive-date=1 May 2012}}</ref>

{{Wide image|Port Arthur Panorama.jpg|850px|[[Port Arthur, Tasmania|Port Arthur]], declared a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2010}}

The [[COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania]] resulted in at least 230 cases and 13 deaths {{As of|2021|September|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 September 2021|title=Charting the COVID-19 spread in Australia|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-17/coronavirus-cases-data-reveals-how-covid-19-spreads-in-australia/12060704#casesbystate|newspaper=ABC News|last1=Ting|first1=Inga|last2=Scott|first2=Nathanael|last3=Workman|first3=Michael|last4=Hutcheon|first4=Stephen|access-date=6 September 2021|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906033708/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-17/coronavirus-cases-data-reveals-how-covid-19-spreads-in-australia/12060704#casesbystate|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, after the outbreak of the [[Coronavirus disease 2019|coronavirus pandemic]] ([[Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2|SARS-CoV-2]]) and its spread to Australia, the [[Tasmanian Government|Tasmanian government]] issued a public health emergency on 17 March,<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Health Emergency for Tasmania declared |url=https://www.health.tas.gov.au/news/2020/public_health_emergency_for_tasmania_declared_-_17_march_2020 |website=TAS Department of Health |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901210339/https://www.health.tas.gov.au/news/2020/public_health_emergency_for_tasmania_declared_-_17_march_2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> the following month receiving the state's most significant outbreak from the [[North West Tasmania|North-West]] which required assistance from the [[Australian Government|Federal government]]. In late 2021, Tasmania was leading the nationwide vaccination response.<ref>{{cite web |title=Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout |url=https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/australias-covid-19-vaccine-rollout |website=AUS Department of Health |date=12 April 2021 |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901083517/https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/australias-covid-19-vaccine-rollout |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Tasmania}}
{{cleanup split|Geography of Tasmania|date=October 2022}}
[[File:Topography of Tasmania.jpg|thumb|Topography of Tasmania]]
Tasmania, the largest island of Australia, has a landmass of {{convert|68401|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and is located directly in the pathway of the notorious "[[Roaring Forties]]" wind that encircles the globe. To its north, it is separated from mainland Australia by [[Bass Strait]]. Tasmania is the only Australian state that is not located on the Australian mainland. About {{convert|2500|km|nmi|abbr=off}} south of Tasmania island lies the [[George V Coast]] of [[Antarctica]]. Depending on which [[borders of the oceans]] are used, the island can be said to be either surrounded by the Southern Ocean, or to have the Pacific on its east and the Indian to its west. Still other definitions of the ocean boundaries would have Tasmania with the [[Great Australian Bight]] to the west, and the [[Tasman Sea]] to the east. The southernmost point on mainland Tasmania is approximately {{coord|43|38|37|S|146|49|38|E}} at [[South East Cape]], and the northernmost point on mainland Tasmania is approximately {{coord|40|38|26|S|144|43|33|E}} in [[Woolnorth / Temdudheker, Tasmania|Woolnorth / Temdudheker]] near [[Cape Grim/Kennaook|Cape Grim / Kennaook]]. Tasmania lies at similar latitudes to [[South Island|Te Waipounamu / South Island]] of New Zealand and parts of [[Patagonia]] in South America. Areas at equivalent latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere include [[Hokkaido]] in Japan, [[Northeast China]] ([[Manchuria]]), [[Central Italy]], and United States cities such as [[New York City|New York]] and [[Chicago]]. 
[[File:Mortimer Bay-3.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.25|Due to Tasmania's proximity to the [[south magnetic pole]] towards [[Antarctica]], the [[Aurora|''Aurora australis'']] can sometimes be seen.]]
The most mountainous region is the [[Central Highlands (Tasmania)|Central Highlands]] area, which covers most of the central western parts of the state. The [[Midlands (Tasmania)|Midlands]] located in the central east, is fairly flat, and is predominantly used for agriculture, although farming activity is scattered throughout the state. Tasmania's tallest mountain is [[Mount Ossa (Tasmania)|Mount Ossa]] at {{convert|1617|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tourtasmania.com/content.php?id=ossa |title=Mt. Ossa, Tasmania |last1=Ridge |first1=Justin |work=The Interactive Tour of Tasmania |access-date=26 August 2011 |archive-date=9 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809045630/http://tourtasmania.com/content.php?id=ossa |url-status=live }}</ref> Much of Tasmania is still densely forested, with the [[Southwest National Park]] and neighbouring areas holding some of the last temperate rain forests in the [[Southern Hemisphere]]. The [[Tarkine]], containing [[Savage River National Park]] located in the island's far north west, is the largest [[temperate rainforest]] area in Australia covering about {{convert|3800|km2|sqmi}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discoverthetarkine.com.au/the-tarkine/|title=The Tarkine|access-date=1 June 2021|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214905/https://discoverthetarkine.com.au/the-tarkine/|url-status=live}}</ref> With its rugged topography, Tasmania has a great number of rivers. Several of Tasmania's largest rivers have been dammed at some point to provide [[hydroelectricity]]. Many rivers begin in the Central Highlands and flow out to the coast. Tasmania's major population centres are mainly situated around [[estuaries]] (some of which are named rivers).

Tasmania is in the shape of a downward-facing triangle, likened to a shield, heart, or face. It consists of the main island as well as at least a thousand neighbouring islands within the state's jurisdiction. The largest of these are [[Flinders Island]] in the [[Furneaux Group]] of [[Bass Strait]], [[King Island (Tasmania)|King Island]] in the west of Bass Strait, [[Cape Barren Island]] south of Flinders Island, [[Bruny Island]] separated from Tasmania by the [[D'Entrecasteaux Channel]], [[Macquarie Island]] 1,500&nbsp;km from Tasmania, and [[Maria Island]] off the east coast. 
Tasmania features a number of separated and continuous mountain ranges. The majority of the state is defined by a significant [[Diabase|dolerite]] exposure, though the [[Western Tasmania|western half]] of the state is older and more rugged, featuring [[buttongrass]] plains, temperate rainforests, and [[quartzite]] ranges, notably [[Federation Peak]] and [[Frenchmans Cap]]. The presence of these mountain ranges is a primary factor in the [[Rain shadow|rain shadow effect]], where the western half receives the majority of rainfall, which also influences the types of vegetation that can grow. The Central Highlands feature a large plateau which forms a number of ranges and escarpments on its north side, tapering off along the south, and radiating into the highest mountain ranges in the west. At the north-west of this, another plateau radiates into a system of hills where [[Tarkine|takayna / Tarkine]] is located.

The [[Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia| Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA)]] divides Tasmania into 9 bioregions:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/bioregion-framework/ibra/index.html|title=Australia's bioregions (IBRA)|work=Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities|publisher=[[Commonwealth of Australia]]|year=2012|access-date=1 September 2021|archive-date=16 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016124642/http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/bioregion-framework/ibra/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 
[[Ben Lomond bioregion|Ben Lomond]], [[Furneaux bioregion|Furneaux]], [[King bioregion|King]], [[Tasmanian Central Highlands|Central Highlands]], [[Tasmanian Northern Midlands|Northern Midlands]], [[Tasmanian Northern Slopes|Northern Slopes]], [[Tasmanian Southern Ranges|Southern Ranges]], [[Tasmanian South East|South East]], and [[Tasmanian West|West]].

{{Wide image|Wineglass Bay seen from Mount Amos at Freycinet National Park (Tasmania).jpg|850px|[[Wineglass Bay]] seen from Mount Amos at [[Freycinet National Park]]}}

[[File:TAS 04-08-20.jpg|thumb|Satellite image showing snow covering Tasmania's highlands, August 2020]]

Tasmania's environment consistes of many different biomes or communities across its different regions. It is the most forested state in Australia, and preserves the country's largest areas of [[temperate rainforest]]. A distinctive type of [[moorland]] found across the west, and particularly south-west of Tasmania, are [[buttongrass]] plains, which are speculated to have been expanded by [[Tasmanian Aboriginal]] [[Fire-stick farming|burning practices]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mystery still surrounds origin of iconic button grass plains |url=https://www.utas.edu.au/communications/general-news/all-news/mystery-still-surrounds-origin-of-iconic-button-grass-plains |website=University of Tasmania |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905000317/https://www.utas.edu.au/communications/general-news/all-news/mystery-still-surrounds-origin-of-iconic-button-grass-plains |url-status=live }}</ref> Tasmania also features a diverse [[Alpine plant|alpine garden]] [[Alpine vegetation of Tasmania|environment]], such as [[Tasmanian cushion plants|cushion plant]]. Highland areas receive consistent [[snow]]fall above ~1,000 metres every year, and due to cold air from [[Antarctica]], this level often reaches 800 m, and more occasionally 600 or 400 metres. Every five or so years, snow can form at sea level.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=M. C. |title=Climatology of cold outbreaks with snow over Tasmania |journal=Australian Meteorology Magazine |date=2003 |volume=3 |issue=52 |pages=157–169 |citeseerx=10.1.1.223.253 }}</ref> This environment gives rise to the [[cypress]] forests of the [[Central Highlands (Tasmania)|Central Plateau]] and mountainous highlands. In particular, the [[Walls of Jerusalem National Park|Walls of Jerusalem]] with large areas of rare [[Athrotaxis cupressoides|pencil pine]], and its closest relative [[Athrotaxis selaginoides|King Billy pine]]. On the [[West Coast Range]] and partially on [[Mount Field National Park|Mount Field]], Australia's only winter-[[deciduous]] plant, [[Nothofagus gunnii|deciduous beech]] is found, which forms a carpet or [[krummholz]], or very rarely a 4-metre tree.<ref>{{cite web |title=BUREAU OF BIODIVERSITY AWARENESSFEATURE ARTICLEISSUE ONEMAGAZINE The Last Deciduous Tree in Tasmania |url=https://tasmaniangeographic.com/the-last-deciduous-tree/ |website=Tasmanian Geographic |date=August 2013 |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904232008/https://tasmaniangeographic.com/the-last-deciduous-tree/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tasmania features a high concentration of [[waterfalls]]. These can be found in small creeks, alpine [[streams]], [[Rapids|rapid]] [[rivers]], or off precipitous plunges. Some of the tallest waterfalls are found on mountain [[massifs]], sometimes at a 200-metre cascade. The most famous and most visited waterfall in Tasmania is [[Russell Falls]] in [[Mount Field National Park|Mount Field]] due to its proximity to [[Hobart]] and stepped falls at a total height of 58 metres.<ref>{{cite web |title=Russell Falls |url=https://waterfallsoftasmania.com.au/waterfalls/russell_falls |website=Waterfalls of Tasmania |date=2 August 2020 |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904232007/https://waterfallsoftasmania.com.au/waterfalls/russell_falls |url-status=live }}</ref> 
Tasmania also has a large number of [[beaches]], the longest of which is [[Ocean Beach (Tasmania)|Ocean Beach]] on the [[West Coast, Tasmania|West Coast]] at about 40 kilometres.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ocean Beach |url=https://westcoasttas.com.au/listings/ocean-beach |website=West Coast Tasmania |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904231956/https://westcoasttas.com.au/listings/ocean-beach |url-status=live }}</ref> Wineglass Bay in [[Freycinet National Park|Freycinet]] on the east coast is a well-known [[landmark]] of the state.

The [[Tasmanian temperate rainforests]] cover a few different types. These are also considered distinct from the more common wet [[sclerophyll]] forests, though these [[Eucalyptus|eucalypt]] forests often form with [[rainforest]] [[understorey]] and [[ferns]] (such as [[Man fern|tree-ferns]]) are usually never absent. Rainforest found in deep [[Gully|gullies]] are usually difficult to traverse due to dense understorey growth, such as from [[Anodopetalum biglandulosum|horizontal (''Anodopetalum biglandulosum'')]]. Higher-elevation forests (~500 to 800 m) have smaller ground vegetation and are thus easier to walk in. The most common rainforests usually have a 50-metre<ref>{{cite web |title=Nothofagus cunninghamii – Hook.&Oerst. |url=https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Nothofagus+cunninghamii |website=Plants For a Future (PFAF) |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904231954/https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Nothofagus+cunninghamii |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Canopy (biology)|canopy]] and are varied by environmental factors. Emergent growth usually comes from [[Eucalyptus regnans|eucalyptus]], which can tower another 50 metres higher (usually less), providing the most common choice of nesting for giant [[Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle|wedge-tailed eagles]].

The human environment ranges from urban or industrial development to farming or grazing land. The most cultivated area is the [[Midlands (Tasmania)|Midlands]], where it has suitable soil but is also the driest part of the state.

Tasmania's [[Wiktionary:insular#Adjective|insularity]] was possibly detected by Captain [[Abel Tasman]] when he charted Tasmania's coast in 1642. On 5 December, Tasman was following the [[East Coast of Australia|east coast]] northward to see how far it went. When the land veered to the north-west at [[Eddystone Point]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schilder |first1=Günter |title=Australia unveiled : the share of the Dutch navigators in the discovery of Australia |date=1976 |publisher=Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Ltd. |location=Amsterdam |isbn=978-9022199978 |page=170}}</ref> he tried to keep in with it but his ships were suddenly hit by the [[Roaring Forties]] howling through [[Bass Strait]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Valentyn |first1=Francois |title=Oud en nieuw Oost-Indien |date=1724–1726 |publisher=J. van Braam |location=Dordrecht |isbn=9789051942347 |page=vol.3, p.47}}</ref> Tasman was on a mission to find the [[Terra Australis|Southern Continent]], not more islands, so he abruptly turned away to the east and continued his continent-hunting.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cameron-Ash |first1=M. |title=Lying for the Admiralty |date=2018 |publisher=Rosenberg |location=Sydney |isbn=9780648043966 |page=105}}</ref>

The next European to enter the strait was Captain [[James Cook]] on [[HMS Endeavour|HMS ''Endeavour'']] in April 1770. However, after sailing for two hours westward into the strait against the wind, he turned back east and noted in his journal that he was "doubtful whether they [i.e. Van Diemen's Land and New Holland] are one land or no".<ref>{{cite web|last=Cook|first=James|date=19 April 1770|title=Cook's Journal: Daily Entries|url=http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/cook/17700419.html|access-date=18 October 2020|website=National Library of Australia, South Seas Collection|archive-date=7 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307215621/http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/cook/17700419.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The strait was named after George Bass, after he and Matthew Flinders passed through it while circumnavigating Van Diemen's Land in the ''Norfolk'' in 1798–99. At Flinders' recommendation, the Governor of New South Wales, John Hunter, in 1800 named the stretch of water between the mainland and Van Diemen's Land "Bass's Straits".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Flinders|first=Matthew|title=A Voyage to Terra Australis|year=1814}}</ref> Later it became known as Bass Strait.

The existence of the strait had been suggested in 1797 by the master of Sydney Cove when he reached Sydney after deliberately grounding his foundering ship and being stranded on Preservation Island (at the eastern end of the strait). He reported that the strong south westerly swell and the tides and currents suggested that the island was in a channel linking the Pacific and southern Indian Ocean. Governor Hunter thus wrote to Joseph Banks in August 1797 that it seemed certain a strait existed.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Blainey|first=Geoffrey|title=Tyranny of Distance: How Distance Shaped Australia's History.|publisher=Sun Books|year=1966|location=Melbourne|pages=73–74}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{See also|Climate of Tasmania}}
[[File:CradleMountainTas.jpg|thumb|Snow on [[Cradle Mountain]]]]
[[File:Tasmania Köppen.svg|thumb|left|The Köppen climate classifications of Tasmania]]

Tasmania has a relatively cool temperate climate compared to the rest of Australia, spared from the hot summers of the mainland and experiencing four distinct seasons.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/climate-and-weather | title = Climate and weather | author = Discover Tasmania | work = Writer for Discover Tasmania | publisher = Discover Tasmania | location = Tasmania, Australia | access-date = 27 October 2016 | archive-date = 30 October 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161030171403/http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/about/climate-and-weather | url-status = live }}</ref> Summer is from December to February when the average maximum sea temperature is {{convert|21|°C|°F}} and inland areas around Launceston reach {{convert|24|°C|°F}}. Other inland areas are much cooler, with [[Liawenee]], located on the Central Plateau, one of the coldest places in Australia, ranging between {{convert|4|and|17|°C|°F}} in February. Autumn is from March to May, with mostly settled weather, as summer patterns gradually take on the shape of winter patterns.<ref>{{cite news|title=Climate of Launceston |work=Australian BOM |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/tas/launceston/climate.shtml |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222154659/http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/tas/launceston/climate.shtml |archive-date=22 February 2009 }}</ref> The winter months are from June to August and are generally the wettest and coldest months in the state, with most high lying areas receiving considerable snowfall. Winter maximums are {{convert|12|°C|°F}} on average along coastal areas and {{convert|3|°C|°F}} on the central plateau, as a result of a series of cold fronts from the [[Southern Ocean]]. Inland areas receive regular freezes throughout the winter months. Spring is from September to November, and is an unsettled season of transition, where winter weather patterns begin to take the shape of summer patterns, although snowfall is still common up until October. Spring is generally the windiest time of the year with afternoon sea breezes starting to take effect on the coast.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!City/town
!Mean min. temp °C
!Mean max. temp °C
!No. clear days
!Rainfall (mm)
|-
|[[Hobart]]
|align=center | 8.3 || align=center | 16.9|| align=center | 41 || align=center | 616<ref name="hobartclimate">{{cite web|title=Hobart Climate Statistics|publisher=Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_094030.shtml|access-date=1 January 2009|archive-date=2 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802051730/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_094030.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]]
|align=center | 7.0 || align=center | 18.3|| align=center | 50 || align=center | 666<ref name="launcestonclimate">{{cite web|title=Launceston Climate Statistics|publisher=Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091049.shtml|access-date=14 May 2021|archive-date=13 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513185349/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091049.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport]]
|align=center | 8.0 || align=center | 16.8|| align=center | 61 || align=center | 778<ref name="devonportclimate">{{cite web|title=Devonport Climate Statistics|publisher=Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091111.shtml|access-date=14 May 2021|archive-date=14 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514015120/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091111.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Strahan, Tasmania|Strahan]]
|align=center | 7.9 || align=center | 16.5|| align=center | 41 || align=center | 1,458<ref name="strahanclimate">{{cite web|title=Strahan Climate Statistics|publisher=Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_097072.shtml|access-date=1 January 2009|archive-date=23 November 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041123035433/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_097072.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

{{Weather box
| location = [[Hobart]] ([[Battery Point, Tasmania|Battery Point]])
| collapsed = yes
| width = auto
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| Jan record high C = 41.8
| Feb record high C = 40.1
| Mar record high C = 39.1
| Apr record high C = 31.0
| May record high C = 25.7
| Jun record high C = 20.6
| Jul record high C = 22.1
| Aug record high C = 24.5
| Sep record high C = 31.0
| Oct record high C = 34.6
| Nov record high C = 36.8
| Dec record high C = 40.6
| Jan high C = 22.7
| Feb high C = 22.2
| Mar high C = 20.7
| Apr high C = 17.9
| May high C = 15.3
| Jun high C = 12.7
| Jul high C = 12.6
| Aug high C = 13.7
| Sep high C = 15.7
| Oct high C = 17.6
| Nov high C = 19.1
| Dec high C = 21.0
| year high C = 17.6
| Jan low C = 13.0
| Feb low C = 12.8
| Mar low C = 11.6
| Apr low C = 9.4
| May low C = 7.6
| Jun low C = 5.5
| Jul low C = 5.2
| Aug low C = 5.6
| Sep low C = 6.9
| Oct low C = 8.3
| Nov low C = 10.0
| Dec low C = 11.6
| year low C = 9.0
| Jan record low C = 3.3
| Feb record low C = 3.4
| Mar record low C = 1.8
| Apr record low C = 0.7
| May record low C = −1.6
| Jun record low C = −2.8
| Jul record low C = −2.8
| Aug record low C = −1.8
| Sep record low C = −0.8
| Oct record low C = 0.0
| Nov record low C = 0.3
| Dec record low C = 3.3
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 43.7
| Feb rain mm = 37.8
| Mar rain mm = 37.0
| Apr rain mm = 42.6
| May rain mm = 39.2
| Jun rain mm = 46.0
| Jul rain mm = 44.5
| Aug rain mm = 63.0
| Sep rain mm = 55.6
| Oct rain mm = 52.8
| Nov rain mm = 50.7
| Dec rain mm = 53.0
| year rain mm = 565.9
| unit rain days= 0.2 mm
| Jan rain days = 9.5
| Feb rain days = 9.1
| Mar rain days = 11.3
| Apr rain days = 11.1
| May rain days = 12.0
| Jun rain days = 12.4
| Jul rain days = 14.1
| Aug rain days = 15.3
| Sep rain days = 15.7
| Oct rain days = 15.0
| Nov rain days = 13.5
| Dec rain days = 11.7
| year rain days = 150.7
| humidity colour = green
| Jan afthumidity = 51
| Feb afthumidity = 52
| Mar afthumidity = 52
| Apr afthumidity = 56
| May afthumidity = 58
| Jun afthumidity = 64
| Jul afthumidity = 61
| Aug afthumidity = 56
| Sep afthumidity = 53
| Oct afthumidity = 51
| Nov afthumidity = 53
| Dec afthumidity = 49
| year humidity = 55
| Jan sun = 257.3
| Feb sun = 226.0
| Mar sun = 210.8
| Apr sun = 177.0
| May sun = 148.8
| Jun sun = 132.0
| Jul sun = 151.9
| Aug sun = 179.8
| Sep sun = 195.0
| Oct sun = 232.5
| Nov sun = 234.0
| Dec sun = 248.0
| year sun = 2393.1
| Jan percentsun= 59
| Feb percentsun= 62
| Mar percentsun= 57
| Apr percentsun= 59
| May percentsun= 53
| Jun percentsun= 49
| Jul percentsun= 53
| Aug percentsun= 58
| Sep percentsun= 59
| Oct percentsun= 58
| Nov percentsun= 56
| Dec percentsun= 53
| source 1 = [[Bureau of Meteorology]] (1991–2020 averages;<ref name="BoM2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=094029&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=full_statistics_table&normals_years=1991-2020&tablesizebutt=large|title=Climate Statistics: Hobart (Ellerslie Road 1991–2020 normals)|publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]|access-date=30 June 2017|archive-date=29 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329082113/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=094029&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=full_statistics_table&normals_years=1991-2020&tablesizebutt=large|url-status=live}}</ref> extremes 1882–present)<ref name="BoM1">{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_094029_All.shtml |title=Climate statistics: Hobart (Ellerslie Road) |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=30 June 2017 |archive-date=7 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107070355/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_094029_All.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/wData/wdata?p_nccObsCode=40&p_display_type=dataFile&p_stn_num=094029|title=Highest Temperature – 094029|publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]|access-date=22 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201143325/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/wData/wdata?p_nccObsCode=40&p_display_type=dataFile&p_stn_num=094029|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/wData/wdata?p_nccObsCode=43&p_display_type=dataFile&p_stn_num=094029|title=Lowest Temperature – 094029|publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]|access-date=22 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201195537/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/wData/wdata?p_nccObsCode=43&p_display_type=dataFile&p_stn_num=094029|url-status=live}}</ref>
| source 2= [[Bureau of Meteorology]], [[Hobart Airport]] (sunshine hours)<ref name="BoMAirport">{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=094008&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=statistics_summary&normals_years=1981-2010&tablesizebutt=normal |title=Climate statistics: Hobart Airport |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=21 October 2017 |archive-date=28 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328152724/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=094008&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=statistics_summary&normals_years=1981-2010&tablesizebutt=normal |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
{{Weather box
|location = [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]] (Ti Tree Bend)
|collapsed = yes
|width = auto
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 39.0
|Feb record high C = 34.4
|Mar record high C = 33.0
|Apr record high C = 27.7
|May record high C = 22.0
|Jun record high C = 18.4
|Jul record high C = 18.4
|Aug record high C = 20.3
|Sep record high C = 24.8
|Oct record high C = 28.7
|Nov record high C = 30.7
|Dec record high C = 33.8
|year record high C = 39.0
|Jan high C = 24.8
|Feb high C = 24.6
|Mar high C = 22.7
|Apr high C = 18.9
|May high C = 15.8
|Jun high C = 13.3
|Jul high C = 12.8
|Aug high C = 13.8
|Sep high C = 15.7
|Oct high C = 18.2
|Nov high C = 20.5
|Dec high C = 22.7
|year high C = 18.7
|Jan low C = 12.6
|Feb low C = 12.5
|Mar low C = 10.3
|Apr low C = 7.5
|May low C = 5.0
|Jun low C = 2.9
|Jul low C = 2.5
|Aug low C = 3.5
|Sep low C = 5.2
|Oct low C = 7.0
|Nov low C = 9.1
|Dec low C = 10.9
|year low C = 7.4
|Jan record low C = 2.5
|Feb record low C = 3.4
|Mar record low C = 0.5
|Apr record low C = −1.5
|May record low C = −3.0
|Jun record low C = −4.9
|Jul record low C = −5.2
|Aug record low C = −3.6
|Sep record low C = −3.4
|Oct record low C = −1.4
|Nov record low C = -2.0
|Dec record low C = 2.0
|year record low C = −5.2
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 51.5
|Feb rain mm = 35.2
|Mar rain mm = 38.8
|Apr rain mm = 51.0
|May rain mm = 63.1
|Jun rain mm = 66.9
|Jul rain mm = 78.3
|Aug rain mm = 83.8
|Sep rain mm = 65.5
|Oct rain mm = 48.0
|Nov rain mm = 52.9
|Dec rain mm = 45.8
|year rain mm = 680.8
|Jan rain days = 4.8
|Feb rain days = 4.6
|Mar rain days = 4.4
|Apr rain days = 6.5
|May rain days = 7.6
|Jun rain days = 8.3
|Jul rain days = 9.7
|Aug rain days = 10.9
|Sep rain days = 10.0
|Oct rain days = 7.5
|Nov rain days = 7.0
|Dec rain days = 5.8
|year rain days = 87.1
|unit rain days = 1 mm
|humidity colour = green
|Jan afthumidity = 48
|Feb afthumidity = 49
|Mar afthumidity = 48
|Apr afthumidity = 56
|May afthumidity = 63
|Jun afthumidity = 69
|Jul afthumidity = 69
|Aug afthumidity = 63
|Sep afthumidity = 59
|Oct afthumidity = 54
|Nov afthumidity = 52
|Dec afthumidity = 49
|year humidity = 57
|Jan sun = 285.2
|Feb sun = 256.9
|Mar sun = 241.8
|Apr sun = 198.0
|May sun = 155.0
|Jun sun = 135.0
|Jul sun = 142.6
|Aug sun = 170.5
|Sep sun = 201.0
|Oct sun = 254.2
|Nov sun = 267.0
|Dec sun = 282.1
|year sun = 2589.3
|source 1 = [[Bureau of Meteorology]] (1991–2020 averages;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=091237&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=full_statistics_table&normals_years=1981-2010&tablesizebutt=normal |title=Climate Statistics for Launceston |access-date=28 October 2017 |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |archive-date=15 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315103649/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=091237&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=full_statistics_table&normals_years=1981-2010&tablesizebutt=normal |url-status=live }}</ref> extremes 1980–present)<ref name="pogoda">{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091237_All.shtml |title=Climate Statistics for Launceston |access-date=5 November 2016 |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |work=Australian Government |archive-date=6 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106205653/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091237_All.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
|source 2   =Bureau of Meteorology, [[Launceston Airport]] (1981–2004 sunshine hours)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=091104&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=statistics_summary&normals_years=1981-2010&tablesizebutt=normal |title=Climate Statistics for Launceston |access-date=5 November 2016 |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |work=Australian Government |archive-date=15 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315103507/http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=091104&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=statistics_summary&normals_years=1981-2010&tablesizebutt=normal |url-status=live }}</ref>
|date=November 2016
}}

=== Biodiversity ===
{{Main|Ecology of Tasmania}}
[[File:Hellyer Gorge, Tasmania.jpg|thumb|[[Fern]]s in [[Hellyer Gorge]], to the northeast of [[Savage River National Park]]]]
[[File:Sarcophilus harrisii taranna.jpg|thumb|The [[Tasmanian Devil]], Tasmania's state animal emblem]]

Geographically and biological isolated, Tasmania is known for its unique [[endemic]] flora and fauna.

==== Flora ====
Tasmania has [[biodiversity|extremely diverse]] vegetation, from the heavily grazed grassland of the dry Midlands to the tall evergreen [[eucalypt]] forest, [[alpine climate|alpine]] heathlands and large areas of cool [[temperate rain forest|temperate rainforests]] and moorlands in the rest of the state. Many species are unique to Tasmania, and some are related to species in South America and New Zealand through ancestors which grew on the supercontinent of [[Gondwana]], 50&nbsp;million years ago. ''[[Nothofagus gunnii]]'', commonly known as Australian beech, is Australia's only temperate native deciduous tree and is found exclusively in Tasmania.<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 March 2016|title=Why don't we have more native deciduous trees in Australia?|language=en-AU|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-03-07/deciduous-trees-in-australia/7200608|access-date=10 January 2022|archive-date=13 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113093139/https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-03-07/deciduous-trees-in-australia/7200608|url-status=live}}</ref>

Distinctive species of plant in Tasmania include:
* [[Eucalyptus regnans|''Eucalyptus regnans'' (mountain ash)]] – the [[List of superlative trees|tallest]] flowering plant and hardwood in the world, [[Centurion (tree)|reaching 100 m]] (328&nbsp;ft).<ref>{{cite web |title=Tall tree Centurion passes 100-metre mark, creating milestone for Tasmanian wilderness |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-12/new-milestone-for-australias-tallest-tree-centurion/10604588 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=11 December 2018 |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=14 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514010002/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-12/new-milestone-for-australias-tallest-tree-centurion/10604588 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Nothofagus cunninghamii|''Nothofagus cunninghamii'' (myrtle beech)]] – the most abundant temperate rainforest canopy species found in Tasmania.
* [[Nothofagus gunnii|''Nothofagus gunnii'' (deciduous beech)]] – Australia's only winter-deciduous tree.
* [[Atherosperma moschatum|''Atherosperma moschatum'' (blackheart sassafras)]] – a co-dominant rainforest tree with a nutmeg aroma.
* [[Lagarostrobos franklinii|''Lagarostrobos franklinii'' (Huon pine)]] – one of the oldest-lived tree species, and a self-preserving timber. 
* [[Phyllocladus aspleniifolius|''Phyllocladus aspleniifolius'' (celery-top pine)]] – a celery-leaved conifer found in rainforests.
* [[Athrotaxis|Athrotaxis (Tasmanian cedar/redwood)]] – a genus comprising three extant species related to [[Sequoiadendron|sequoia]] found in Tasmania.<ref>{{cite web |title=Athrotaxis |url=https://treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/athrotaxis/ |website=Trees and Shrubs Online |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831053330/https://treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/athrotaxis/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Eucryphia lucida|''Eucryphia lucida'' (leatherwood)]] – a prominent floral symbol of Tasmania and a unique [[monofloral honey]] species.<ref>{{cite web |title=Leatherwood Honey |url=https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/leatherwood-honey/ |website=Slow Food Foundation |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831090909/https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/leatherwood-honey/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===== Bush tucker =====
{{See also|Bush tucker#Tasmania}}
Tasmania also has a number of [[Native species|native]] [[edible]]s, known as [[bush tucker]] in Australia. These plants were [[Foraging|foraged]] by the [[Tasmanian Aboriginals]] and also used for other purposes, such as [[construction]]. Unusual trees such as [[Eucalyptus gunnii|cider gum (''Eucalyptus gunnii'')]] had their [[Sap|manna]] used to make a [[syrup]] or an [[Alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] ([[cider]]). Other trees such as [[Acacia|wattles (acacias)]] like [[Acacia melanoxylon|blackwood (''Acacia melanoxylon'')]] and [[Acacia dealbata|mimosa (''Acacia dealbata'')]] could have their [[Wattleseed|seeds]] eaten or crushed into a [[powder]]. There are also many [[berries]] such as [[Gaultheria hispida|snowberry (''Gaultheria hispida'')]], [[fruits]] such as [[Aristotelia peduncularis|heartberry (''Aristotelia peduncularis'')]], and [[vegetables]] such as [[Mentha australis|river mint (''Mentha australis'')]], though no [[crops]] like [[maize]] that are used for large production.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edible Plants of Tasmania |url=https://www.habitatplants.com.au/hpwp/wp-content/uploads/Tas-Edible-Native-Plants.pdf |website=National Landcare Programme, NRM North |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904234431/https://www.habitatplants.com.au/hpwp/wp-content/uploads/Tas-Edible-Native-Plants.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Fauna ====
Tasmania has a large percentage of [[endemism]] whilst featuring many types of animals found on mainland Australia. Many of these species, such as the [[platypus]], are larger than their mainland relatives.<ref>{{cite web |title=Platypus in Tasmania |url=https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/mammals/echidnas-and-platypus/platypus/platypus-in-tasmania |website=DPIPWE |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=8 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308221910/https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/mammals/echidnas-and-platypus/platypus/platypus-in-tasmania |url-status=live }}</ref>
The island of Tasmania was home to the [[thylacine]], a [[marsupial]] which resembled a [[Fossa (animal)|fossa]] or some say a wild dog. Known colloquially as the Tasmanian tiger for the distinctive striping across its back, it became extinct in mainland Australia much earlier because of competition by the [[dingo]], introduced in prehistoric times. Owing to persecution by farmers, government-funded bounty hunters and, in the final years, collectors for overseas museums, it appears to have been exterminated in Tasmania. The [[Tasmanian devil]] became the [[Largest mammals#Marsupials (Marsupialia)|largest carnivorous marsupial]] in the world following the [[extinction]] of the [[thylacine]] in 1936 and is now found in the wild only in Tasmania. Tasmania was one of the last regions of Australia to be introduced to domesticated dogs. Dogs were brought from Britain in 1803 for hunting kangaroos and [[emu]]s. This introduction completely transformed Aboriginal society, as it helped them to successfully compete with European hunters and was more important than the introduction of guns for the Aboriginal people.<ref>Boyce, James, 'The social and Environmental impact of the introduction of the dog to Tasmania' in ''Environmental History'' Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 2006), pp. 102–129</ref>

Tasmania is a hotspot for [[Island gigantism|giant habitat trees and the large animal species]] that occupy them, notably the endangered [[Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle|Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle (''Aquila audax fleayi'')]], the [[Tasmanian masked owl|Tasmanian masked owl (''Tyto novaehollandiae castanops'')]], the [[Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish|Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish (''Astacopsis gouldi'')]], the [[Yellow wattlebird|yellow wattlebird (''Anthochaera paradoxa'')]], the [[Green rosella|green rosella (''Platycercus caledonicus'')]] and others. Tasmania is also home to the world's only three migratory parrots, the critically endangered [[Orange-bellied parrot|Orange-bellied parrot (''Neophema chrysogaster'')]], the [[Blue-winged parrot|Blue-winged parrot (''Neophema chrysostoma'')]], and the fastest parrot in the world, the [[Swift parrot|swift parrot (''Lathamus discolor'')]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Saving the Swift Parrot |url=https://science.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/saving-swift-parrot#:~:text=The%20swift%20parrot%20%E2%80%93%20the%20world's,for%20this%20critically%20endangered%20bird. |website=Australian National University |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831085624/https://science.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/saving-swift-parrot#:~:text=The%20swift%20parrot%20%E2%80%93%20the%20world's,for%20this%20critically%20endangered%20bird. |url-status=live }}</ref>
Tasmania has 12 [[endemic]] species of [[bird]] in total.<ref>{{cite web |title=Birds |url=https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/birds |website=DPIPWE |publisher=Tasmanian Government |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=6 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906111619/https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/birds |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Mycology ====
Tasmania is a hotspot for [[Fungi|fungal]] diversity. The importance of fungi in Tasmania's ecology is often overlooked; nonetheless, they play a vital role in the natural vegetation cycle.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fungi – overlooked beauties |url=https://gardensforwildlife.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/gfw.nsf/GardenStories/1578E2AD9479A280CA2575D8002290B4?OpenDocument |website=Gardens for Wildlife, DPIPWE |access-date=31 August 2021 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831053333/https://gardensforwildlife.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/gfw.nsf/GardenStories/1578E2AD9479A280CA2575D8002290B4?OpenDocument |url-status=live }}</ref> Tasmania's southwestern wilderness hosts a rich diversity of alpine [[lichen]]s, with at least 162 documented species. The region's alpine lichen flora is particularly notable for its high level of endemism, with approximately 16% of species found nowhere else in the world. The area's cool [[maritime climate]], Precambrian geology, and extensive [[peat]] formations create unique habitats for these organisms. The lichen [[community (ecology)|communities]] differ significantly from those found on Tasmania's eastern dolerite mountains, with the southwestern species showing stronger affinities to New Zealand and sub-Antarctic flora rather than to mainland Australia. Major lichen habitats in the alpine southwest include heathlands, alpine lawns, [[feldmark]] (windswept rocky plateaus), and large rock outcrops, each supporting distinct assemblages of species. Some particularly diverse genera in the region include ''[[Bunodophoron]]'', ''[[Cladia]]'', ''[[Cladonia]]'', ''[[Menegazzia]]'', ''[[Micarea]]'', ''[[Pertusaria]]'', ''[[Pseudocyphellaria]]'', ''[[Psoroma]]'', ''[[Siphula]]'', and ''[[Stereocaulon]]''.<ref name="Kantvilas 1995">{{cite journal |authorlink=Gintaras Kantvilas |last=Kantvilas |first=Gintaras |title=Alpine lichens of Tasmania's south west wilderness |journal=The Lichenologist |volume=27 |issue=6 |year=1995 |doi=10.1016/S0024-2829(95)80004-2 |pages=433–449}}</ref>

==== Conservation ====
Like the rest of Australia, Tasmania suffers from an [[endangered species]] problem. In particular, many important Tasmanian subspecies and world-significant species of [[animal]] are classified as at risk in some way. A famous example is the [[Tasmanian devil]], which is endangered due to [[devil facial tumour disease]]. Some species have already gone [[extinct]], primarily due to [[Human impact on the environment|human interference]], such as in the case of the [[thylacine]] or the [[Tasmanian emu]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Fact check: Does Australia have one of the 'highest loss of species anywhere in the world'? (CORRECT) |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-19/fact-check-does-australia-have-one-of-the-highest-extinction/6691026 |newspaper=ABC News |date=19 August 2015 |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904011442/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-19/fact-check-does-australia-have-one-of-the-highest-extinction/6691026 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Extinct Tasmanian Species |url=https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/natural-extinct.html |website=Our Tasmania |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206183813/https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/natural-extinct.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In Tasmania, there are about 90 endangered, vulnerable, or threatened vertebrate species classified by the state or Commonwealth governments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Threatened Species List – Vertebrate Animals |url=https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/conservation/threatened-species-and-communities/lists-of-threatened-species/threatened-species-vertebrates |website=DPIPWE |publisher=Tasmanian Government |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904011444/https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/conservation/threatened-species-and-communities/lists-of-threatened-species/threatened-species-vertebrates |url-status=live }}</ref> Because of a reliance on roads and private vehicle transport, and a high concentration of animal populations divided by this development, Tasmania has the worst (per kilometre) [[roadkill]] rate in the world, with 32 animals killed per hour and at least 300,000 per year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Tasmania, the roadkill capital of the world |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/tasmania-roadkill-capital-of-the-world/7021816 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=14 December 2015 |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904011442/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/offtrack/tasmania-roadkill-capital-of-the-world/7021816 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Protected areas of Tasmania]] cover 21% of the island's land area in the form of [[national park]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=1362.6 – Regional Statistics, Tasmania, 2007 |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/9A04C0D0F8F2241BCA257264000CAFFE?opendocument |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=6 February 2006 |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904011441/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/9A04C0D0F8F2241BCA257264000CAFFE?opendocument |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area]] (TWWHA) was inscribed by [[UNESCO]] in 1982, where it is globally significant because "most UNESCO World Heritage sites meet only one or two of the ten criteria for that status. The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) meets 7 out of 10 criteria. Only one other place on earth—China’s [[Mount Tai]]shan—meets that many criteria".<ref>{{cite web |title=Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) |url=https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/tasmanian-wilderness-world-heritage-area-(twwha) |website=Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=24 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524175342/https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/tasmanian-wilderness-world-heritage-area-(twwha) |url-status=live }}</ref> 
Controversy surrounds the decision in 2014 by the [[Abbott Government|Abbott]] federal [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal government]] to request the area's delisting and opening for resource exploration (before it was rejected by the UN Committee at Doha),<ref>{{cite news |title=UNESCO rejects Coalition's bid to delist Tasmanian World Heritage forest |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-24/unesco-rejects-bid-to-delist-world-heritage-forest/5538946?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment#:~:text=The%20Federal%20Government%20has%20lost,reverse%20protection%20for%2074%2C000%20hectares. |access-date=4 September 2021 |agency=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=24 June 2014 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904012944/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-24/unesco-rejects-bid-to-delist-world-heritage-forest/5538946?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment#:~:text=The%20Federal%20Government%20has%20lost,reverse%20protection%20for%2074%2C000%20hectares. |url-status=live }}</ref> and the current [[mining]] and [[deforestation]] in the state's [[Tarkine]] region, the largest single [[temperate rainforest]] in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Tarkine National Heritage assessment |url=https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/organisations/australian-heritage-council/national-heritage-assessments/tarkine |website=Department of Agriculture |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904011453/https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/organisations/australian-heritage-council/national-heritage-assessments/tarkine |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Loynes |first1=Kate |title=The Tarkine: more than just a forest? |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2013/February/The_Tarkine_more_than_just_a_forest |website=Parliament of Australia |access-date=4 September 2021 |archive-date=4 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904011443/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2013/February/The_Tarkine_more_than_just_a_forest |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Demography==
{{redirect|Tasmanian people|the original inhabitants of Tasmania|#Aboriginal people|and|Aboriginal Tasmanians}}
[[File:ABS-3101.0-AustralianDemographicStatistics-EstimatedResidentPopulationStatesTerritories-EstimatedResidentPopulation-Persons-Tasmania-A2060848V.svg|thumb|right|Estimated resident population since 1981]]

The population of Tasmania is the most homogeneous of any Australian state, being mostly of [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] (primarily [[English people|English]]) descent.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tasmania &#124; History, Capital, Map, Climate, & Facts &#124; Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Tasmania|access-date=10 January 2022|website=www.britannica.com|language=en|archive-date=28 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528191439/https://www.britannica.com/place/Tasmania|url-status=live}}</ref>

Until 2012, Tasmania was the only state in Australia with an above-replacement [[total fertility rate]]; Tasmanian women had an average of 2.24 children each.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.theage.com.au/national/australia-had-baby-boom-in-2007-abs-20081028-5ag2.html|title=Australia had baby boom in 2007: ABS|work=The Age|location=Australia|access-date=2 April 2010|archive-date=13 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013022237/http://news.theage.com.au/national/australia-had-baby-boom-in-2007-abs-20081028-5ag2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2012 the birth rate had slipped to 2.1 children per woman, bringing the state to the replacement threshold, but it continues to have the second-highest birth rate of any state or territory (behind the Northern Territory).<ref>{{cite news|title=Birth-rate slump in Tasmania linked with tough economic times for families|url=http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/birth-rate-slump-in-tasmania-linked-with-tough-economic-times-for-families/story-fnj4f7k1-1226752410226|access-date=31 March 2014|newspaper=The Mercury|date=4 November 2013|archive-date=31 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331103234/http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/birth-rate-slump-in-tasmania-linked-with-tough-economic-times-for-families/story-fnj4f7k1-1226752410226|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Major population centres include [[Hobart]], [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]], [[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport]], [[Burnie, Tasmania|Burnie]], and [[Ulverstone, Tasmania|Ulverstone]]. [[Kingston, Tasmania|Kingston]] is often defined as a separate city but is generally regarded as part of the Greater Hobart Area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/kingston-tas|title=Kingston, TAS|website=Aussie Towns|language=en-US|access-date=28 May 2019|archive-date=28 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528004405/https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/kingston-tas|url-status=live}}</ref>

<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="table" style="text-align:center; margin-right:10px; font-size:90%"
! colspan="7" style="background:#e9e9e9; padding:0.3em;" 0; line-height:1.2em;|Cities and towns by population<ref>{{cite web |title=Largest cities by population in Tasmania |url=http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=f&sc=lg&st=6&cmd=sp |website=Bonzle |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=6 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906010929/http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=f&sc=lg&st=6&cmd=sp |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
!rowspan=21|
[[File:Franklin Wharf Hobart 20171120-031.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]]<br /><small>[[Hobart]]</small><br />
[[File:Launceston busy downtown.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]]<br /><small>[[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]]</small><br />
[[File:Devonport, TAS.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]]<br /><small>[[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport]]</small><br />
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| <small>#</small>
! style="text-align:left; background:#f5f5f5;"| [[List of places in Tasmania by population|Settlement]]
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Population
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Metro <br /> population
!rowspan=21|
[[File:Dawn-Princess-Burnie-20131216-002.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]]<br /><small>[[Burnie, Tasmania|Burnie]]</small><br />
[[File:Leven-River-Bridge-Ulverstone-20070420-023.jpg|frameless|upright=0.7]]<br /><small>[[Ulverstone, Tasmania|Ulverstone]]</small><br />
[[File:Sorell BerryFarm.JPG|frameless|upright=0.7]]<br /><small>[[Sorell, Tasmania|Sorell]]</small>

|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 1 ||align=left | '''[[Hobart]]'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Hobart Population 2021 |url=https://www.population.net.au/hobart-population/ |website=Population Australia |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=6 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906010932/https://www.population.net.au/hobart-population/ |url-status=live }}</ref> || 178,009 || 252,669 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 2 ||align=left | '''[[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]]''' || 68,813 || 110,472 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 3 ||align=left | '''[[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport-Latrobe]] ''' || 30,297 || 
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 4 ||align=left | '''[[Burnie, Tasmania|Burnie-Somerset]]''' || 19,385
|-|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 5 ||align=left | '''[[Ulverstone, Tasmania|Ulverstone]] ''' || 14,490 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 6 ||align=left | '''[[Sorell, Tasmania|Sorell-Dodges Ferry]]''' || 14,400 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 7 ||align=left | '''[[Kingston, Tasmania|Kingston]] '''|| 10,409 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 8 ||align=left | '''[[George Town, Tasmania|George Town]]''' || 7,117 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 9 ||align=left | '''[[Wynyard, Tasmania|Wynyard]]''' || 5,990
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 10 ||align=left | '''[[New Norfolk]]''' || 5,834
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 11 ||align=left | '''[[Smithton, Tasmania|Smithton]]''' || 3,881 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 12 ||align=left | '''[[Penguin, Tasmania|Penguin]]''' || 3,849 ||
|}
</div><div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name !! Population
|-
| [[Hobart|Greater Hobart]] || 226,884<ref name="ABSCapitalPop2" />
|-
| [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]] || 86,404<ref name=ABSSUA>{{cite web|title=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2016–17: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2007 to 2017|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3218.02016-17|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|date=24 April 2018|access-date=12 October 2018|archive-date=12 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012134910/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3218.02016-17|url-status=live}} Estimated resident population, 30 June 2017.</ref>
|-
| [[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport]] || 30,044<ref name=ABSSUA/>
|-
| [[Burnie, Tasmania|Burnie]] || 26,978<ref name=ABSSUA/>
|-
| [[Ulverstone, Tasmania|Ulverstone]] || 14,424<ref name=ABSSUA/>
|}
</div>

===Ancestry and immigration===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+ Country of Birth (2021)<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au">{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/6|title=2021 Census Community Profiles: Tasmania|website=quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au|access-date=29 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au">{{cite web|title=Census 2016|url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub2016.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2016~Community%20Profile~6/$File/GCP_6.zip?OpenElement|access-date=26 June 2020|archive-date=11 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111183820/https://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub2016.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2016~Community%20Profile~6/$File/GCP_6.zip?OpenElement|url-status=live}}</ref>
! Birthplace{{refn|group="N"|In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source, England, Scotland, Mainland China and the Special Administrative Regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] are listed separately}} !! Population
|-
| Australia || 440,818
|-
| England || 19,283 <!-- England and Scotland are listed separately as per the source. Do not combine -->
|-
| [[Mainland China]] || 6,830 <!-- Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau SARs are listed separately as per the source. Do not combine -->
|-
| Nepal || 6,219
|-
| India || 6,137
|-
| New Zealand || 5,483
|-
| Philippines || 2,441
|-
| Scotland || 2,280
|- 
| Netherlands || 2,136
|-
| South Africa || 2,089
|-
| Germany || 2,087
|-
| United States || 2,056
|}

At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:{{refn|group="N"|As a percentage of 475,884 persons who nominated their ancestry at the 2016 census.}}<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/> <!-- Only ancestries with >1% are listed. Do not use the QuickStats data from ABS for ancestries. Use the full ancestry data series (eg from ABS Community Profiles series) as the QuickStats data shows each ancestry as a percentage of all ancestry responses (where each person can list up to two, thus a far greater number than the total population) while the full data series in the ABS Community Profiles show the percentage of people nominating a given ancestry as a percentage of the population who nominated an ancestry -->
{{columns-list|colwidth=13em|
* [[English Australians|English]] (47.7%)
* [[Australians|Australian]] (46.3%){{refn|group="N"|The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry are part of the [[Anglo-Celtic Australian|Anglo-Celtic]] group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182!OpenDocument|title=Feature Article – Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Australia (Feature Article)|website=www.abs.gov.au|date=January 1995|access-date=22 June 2019|archive-date=20 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420205113/http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182%21OpenDocument|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
* [[Irish Australians|Irish]] (11.7%)
* [[Scottish Australians|Scottish]] (10%)
* [[Indigenous Australians|Indigenous]] (4.6%){{refn|group="N"|Of any ancestry. Includes those identifying as [[Aboriginal Australians]] or [[Torres Strait Islanders]]. Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.}}
* [[German Australians|German]] (3.9%)
* [[Dutch Australians|Dutch]] (2.2%)
* [[Italian Australians|Italian]] (1.5%)
* [[Chinese Australians|Chinese]] (1.5%)
}}

19.3% of the population was born overseas at the 2016 census. The five largest groups of overseas-born were from England (3.7%), New Zealand (1%), [[Mainland China]] (0.6%), Scotland (0.4%) and the Netherlands (0.4%).<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

4.6% of the population, or 23,572 people, identified as [[Indigenous Australians]] ([[Aboriginal Australians]] and [[Torres Strait Islanders]]) in 2016.{{refn|group="N"|Of any ancestry. Includes those identifying as [[Aboriginal Australians]] or [[Torres Strait Islanders]]. Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.}}<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

===Language===
At the {{CensusAU|2021}}, 86.1% of inhabitants spoke only English at home, with the next most common languages being [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] (1.5%), [[Nepali language|Nepali]] (1.3%), [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] (0.5%) and Spanish (0.3%).<ref name="census2021">{{cite web |title=Snapshot of Tasmania |date=28 June 2022 |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/snapshot-tas-2021 |access-date=16 July 2022 |archive-date=16 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716161203/https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/snapshot-tas-2021#:~:text=In%20the%202021%20Census%2C%20the,city%20area%20of%20Greater%20Hobart}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Pie chart
|caption = Religious Affiliation (2021)
|label1 = [[Christianity]] |value1 = 38.4 |color1 = DodgerBlue
|label2 = [[Irreligion in Australia|No Religion]] |value2 = 50.0 |color2 = Grey
|label3 = [[Hinduism]] |value3 = 1.7 |color3 = Orange
|label4 = [[Buddhism]] |value4 = 1.0 |color4 = Yellow
|label5 = Islam |value5 = 0.9 |color5 = Green
|label6 = Other/Unspecified |value6 = 8.0 |color6 = Black
}}

In 2021, 50.0% of people in Tasmania reported having no religious affiliation, a substantial increase from 38.2% in 2016 and just 5.1% in 1971. Meanwhile, Christianity remained the largest religious affiliation in the state, with 38.4% identifying as Christian, though this proportion has steadily declined over time—from 88.7% in 1971 to 49.7% in 2016.<ref name="census2021"/>

Non-Christian religions accounted for 4.5% of the population in 2021, with Hinduism (1.7%), Buddhism (1.0%), and Islam (0.9%) being the most prevalent among them.<ref name="census2021"/><ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

==Government==
{{Main|Government of Tasmania}}
{{further|List of Governors of Tasmania|l1=Governors of Tasmania|Parliament of Tasmania}}
[[File:Hobart-Tasmania-Australia04.JPG|thumb|[[Parliament House, Hobart]]]]

The form of the government of Tasmania is prescribed in [[Constitution of Tasmania|its constitution]], which dates from 1934. Since 1901, Tasmania has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the [[Australian Constitution]] regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth and prescribes which powers each level of government is allowed.

Tasmania is represented in the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] by 12 senators, on an equal basis with all other states. In the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], Tasmania is entitled to five seats, which is the minimum allocation for a state guaranteed by the Constitution—the number of House of Representatives seats for each state is otherwise decided on the basis of their relative populations, and Tasmania has never qualified for five seats on that basis alone. Tasmania's [[Tasmanian House of Assembly|House of Assembly]] use a system of multi-seat [[proportional representation]] known as [[Single Transferable Vote|Hare-Clark]].

===Parliamentary elections===
At the [[2002 Tasmanian state election|2002 state election]], the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]] won 14 of the 25 House seats. The people decreased their vote for the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]]; representation in the Parliament fell to seven seats. The [[Tasmanian Greens|Greens]] won four seats, with over 18% of the popular vote, the highest proportion of any Green party in any parliament in the world at that time.
{| class="toccolours" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="float:right; margin-right:.5em; margin-top:.4em; margin-left:0.5em; font-size:90%;"
|-
! colspan="3" style="background:#cef; text-align:center;"| Composition of the Parliament of Tasmania
|- style="background:#ccc; vertical-align:top;"
!Political<br />Party
!House of<br />Assembly
!Legislative<br />Council
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#f66;"|[[Australian Labor Party|ALP]]
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#00bfff;"|[[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]]
| style="text-align:center;"|14
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#90ee90;"|[[Australian Greens|Greens]]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#FFD700;"|[[Jacqui Lambie Network|Lambie Network]]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|{{Emdash}}
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#ccf;"|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
| colspan="3" style="font-size:80%; background:#cef; text-align:center;"| Source: Tasmanian Electoral Commission
|}

<!---kind of long and "who cares anymore". Premiers can be listed, then "hid." Smoking thing kind of interesting---->
On 23 February 2004 the Premier [[Jim Bacon (politician)|Jim Bacon]] announced his retirement, after being diagnosed with lung cancer. In his last months he opened a vigorous anti-smoking campaign which included many restrictions on where individuals could smoke, such as pubs. He died four months later. Bacon was succeeded by [[Paul Lennon]], who, after leading the state for two years, went on to win the [[2006 Tasmanian state election|2006 state election]] in his own right. Lennon resigned in 2008 and was succeeded by [[David Bartlett]], who formed a coalition government with the Greens after the [[2010 Tasmanian state election|2010 state election]] resulted in a [[hung parliament]]. Bartlett resigned as Premier in January 2011 and was replaced by [[Lara Giddings]], who became Tasmania's first female Premier. In March 2014 [[Will Hodgman]]'s Liberal Party won government, ending sixteen years of Labor governance, and ending an eight-year period for Hodgman himself as [[Leader of the Opposition (Tasmania)|Leader of the Opposition]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-27/tasmanian-liberals-secure-15-seats-as-election-count-ends/5350000|title=Tasmanian Liberals secure 15 seats as election count ends|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=27 March 2014|access-date=1 May 2014|archive-date=5 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505235742/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-27/tasmanian-liberals-secure-15-seats-as-election-count-ends/5350000|url-status=live}}</ref> Hodgman then won a second term of government in the [[2018 Tasmanian state election|2018 state election]], but resigned mid-term in January 2020 and was replaced by [[Peter Gutwein]].<ref name="gutwein">{{cite news |title=Gutwein premier, Rockliff deputy, after Tasmanian Liberal rivals quit contest |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-20/tasmania-new-premier-announced-peter-gutwein/11880490 |access-date=20 January 2020 |work=ABC News |date=20 January 2020 |language=en-AU |archive-date=22 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122161003/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-20/tasmania-new-premier-announced-peter-gutwein/11880490 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2021, the [[2021 Tasmanian state election|Tasmanian state election]] was held after being called [[Snap election|early]] by the incumbent [[Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division)|Liberal Party]], resulting in their return to government and establishment of a one-seat majority. It was also the first time that the Liberal Party had been elected three-times in a row.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tasmania Election 2021 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/tas-election-2021/ |access-date=1 September 2021 |agency=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901002241/https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/tas-election-2021/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2022, former deputy premier [[Jeremy Rockliff]] became Premier after Gutwein announced his retirement from politics.<ref>{{Cite web |agency=Australian Associated Press |date=2022-04-08 |title=Jeremy Rockliff becomes Tasmania's 47th premier after being elected as state Liberal leader |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/08/jeremy-rockliff-becomes-tasmanias-47th-premier-after-being-elected-as-state-liberal-leader |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926015121/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/08/jeremy-rockliff-becomes-tasmanias-47th-premier-after-being-elected-as-state-liberal-leader |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Politics===
Tasmania has a number of undeveloped regions. Proposals for local economic development have been faced with requirements for environmental sensitivity, or opposition. In particular, proposals for hydroelectric power generation were debated in the late 20th century. In the 1970s, opposition to the construction of the [[Lake Pedder]] reservoir impoundment led to the formation of the world's first [[Green party]], the [[United Tasmania Group]].<ref name="Lake Pedder">{{cite web|url=http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/L/Lake%20Pedder.htm|title=Lake Pedder|access-date=6 March 2010|last=Davies|first=Lynn|year=2006|publisher=Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies|archive-date=9 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009001643/http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/L/Lake%20Pedder.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the early 1980s the state debated the proposed [[Franklin Dam|Franklin River Dam]]. The anti-dam sentiment was shared by many Australians outside Tasmania and proved a factor in the election of the [[Bob Hawke|Hawke]] [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] government in 1983, which halted construction of the dam.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reimer |first=Ashe Miriam Stobbe |date=2021-09-30 |title=Tasmanian Wilderness Society blocks dam construction (Franklin River Campaign) 1981–83 |url=https://commonslibrary.org/tasmanian-wilderness-society-blocks-dam-construction-franklin-river-campaign-1981-83/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104142947/https://commonslibrary.org/tasmanian-wilderness-society-blocks-dam-construction-franklin-river-campaign-1981-83/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  Since the 1980s the environmental focus has shifted to [[old growth]] logging and mining in the Tarkine region, which have both proved divisive.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McIntyre |first=Iain |date=2020-11-04 |title=Environmental Blockading in Australia and Around the World – Timeline 1974–1997 |url=https://commonslibrary.org/environmental-blockading-in-australia-and-around-the-world-timeline-1974-1997/ |access-date=2024-04-06 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU |archive-date=1 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201003849/https://commonslibrary.org/environmental-blockading-in-australia-and-around-the-world-timeline-1974-1997/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Tasmania Together process recommended an end to clear felling in high conservation old growth forests by January 2003, but was unsuccessful.

In [[1996 Tasmanian state election|1996]], the House of Assembly consisted of 35 seats with 7 seats per each of the five electorates. By the [[1998 Tasmanian state election|1998 election]], the number of seats had been reduced down to 25, or 5 per each electorate. This resulted in the reduction of the Greens' number of seats from 4 to 1, and increased the proportion of seats held by both the Labor and Liberal parties.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Emily |title=Tasmanian Lower House should be increased by 10 members, report recommends |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-25/tasmania-parliament-should-be-restored-report-recommends/11998506 |newspaper=ABC News |date=25 February 2020 |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901005631/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-25/tasmania-parliament-should-be-restored-report-recommends/11998506 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was despite growth in population (five-fold since responsible government) and an increase in the voting percentage required for a majority government. There was also no public consultation, and inquiries at the time had recommended the opposite. The House of Assembly Select Committee in 2020 recommended in its report that the number should be increased again from 25 to 35, arguing that such a small representation would undermine democracy and limit the capabilities of the government. In 2010, the major party leadership had even endorsed reinstating the 35 seat number, but Liberal and Labor support was withdrawn the following year, with only the Greens keeping their commitment.<ref>{{cite web |title=HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY RESTORATION BILL Final Report |url=https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/House/Reports/RC%20Final%20Report%20Tabled.pdf |website=Parliament of Tasmania |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026061935/https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/House/Reports/RC%20Final%20Report%20Tabled.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> 
[[File:Tasmania Councils *@*.jpg|thumb|Map showing the [[Local government areas of Tasmania|Local Government Areas of Tasmania]]]]

{{Wide image|Lake Pedder From Mt Eliza.jpg|850px|The campaign to save Lake Pedder led to the 1972 formation of the [[United Tasmania Group]], the world's first Green party.}}

===Local government===
Tasmania has 29 [[Local government areas of Tasmania|local government areas]]. Local councils are responsible for functions delegated by the Tasmanian parliament, such as urban planning, road infrastructure and waste management. Council revenue comes mostly from property taxes and government grants.

As with the [[Tasmanian House of Assembly|House of Assembly]], Tasmania's local government elections use a system of multi-seat [[proportional representation]] known as [[Single transferable vote|Hare–Clark]]. Local government elections take place every four years and are conducted by the [[Tasmanian Electoral Commission]] by full [[postal ballot]]. The next local government elections will be held during October 2026.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Government Elections Tasmania |url=https://www.tec.tas.gov.au/Local_Government_Elections/ |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=www.tec.tas.gov.au |archive-date=18 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318180320/https://www.tec.tas.gov.au/Local_Government_Elections/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Tasmania}}
[[File:Tasmanian salmon on a pea and corn fritter.jpg|thumb|Smoked Tasmanian salmon. Tasmania is a large exporter of seafood, particularly [[salmon]].]]
[[File:Derwent Valley (22645573102).jpg|thumb|[[Hops|Hop farms]] in the [[Derwent Valley Council|Derwent Valley]]]]

Traditionally, Tasmania's main industries have been mining (including copper, [[zinc]], [[tin]], and iron), agriculture, forestry, and [[Tourism in Tasmania|tourism]]. Tasmania is on [[Electricity sector in Australia|Australia's electrical grid]] and in the 1940s and 1950s, a hydro-industrialisation initiative was embodied in the state by [[Hydro Tasmania]]. These all have had varying fortunes over the last century and more, involved in ebbs and flows of population moving in and away dependent upon the specific requirements of the dominant industries of the time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wQWtDwAAQBAJ&q=These+all+have+had+varying+fortunes+over+the+last+century+and+more,+involved+in+ebbs+and+flows+of+population+moving+in+and+away+dependent+upon+the+specific+requirements+of+the+dominant+industries+of+the+time&pg=PA60|title=Australia Business and Investment Opportunities Yearbook Volume 8 Tasmania Mining and Minerals|date=16 December 2016|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-4387-8388-8|language=en|access-date=3 November 2020|archive-date=24 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124060631/https://books.google.com/books?id=wQWtDwAAQBAJ&q=These+all+have+had+varying+fortunes+over+the+last+century+and+more,+involved+in+ebbs+and+flows+of+population+moving+in+and+away+dependent+upon+the+specific+requirements+of+the+dominant+industries+of+the+time&pg=PA60|url-status=live}}</ref> The state also has a large number of food exporting sectors, including but not limited to seafood (such as [[salmon]], [[abalone]] and [[crayfish]]).

In the 1960s and 1970s there was a decline in traditional crops such as apples and pears,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fruitgrowerstas.com.au/industry_fgt.html |title=Industry Info page |publisher=Fruit Growers Tasmania |access-date=26 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821224809/http://www.fruitgrowerstas.com.au/industry_fgt.html |archive-date=21 August 2011 }}</ref> with other crops and industries eventually rising in their place. During the 15 years until 2010, new agricultural products such as wine, [[saffron]], [[pyrethrum]] and [[cherry|cherries]] have been fostered by the [[Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research]].

Favourable economic conditions throughout Australia, cheaper air fares, and two new ''Spirit of Tasmania'' ferries have all contributed to what is now a rising tourism industry.

About 1.7% of the Tasmanian population are employed by local government.<ref>{{cite book|title=Local Government and Southern Tasmanian Economy|author=Eslaka, Saul |date=August 2011}}</ref> Other major employers include [[Nyrstar]], [[Norske Skog]], Grange Resources, [[Rio Tinto Group|Rio Tinto]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Major employers campaign to boost their public profile|url=http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/major-employers-campaign-to-boost-their-public-profile/story-fnj4f7k1-1226765643507|access-date=4 April 2015|publisher=The Mercury|date=22 November 2013|archive-date=10 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410001953/http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/major-employers-campaign-to-boost-their-public-profile/story-fnj4f7k1-1226765643507|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hobart]], and [[Federal Group]]. Small business is a large part of the community life, including [[Incat]], [[Moorilla Estate]] and [[Tassal]]. In the late 1990s, a number of national companies based their call centres in the state after obtaining cheap access to broad-band fibre optic connections.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hingst|first=Raymond D.|date=2004|title=Call centres, recent history – where have they come from and how did they get here?|url=https://eprints.usq.edu.au/6861/|journal=Proceedings of the 2nd National Call Centre Research Conference|location=Melbourne, Australia|publisher=Monash University, Institute for Regional Studies|access-date=23 February 2019|archive-date=24 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224062726/https://eprints.usq.edu.au/6861/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

34% of Tasmanians are reliant on welfare payments as their primary source of income.<ref>{{cite news |title=Clean, green and leaning on the mainland |first=Matthew |last=Denholm |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/clean-green-and-leaning-on-the-mainland/story-fn59niix-1226035870147 |newspaper=[[The Australian]] |location=Sydney, Australia |date=9 April 2011 |access-date=26 August 2011 |archive-date=20 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120091713/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/clean-green-and-leaning-on-the-mainland/story-fn59niix-1226035870147 |url-status=live }}</ref> This number is in part due to the large number of older residents and retirees in Tasmania receiving Age Pensions. Due to its natural environment and clean air, Tasmania is a common retirement selection for Australians.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hanrahan |first1=Danielle |title=11 best places to retire in Australia |url=https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/retirement-income/2014/08/11-best-places-to-retire-in-australia/ |website=oversixty.com |access-date=16 November 2018 |archive-date=17 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117022437/https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/retirement-income/2014/08/11-best-places-to-retire-in-australia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Output by industry sector (2019/20)<ref>{{cite web |title=Tasmania Output |url=https://economy.id.com.au/tasmania/output-by-industry?BMID=40&WebID=10 |website=economy.id |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901023204/https://economy.id.com.au/tasmania/output-by-industry?BMID=40&WebID=10 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! Industry !! AU$ (billions) !! %
|-
| Construction || 7.989 || 13.7
|-
| Manufacturing || 7.421 || 12.7
|-
| Health care & social assistance || 6.303 || 10.8
|-
| Agriculture || 5.115 || 8.7
|-
| Public administration & safety || 3.572 || 6.1
|-
| Transport, postal, & warehousing || 3.269 || 5.6
|-
| Financial & insurance services || 3.030 || 5.2
|-
| Education & training || 2.794 || 4.8
|-
| Electricity, gas, water, & waste services || 2.637 || 4.5
|-
| Retail trade || 2.552 || 4.4
|-
| Information media & telecommunications || 2.246 || 3.8
|-
| Professional, scientific, & technical services || 2.033 || 3.5
|-
| Mining || 1.875 || 3.2
|-
| Wholesale trade || 1.687 || 2.9
|-
| Accommodation & food services || 1.586 || 2.7
|-
| Other services || 1.360 || 2.3
|-
| Rental, hiring, & real estate services || 1.117 || 1.9
|-
| Administrative & support services || 1.045 || 1.8
|-
| Arts & recreation services || 0.893 || 1.5
|-
! scope="row"| Total industries || $58.523 || 100%
|}
</div> 
<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Employment (total) by industry (2019/20)<ref>{{cite web |title=Tasmania Employment by industry (Total) |url=https://economy.id.com.au/tasmania/employment-by-industry?BMID=40&WebID=10 |website=economy.id |access-date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901023201/https://economy.id.com.au/tasmania/employment-by-industry?BMID=40&WebID=10 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! Industry !! Number !! %
|-
| Health care & social assistance|| 36,631 || 14.6
|-
| Retail trade || 26,290 || 10.5
|-
| Education & training || 23,272 || 9.3
|-
| Construction || 20,688 || 8.3
|-
| Public administration & safety || 20,137 || 8.0
|-
| Manufacturing || 18,897 || 7.5
|-
| Accommodation & food services || 18,554 || 7.4
|-
| Agriculture || 15,021 || 6.0
|-
| Professional, scientific, & technical services || 14,097 || 5.6
|-
| Transport, postal, & warehousing || 10,691 || 4.3
|-
| Other services || 8,739 || 3.5
|-
| Administrative & support services || 6,535 || 2.6
|-
| Wholesale trade || 6,185 || 2.5
|-
| Arts & recreation services || 5,992 || 2.4
|-
| Financial & insurance services || 5,248 || 2.1
|-
| Electricity, gas, water, & waste services || 4,321 || 1.7
|-
| Information media & telecommunications || 3,552 || 1.4
|-
| Rental, hiring, & real estate services || 2,990 || 1.2
|-
| Mining || 2,780 || 1.1
|-
! scope="row"| Total industries || 250,621 || 100%
|}
</div>

===Science and technology===
The modern [[Science|scientific]] sector in Tasmania benefits from around $500 million in annual investment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Science research |url=https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/business/sectors/science_research#:~:text=Tasmania%20is%20fortunate%20to%20possess,help%20other%20sectors%20to%20grow. |website=Department of State Growth |publisher=Tasmanian Government |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902014408/https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/business/sectors/science_research#:~:text=Tasmania%20is%20fortunate%20to%20possess,help%20other%20sectors%20to%20grow. |url-status=live }}</ref>
Tasmania has a long history of scientific and [[Technology|technological]] [[innovation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Tasmanian Creativity |url=https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/T/Tas%20creativity.htm |website=University of Tasmania |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902014404/https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/T/Tas%20creativity.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The first scientific-style [[observation]]s were conducted by the [[Aboriginal Tasmanians|First Nation Tasmanians]], primarily through the [[Amateur astronomy|watching]] and [[myth]]ologising of the [[night sky]]. Their story explaining the [[Lunar phase|phases]] of the [[moon]] and [[sun]] "is one of the rare accounts that explicitly acknowledges that the light of the Moon is a reflection of the Sun's light".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gantevoort |first1=Michelle |last2=Hamacher |first2=Duane W. |last3=Lischick |first3=Savannah |title=Reconstructing the Star Knowledge of Aboriginal Tasmanians |journal=Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage |date=December 2016 |volume= 19 |issue=3 |pages=327–347 |doi=10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2016.03.07 |arxiv=1610.02785 |bibcode=2016JAHH...19..327G |s2cid=28782086 |issn=1440-2807}}</ref>

The French [[Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux|D'Entrecasteaux]] Expedition of 1792–93 had anchored twice during its search of the missing [[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse|La Pérouse]] in the [[Recherche Bay|Baie de la Recherche (Recherche Bay)]] in far-south Tasmania. During their stay, the crew took [[Botany|botanical]], [[Astronomy|astronomical]], and [[Earth's magnetic field|geomagnetic]] observations which were the first of their kind performed on Australian soil. As well as this, they engaged in amicable relations with the locals and environment, gifting the area a "French [[garden]]", in which "the relatively extensive, well-documented (both pictorially and written) encounters [...] between [them] provided a very early opportunity for meetings and mutual observation".<ref>{{cite web |title=National Heritage Places – Recherche Bay (North East Peninsula) Area |url=https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/recherche |website=Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902015916/https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/recherche |url-status=live }}</ref>

The longest-running branch of the [[Royal Society]] outside of the United Kingdom is the [[Royal Society of Tasmania]] which was summoned in 1843. The Tasmanian Society of Natural History had been formed previously in 1838 before its merger with the Royal Society in 1849. It had been served by early [[Botany|botanists]] working in Tasmania such as [[Ronald Campbell Gunn|Ronald Gunn]] and his correspondences.<ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Society of Tasmania (1843 – ) |url=https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P005880b.htm |website=Encyclopedia of Australian Science |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902014402/https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P005880b.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tasmanian Natural History Society (1838–1849) |url=https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P005879b.htm#:~:text=The%20Tasmanian%20Natural%20History%20Society,within%20and%20outside%20of%20Tasmanian. |website=Encyclopedia of Australian Science |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902014408/https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P005879b.htm#:~:text=The%20Tasmanian%20Natural%20History%20Society,within%20and%20outside%20of%20Tasmanian. |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although [[Tamworth, New South Wales|Tamworth]] in [[New South Wales]] is often credited<ref>{{cite news |title=How Tamworth beat the big smoke and became the first city of light |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-21/how-tamworth-became-our-first-town-with-electric-street-lights/9054192?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment |newspaper=ABC News | date=20 October 2017 |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902020829/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-21/how-tamworth-became-our-first-town-with-electric-street-lights/9054192?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment |url-status=live }}</ref> as being the first place in Australia with [[Electricity|electric]] [[street light]]ing in 1888, [[Waratah, Tasmania|Waratah]] in [[North West Tasmania]] was actually the first place to do so in Australia in 1886, although at a smaller scale.<ref>{{cite web |title=Waratah, Tasmania |url=https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/northwest/waratah.html |website=OurTasmania |access-date=2 September 2021 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902020839/https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/northwest/waratah.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Culture==
=== Literature ===
{{Main|Tasmanian literature}}

[[File:RichardFlanagan 300w.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Man Booker Prize]]-winner [[Richard Flanagan]] has written several novels set in his home state of Tasmania.]]

Notable titles by Tasmanian authors include ''[[The Museum of Modern Love]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=Subscribe to The Australian {{!}} Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps |url=https://myaccount.news.com.au/sites/theaustralian/subscribe.html?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&mode=premium&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Farts%2Ftasmania-writer-heather-rose-wins-50000-stella-prize%2Fnews-story%2F8051196872c9a36c4ac09a6103c67bbd%3Fmemtype%3Danonymous |website=myaccount.news.com.au |language=en |access-date=16 November 2018 |archive-date=17 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117022221/https://myaccount.news.com.au/sites/theaustralian/subscribe.html?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&mode=premium&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Farts%2Ftasmania-writer-heather-rose-wins-50000-stella-prize%2Fnews-story%2F8051196872c9a36c4ac09a6103c67bbd%3Fmemtype%3Danonymous |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Heather Rose wins the Stella Prize |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/heather-rose-wins-the-stella-prize/8449180 |website=abc.net.au |language=en-AU |date=19 April 2017 |access-date=16 November 2018 |archive-date=21 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721080931/http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/heather-rose-wins-the-stella-prize/8449180 |url-status=live }}</ref> by [[Heather Rose]], ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' by [[Richard Flanagan]], ''The Alphabet of Light and Dark'' by [[Danielle Wood (writer)|Danielle Wood]], ''[[The Roving Party]]'' by Rohan Wilson and ''[[The Year of Living Dangerously (novel)|The Year of Living Dangerously]]'' by [[Christopher Koch]], ''The Rain Queen''<ref>{{cite web |title=Katherine Scholes |url=https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/katherine-scholes |website=www.penguin.com.au |language=en |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404200829/https://www.penguin.com.au/authors/katherine-scholes |url-status=live }}</ref> by [[Katherine Scholes]], ''Bridget Crack''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Leary |first1=Rachel |title=Bridget Crack – Rachel Leary – 9781760295479 – Allen & Unwin – Australia |url=https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/literary-fiction/Bridget-Crack-Rachel-Leary-9781760295479 |website=www.allenandunwin.com |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-date=21 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621180449/https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/literary-fiction/Bridget-Crack-Rachel-Leary-9781760295479 |url-status=live }}</ref> by Rachel Leary, and ''The Blue Day Book'' by [[Bradley Trevor Greive]]. A small part of [[Helen Garner]]'s ''[[Monkey Grip (novel)|Monkey Grip]]'' is set in Hobart as the main characters take a sojourn there. Children's books include ''They Found a Cave'' by [[Nan Chauncy]], ''The Museum of Thieves'' by [[Lian Tanner]], ''Finding Serendipity'', ''A Week Without Tuesday'' and ''Blueberry Pancakes Forever''<ref>{{cite web |title=Angelica Banks – Allen & Unwin – Australia |url=https://www.allenandunwin.com/authors/b/angelica-banks |website=www.allenandunwin.com |access-date=16 November 2018 |archive-date=11 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311140741/https://www.allenandunwin.com/authors/b/angelica-banks |url-status=live }}</ref> by Angelica Banks, ''[[Tiger Tale]]'' by Marion and Steve Isham. Tasmania is home to the eminent literary magazine that was formed in 1979, [[Island magazine]], and the biennial Tasmanian Writers and Readers Festival, now renamed the Hobart Writers Festival.

[[Tasmanian Gothic]] is a literary genre which expresses the island state's "peculiar 'otherness' in relation to the mainland, as a remote, mysterious and self-enclosed place."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Turner |first=Ellen |date=2019 |title="The Whole Island is a Jail and We the Warders": States of Exception in Tasmanian Historical Fiction |journal=Commonwealth Essays and Studies |volume=42 |number=1 |doi=10.4000/ces.1076 |s2cid=186592980 |doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Marcus Clarke]]'s novel ''[[For the Term of his Natural Life]]'', written in the 1870s and set in convict era Tasmania, is a seminal example. This distinctive [[Gothic fiction|Gothic]] is not just restricted to literature, but can be represented through all [[the arts]], such as in [[painting]], [[music]], or [[architecture]].

===Visual arts===
The biennial ''Tasmanian Living Artists' Week'' is a ten-day statewide festival for Tasmania's visual artists. The fourth festival in 2007 involved more than 1000 artists. Tasmania is home to two winners of the prestigious [[Archibald Prize]]—[[Jack Carington Smith]] in 1963 for a portrait of [[James McAuley]], and [[Geoffrey Dyer]] in 2003 for his portrait of [[Richard Flanagan]]. Photographers [[Olegas Truchanas]] and [[Peter Dombrovskis]] are known for works that became iconic in the [[Lake Pedder]] and [[Franklin Dam]] conservation movements. English-born painter [[John Glover (artist)|John Glover]] (1767–1849) is known for his paintings of Tasmanian landscapes, and is the namesake for the annual [[Glover Prize]], which is awarded to the best landscape painting of Tasmania. The [[Museum of Old and New Art]] (MONA) opened in January 2011 at the [[Moorilla Estate]] in [[Berriedale, Tasmania|Berriedale]],<ref>{{cite web|date=14 May 2011|title=MONA puts Tassie on map Tasmania News – The Mercury – The Voice of Tasmania|url=http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/03/27/217761_tasmania-news.html|access-date=10 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514201426/http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/03/27/217761_tasmania-news.html|archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref> and is the largest privately owned museum complex in Australia.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/travel/shock-of-the-old-and-new-20110110-19khn.html Shock of the old and new] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218020309/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/shock-of-the-old-and-new-20110110-19khn.html |date=18 February 2011 }}, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 10 January 2011.</ref>
[[File:James Turrell's Amarna at Mona 2015.jpg|thumb|center|700px|The [[Museum of Old and New Art]] (MONA), the largest privately owned museum in the Southern Hemisphere]]

===Music and performing arts===
[[File:Princess Theatre at night, Launceston.JPG|thumb|The [[Princess Theatre, Launceston|Princess Theatre]] and Earl Arts Centre, [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]]]]
Tasmania has a varied musical scene, ranging from the [[Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra]] whose home is the [[Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart|Federation Concert Hall]], to a substantial number of small bands, orchestras, string quintets, saxophone ensembles and individual artists who perform at a variety of venues around the state. Tasmania is also home to a vibrant community of composers including [[Constantine Koukias]], [[Maria Grenfell]] and [[Don Kay (composer)|Don Kay]]. Tasmania is also home to one of Australia's leading new music institutions, [[IHOS Music Theatre and Opera]] and gospel choirs, the [[Southern Gospel Choir]]. Prominent Australian metal bands [[Psycroptic]] and [[Striborg]] hail from Tasmania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themetalforge.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=329|title=Psycroptic: Rise Above|access-date=6 March 2010|website=themetalforge.com|archive-date=17 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317135605/http://themetalforge.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=329|url-status=live}}</ref> Noir-rock band [[The Paradise Motel]] and 1980s power-pop band [[The Innocents (Australian band)|The Innocents]]<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.theinnocents.com.au/| title= Beathoven and The Innocents – Official Web site| website= theinnocents.com.au| publisher= The Innocents| access-date= 2 April 2010| archive-date= 20 May 2014| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140520201204/http://www.theinnocents.com.au/| url-status= live}}</ref> are also citizens.

The [[Tasmanian Aboriginals]] were known to have sung [[oral traditions]], as [[Fanny Cochrane Smith]] (the last fluent speaker of any [[Tasmanian languages|Tasmanian language]]) had done so in recordings from 1899 to 1903.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fanny Cochrane Smith's Tasmanian Aboriginal songs and language preserved forever |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-09/fanny-cochrane-smith-recordings-inducted-into-unesco-register/8254806 |newspaper=ABC News |date=9 February 2017 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111029/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-09/fanny-cochrane-smith-recordings-inducted-into-unesco-register/8254806 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Longman |first1=Murray J. |title=Songs of the Tasmanian Aborigines as Recorded by Mrs. Fanny Cochrane Smith |journal=Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |date=1960 |volume=94 |url=https://eprints.utas.edu.au/14096/1/1960_Longman_Songs_Tasmanian_aborigines.pdf |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=14 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614185541/https://eprints.utas.edu.au/14096/1/1960_Longman_Songs_Tasmanian_aborigines.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Tasmania has been home to some early and prominent [[List of Australian composers|Australian composers]]. In piano, [[Katharine Parker|Kitty Parker]] from [[Longford, Tasmania|Longford]] was described by world-famous Australian composer [[Percy Grainger]] as his most gifted student.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kitty Parker |url=https://www.australiancomposers.com.au/pages/kitty-parker |website=Australian Composers |publisher=Wirripang |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111030/https://www.australiancomposers.com.au/pages/kitty-parker |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Peter Sculthorpe]] was originally from [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]] and became well known in Australia for his works which were influenced by his Tasmanian origins, and he is, by coincidence, distantly related to Fanny Cochrane Smith.<ref>{{cite web |title=The life, love and legacy of Peter Sculthorpe (1929–2014) |url=https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/08/12/4065785.htm |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111029/https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/08/12/4065785.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1996, Sculthorpe composed the piece ''Port Arthur: In Memoriam'' for chamber [[orchestra]], which was first performed by the [[Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Port Arthur: In Memoriam |url=https://www.fabermusic.com/music/port-arthur-in-memoriam-2986 |website=Faber Music |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905112539/https://www.fabermusic.com/music/port-arthur-in-memoriam-2986 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Charles Sandys Packer]] was an early Tasmanian example of the tradition of [[Australian classical music]], transported for the crime of embezzlement in 1839, and at a similar time [[Francis Hartwell Henslowe]] had spent time as a [[Civil servant|public servant]] in Tasmania. [[Amy Sherwin]], known as the ''Tasmanian Nightingale'' was a successful [[soprano]],<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |title=Sherwin, Frances Amy Lillian (1855–1935) |id2=sherwin-frances-amy-lillian-4574 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111029/https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sherwin-frances-amy-lillian-4574 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Eileen Joyce]], who came from remote [[Zeehan]], became a world-renowned pianist at the time of her peak.<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |last1=Tunley |first1=David |title=Joyce, Eileen Alannah (1908–1991) |id2=joyce-eileen-alannah-14817 |access-date=18 September 2021 |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918074450/https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/joyce-eileen-alannah-14817 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Further|Tasmanian Bands League}}

===Cinema===
{{See also|List of films shot in Tasmania|Category:Television shows set in Tasmania}}
Films set in Tasmania include ''[[Young Einstein]]'', ''[[The Tale of Ruby Rose]]'', ''[[The Hunter (2011 Australian film)|The Hunter]]'', ''[[The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce]]'', ''Arctic Blast'', ''[[Manganinnie]]'' (with music composed by [[Peter Sculthorpe]]), ''[[Van Diemen's Land (film)|Van Diemen's Land]]'', ''[[Lion (2016 film)|Lion]]'', and ''[[The Nightingale (2018 film)|The Nightingale]]''. Common within [[Australian cinema]], the Tasmanian landscape is a focal point in most of their feature film productions. ''The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce'' and ''Van Diemen's Land'' are both set during an episode of Tasmania's convict history. Tasmanian film production goes as far back as the [[silent era]], with the epic ''[[For the Term of His Natural Life (1927 film)|For The Term of His Natural Life]]'' in 1927 being the most expensive feature film made on Australian shores. ''[[The Kettering Incident]]'', filmed in and around [[Kettering, Tasmania]], won the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Miniseries. The [[Nature documentary|documentary series]] ''[[Walking with Dinosaurs]]'' was partly filmed in Tasmania due to its terrain.

The [[Tasmanian Film Corporation]], which financed ''[[Manganinnie]]'', was the successor to the Tasmanian Government Department of Film Production but disappeared after privatisation. Its role is now filled by the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]], Screen Tasmania, and private ventures such as Blue Rocket Productions.

===Higher education===
Tasmania is served by the [[University of Tasmania]], a research university established in 1846.

===Media===
{{See also|Tasmanian media}}
Tasmania has five broadcast television stations which produce local content including [[ABC Tasmania]], [[TNT (Australian TV station)|Seven Tasmania]] – an affiliate of the [[Seven Network]], [[TVT (TV station)|WIN Television Tasmania]] – an affiliate of the [[Nine Network]], [[TDT (TV station)|10 Tasmania]] – an affiliate of [[Network 10]] (joint owned by WIN and Southern Cross), and [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]].

===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in Tasmania}}
[[File:Bellerive oval hobart.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bellerive Oval]] hosts [[cricket]] and [[Australian rules football]], Tasmania's two most popular spectator sports.]]

Sport is an important pastime in Tasmania, and the state has produced several famous sportsmen and women and also hosted several major sporting events. The [[Tasmanian Tigers]] cricket team represents the state successfully (for example the [[Sheffield Shield]] in 2007, 2011 and 2013) and plays its home games at the [[Bellerive Oval]] in Hobart, which is also the home ground for the [[Hobart Hurricanes]] in the Big Bash League. In addition, Bellerive Oval regularly hosts international cricket matches. Famous Tasmanian cricketers include [[David Boon]], former Australian captains [[Ricky Ponting]] and [[Tim Paine]].

[[Australian rules football in Tasmania]] is the most watched form of football and a [[Tasmanian AFL Bid|Tasmanian team]] was awarded a license to enter the [[Australian Football League]] (AFL) in 2028 to be based out of a new [[Macquarie Point Stadium]]. AFL matches have been played since 2001 at [[York Park|Aurora Stadium]] in Launceston and Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Local leagues include the [[North West Football League]] and [[Tasmanian State League]].

[[Soccer in Tasmania]] is the most participated football code and there is an active [[Tasmanian A-League bid]]. The existing statewide league is the [[National Premier Leagues Tasmania|NPL Tasmania]].

[[Rugby Union]] is also played in Tasmania and is governed by the [[Tasmanian Rugby Union]]. Ten clubs take part in the statewide Tasmanian Rugby Competition.

Tasmania hosts the professional [[Moorilla Hobart International|Moorilla International]] tennis tournament as part of the lead up to the Australian Open and is played at the [[Hobart International Tennis Centre]], Hobart.

The [[Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race]] is an annual event starting in Sydney, NSW, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. It is widely considered to be one of the most difficult yacht races in the world.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/sailing/1721104.stm | work=BBC News | title=Tough legacy of a Sydney classic | date=29 December 2001 | access-date=12 August 2016 | archive-date=10 September 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910215733/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/sailing/1721104.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>

In basketball, Tasmania has previously been represented in the [[National Basketball League (Australia)|National Basketball League (NBL)]] by [[Launceston Casino City]] (1980–1982), the [[Devonport Warriors]] (1983–1984), and the [[Hobart Devils]] (1983–1996). Since the [[2021–22 NBL season]], Tasmania has been represented by the [[Tasmania JackJumpers]], a state-wide franchise which plays its home games in both Hobart and Launceston. The JackJumpers secured their maiden [[List of NBL champions|NBL championship]] in the [[2023–24 NBL season|2023–24 season]], marking Tasmania's first NBL title since Launceston Casino City in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/31/nbl-championship-tasmania-jackjumpers-melbourne-united-national-basketball-league-2024-game-5-grand-final-series-winner-basketball |title=Tasmania JackJumpers snatch first NBL title in epic final series against Melbourne United |date=2024-03-31 |access-date=2024-04-07 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{See also|Tasmanian wine}}
Tasmanian Aboriginal people had a diverse diet, including native currants, pigface, and native plums, and a wide range of birds and kangaroos. Seafood has always been a significant part of the Tasmanian diet, including its wide range of shellfish, which are still commercially farmed<ref name="goway"/> such as [[crayfish]], [[orange roughy]], [[salmon (food)|salmon]]<ref name="goway"/> and [[oyster]]s.<ref name="goway"/> Seal meat also formed a significant part of the Aboriginal diet.<ref>{{cite book |title=A traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal Diet |date=2018 |publisher=Department of Education, Tasmania |url=https://www.theorb.tas.gov.au/ |access-date=11 September 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924065046/https://www.theorb.tas.gov.au/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tasmania's non-Aboriginal cuisine has a unique history to mainland Australia. It has developed through many subsequent waves of immigration. Tasmanian traditional foods include scallop pies – a pie filled with scallops in curry – and curry powder, which was popularised by [[Keen's|Keen's Curry]] in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite news |title=Favouring curry a long-time Tasmanian trait |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-24/tasmanians-have-been-keen-for-curry-since-colonial-days/9563024 |access-date=11 September 2021 |work=www.abc.net.au |publisher=ABC |date=23 March 2018 |language=en-AU |archive-date=11 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911190257/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-24/tasmanians-have-been-keen-for-curry-since-colonial-days/9563024 |url-status=live }}</ref> Tasmania also produces and consumes wasabi, saffron, truffles and leatherwood honey.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top ten Tasmanian food specialities |url=http://www.tasmaniatopten.com/lists/tasmanian_foods.php |website=www.tasmaniatopten.com |access-date=11 September 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812044019/http://www.tasmaniatopten.com/lists/tasmanian_foods.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Cascade Brewery 1.jpg|thumb|Built in Hobart in 1824, [[Cascade Brewery]] is Australia's oldest continuously operating brewery.]]
Tasmania now has a wide range of restaurants, in part due to the arrival of immigrants and changing cultural patterns. Scattered across Tasmania are many vineyards,<ref name="goway">{{cite web|title=Tasmania Tours, Vacation Packages & Travel Experiences|url=https://www.goway.com/trips/dest/australia-and-south-pacific/cntry/australia/st/tasmania/|access-date=10 January 2022|website=Goway Travel|language=en|archive-date=10 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110002722/https://www.goway.com/trips/dest/australia-and-south-pacific/cntry/australia/st/tasmania/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Tasmanian beer brands such as [[Boags]] and [[Cascade Brewery|Cascade]] are known and sold in Mainland Australia. [[King Island (Tasmania)|King Island]] off the northwestern coast of Tasmania has a reputation for boutique cheeses<ref name="goway"/> and dairy products.

The ''Central Cookery Book'' was written in 1930 by [[Alice Christina Irvine|A. C. Irvine]] and is still popular in Australia and even internationally.<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |last1=McLeod |first1=E. A. |title=Irvine, Alice Christina (1879–1940) |id2=irvine-alice-christina-13002 |access-date=18 September 2021 |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918074455/https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/irvine-alice-christina-13002 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Moran |first1=Jessica |title=Coronavirus restrictions see 1930's Central Cookery Book become a bestseller |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-24/coronavirus-makes-1930s-tasmanian-cookery-book-bestseller/12279394 |access-date=18 September 2021 |agency=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=24 May 2020 |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918074449/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-24/coronavirus-makes-1930s-tasmanian-cookery-book-bestseller/12279394 |url-status=live }}</ref> Tasmanian cuisine is often unique and has won many awards. One example is the Hartshorn Distillery, which has won prizes in the World [[Vodka]] Awards for three years in a row since 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baker-Dowdell |first1=Johanna |title=Sheep why vodka wins top Australia award for third year in a row |url=https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5949996/harthorns-sheep-whey-vodka-wins-top-australian-drop-again/ |access-date=18 September 2021 |agency=The Examiner |date=12 March 2019 |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918074450/https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5949996/harthorns-sheep-whey-vodka-wins-top-australian-drop-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Events===
{{Main|List of events in Tasmania}}

To foster tourism, the state government encourages or supports several annual events in and around the island. The best known of these is the [[Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race]], starting on [[Boxing Day]] in Sydney and usually arriving at [[Constitution Dock]] in Hobart around three to four days later, during the [[Taste of Tasmania]], an annual food and wine festival. Other events include the [[Targa Tasmania]] [[rallying|rally]] which attracts rally drivers from around the world and is staged all over the state, over five days. Rural or regional events include [[Agfest]], a three-day [[agricultural show]] held at [[Carrick, Tasmania|Carrick]] (just west of Launceston) in early May and [[NASA]] supported TastroFest – Tasmania's Astronomy Festival, held early August in [[Ulverstone, Tasmania|Ulverstone]] (Northwest Tasmania). The [[Royal Hobart Show]] and [[Royal Launceston Show]] are both held in October annually.

Music events held in Tasmania include the [[Falls Festival]] at [[Marion Bay, Tasmania|Marion Bay]] (a [[Victoria (Australia)|Victorian]] event now held in both Victoria and Tasmania on New Year's Eve); the Festival of Voices, a national celebration of song held each year in Hobart attracting international and national teachers and choirs in the heart of Winter; and [[MS Fest]], a charity music event held in Launceston to raise money for those with [[multiple sclerosis]]. The [[Cygnet Folk Festival]] is one of Australia's most iconic [[folk music]] festivals and is held in [[Cygnet, Tasmania|Cygnet]] in the [[Huon Valley]] every year in January.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cygnetfolkfestival.org/ |title=Home |website=Cygnet Folk Festival |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111031/https://www.cygnetfolkfestival.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Tasmanian Lute Festival is an early music event held in different locations in Tasmania every two years. Recent additions to the state arts events calendar include the [[10 Days on the Island]] arts festival, [[MONA FOMA]], run by [[David Walsh (art collector)|David Walsh]] and curated by [[Brian Ritchie]] and [[Dark Mofo]] also run by [[David Walsh (art collector)|David Walsh]] and curated by Leigh Carmichael.

[[The Unconformity]] is a three-day festival held every two years in [[Queenstown, Tasmania|Queenstown]] on the [[West Coast of Tasmania|West Coast]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theunconformity.com.au/ |title=Home |website=The Unconformity |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111030/https://theunconformity.com.au/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Unconformity |url=https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/event/theunconformity |website=Discover Tasmania |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111030/https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/event/theunconformity |url-status=live }}</ref> Each February in [[Evandale, Tasmania|Evandale]] a [[penny-farthing]] championships are held.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is the National Penny Farthing Championship? |url=https://www.evandaletasmania.com/national-penny-farthing-championship.html |website=Evandale Tasmania |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905111031/https://www.evandaletasmania.com/national-penny-farthing-championship.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Perception within Australia===
Tasmania is perceived within Australia and internationally as an island with pristine wildlife, water and air. It is known for its [[ecotourism]] for these reasons, and is considered an idyllic location for Australians considering a "tree-" or "sea-change", or are seeking [[retirement]] because of Tasmania's [[Temperate climate|temperate environment]] and friendly locals.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spears |first1=Fran |title='From incredible scenery to friendly locals: Tasmania is unlike anywhere else' |url=https://startsat60.com/media/travel/travel-bloggers/from-incredible-scenery-to-friendly-locals-tasmania-is-unlike-anywhere-else |website=startsat60 |date=15 August 2020 |access-date=11 October 2021 |archive-date=27 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027183336/https://startsat60.com/media/travel/travel-bloggers/from-incredible-scenery-to-friendly-locals-tasmania-is-unlike-anywhere-else |url-status=live }}</ref> In other parts of the world, Tasmania is considered as the opposite side of the planet to most places, and supposedly home to mythically exotic animals, such as the [[Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)|Tasmanian Devil]] as popularised by [[Warner Brothers]].

====Stereotypes====
Tasmania has a reputation within Australia that is often at odds with the reality of the state or may have only been true during colonial times and has only persevered on the Australian mainland as a [[myth]]. Because of these [[stereotypes]], Tasmania is often referred to as the primary target (i.e., "butt") of mainland Australian jokes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hollie |first1=Pamela G. |title=TASMANIANS WEARY OF BEING THE BUTT OF JOKES |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/26/world/tasmanians-weary-of-being-the-butt-of-jokes.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=13 October 2021 |date=26 November 1982 |archive-date=29 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029173203/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/26/world/tasmanians-weary-of-being-the-butt-of-jokes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In more recent times, references to insults against Tasmania are more [[Sarcasm|sarcastic]] and jovial, but angst against the island still exists. The most commonly cited sarcastic comment is on the supposedly '[[Polycephaly|two-headed]]' Tasmanians, which originated due to some colonists developing [[goitre]]s from the low amount of [[iodine]] in the island's soil.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Erin |title=What is the origin of the joke about Tasmanians having two heads? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-13/curious-hobart-origin-of-two-headed-tasmanian-myth/11197982 |access-date=1 October 2021 |agency=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=13 June 2019 |archive-date=1 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001205127/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-13/curious-hobart-origin-of-two-headed-tasmanian-myth/11197982 |url-status=live }}</ref> But as Tasmania receives higher volumes of inter-state tourists, the perceptions are in the process of changing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Motivations Research – Appeal triggers and motivations for tourism in Tasmania, March 2011 |url=https://www.tourismtasmania.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/54599/motivations.pdf |website=Tourism Tasmania |publisher=Tasmanian Government |access-date=11 October 2021 |archive-date=29 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029174959/https://www.tourismtasmania.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/54599/motivations.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The most prominent example of negative stereotype is of [[inbreeding]] due to the relatively small size of Tasmania compared to the rest of Australia (though Tasmania is nearly as large as the Republic of Ireland in area, and more populous than [[Iceland]]). This is untrue and if it had once been the case, it would have existed in the rest of colonial Australia as well, though Tasmania's penal establishments were some of the harshest in the entire colony and home to infamous bushrangers. This is a part of the also-receding global stereotype that all Australians are or were derived from criminals, even as most [[Convicts in Australia|convicts]] were transported for petty crimes. During this period of European settlement, Tasmania was the second centre of power (and a significant port of the [[British Empire]]) on the continent after [[New South Wales]], before being surpassed in the latter half of the 19th century by [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and regions sustained by [[Australian gold rushes|mining booms]] following the cessation of transportation in 1853.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cessation of Transportation |url=https://www.femaleconvicts.org.au/administration/cessation-of-transportation |website=Female Convicts Research Centre Inc. |access-date=11 October 2021 |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020061002/https://femaleconvicts.org.au/administration/cessation-of-transportation |url-status=live }}</ref>
A mentality developed in certain corners of Australia, and led to a general dislike of Tasmania amongst these people, even if the opinion-holder had never properly visited. It can rise to such an extent as to argue for the secession of Tasmania from the rest of Australia, in an effort to 'recover' Australia's reputation from Tasmania.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Alexander |first1=Alison |title=TASMANIA'S REPUTATION |url=https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/T/Tas%20reputation.htm |website=(UTAS) The Companion to Tasmanian History |publisher=University of Tasmania |access-date=1 October 2021 |archive-date=1 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001205132/https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/T/Tas%20reputation.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Transport==
{{Further|Transport in Australia}}
[[File:HobartAirportTerminal.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hobart Airport]]]]

===Air===
Tasmania's main air carriers are [[Jetstar]] and [[Virgin Australia]]; [[Qantas]] and  [[QantasLink]]. These airlines fly direct routes to [[Brisbane Airport|Brisbane]], [[Melbourne Airport|Melbourne]] and [[Sydney Airport|Sydney]]. Major airports include [[Hobart Airport]] and [[Launceston Airport]]; the smaller airports, [[Burnie Airport|Burnie]] (Wynyard) and [[King Island Airport|King Island]], serviced by [[Rex Airlines]]; and [[Devonport Airport|Devonport]], serviced by QantasLink; have services to Melbourne. Intra-Tasmanian air services are offered by [[Par Avion (airline)|Par Avion]]. Until 2001 [[Ansett Australia]] operated majorly out of Tasmania to 12 destinations nationwide. Tourism-related air travel is also represented in Tasmania, such as in the [[Par Avion (airline)|Par Avion]] route between [[Cambridge Aerodrome]] near Hobart to [[Melaleuca, Tasmania|Melaleuca]] in [[Southwest National Park]].

===Antarctica base===
Tasmania – Hobart in particular – serves as Australia's chief sea link to Antarctica, with the [[Australian Antarctic Division]] located in [[Kingston, Tasmania|Kingston]]. Hobart is also the home port of the French ship ''l'Astrolabe'', which makes regular supply runs to the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands|French Southern Territories]] near and in Antarctica.

===Road===
[[File:Bridgewater Bridge, Tasmania.jpg|thumb|[[Bridgewater Bridge, Tasmania|Bridgewater Bridge]]]]
Within the state, the primary form of transport is by road. Since the 1980s, many of the [[List of highways in Tasmania|state's highways]] have undergone regular upgrades. These include the Hobart [[Southern Outlet, Hobart|Southern Outlet]], Launceston Southern Outlet, [[Bass Highway (Tasmania)|Bass Highway]] reconstruction, and the [[Huon Highway]]. Public transport is provided by [[Metro Tasmania]] bus services, regular taxis and Hobart only<ref>{{cite web |title=Drive or Ride with Uber in Hobart {{!}} Uber |url=https://www.uber.com/en-AU/cities/hobart/ |website=www.uber.com |access-date=18 January 2018 |archive-date=18 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118181126/https://www.uber.com/en-AU/cities/hobart/ |url-status=live }}</ref> UBER ride-share services within urban areas, with the [[Kinetic Group]], [[Tassielink Transit]], Manions Coaches, Area Connect and Calows Coaches providing bus service between population centres.
[[File:West Coast Wilderness Railway (4754055363).jpg|thumb|left|The [[West Coast Wilderness Railway]] runs from [[Queenstown, Tasmania|Queenstown]] to [[Strahan, Tasmania|Strahan]] and is a reminder of the once elaborate network of rail in Tasmania.]]

===Rail===
{{Main article|Rail transport in Tasmania}}
[[Rail transport in Tasmania]] consists of narrow-gauge lines to major population centres and to mining and forestry operations on the west coast and in the northwest. Services are operated by [[TasRail]]. Regular [[passenger train]] services in the state ceased in 1978; the only scheduled trains are freight, but there are tourist and heritage trains on several closed alignments, for example the [[West Coast Wilderness Railway]] between [[Queenstown, Tasmania|Queenstown]] and [[Strahan, Tasmania|Strahan]]. There is an [[Riverline|ongoing proposal]] to reinstate commuter trains to Hobart. This idea however lacks political motivation due to ongoing scrutiny about the [[Macquarie Point Stadium]]. The centre of TasRail's freight network is the state of the art [[Brighton Transport Hub]] in Hobart's northern suburbs. Other major rail hubs are located at [[Burnie]] and [[East Tamar Junction]]. Rail maintenance and loading facilities are located here. The busiest rail service in the state is TasRail's [[cement]] trains running between [[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport]] and [[Railton, Tasmania|Railton]]. Mainline heritage rail services ceased in 2004 after [[Pacific National]] revoked their permission to run.

===Shipping===
{{See also|Bass Strait ferries}}
[[File:Spirit of Tasmania Port Melbourne.jpg|thumb|right|The ''[[Spirit of Tasmania]]'' links the island with mainland Australia.]]

There is a substantial amount of commercial and recreational shipping within Hobart's harbour, and the port hosts approximately 120 cruise ships during the warmer half of the year, and there are occasional visits from military vessels.<ref name="dpacmr">{{cite web |last1=Rockliff |first1=Jeremy |title=TasPorts continues to deliver strong results |url=http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/releases/tasports_continues_to_deliver_strong_results |publisher=Premier of Tasmania |access-date=24 December 2019 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021044400/http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/releases/tasports_continues_to_deliver_strong_results |url-status=live }}</ref>

Burnie and Devonport on the northwest coast host ports and several other coastal towns host either small fishing ports or substantial marinas. The domestic sea route between Tasmania and the mainland is serviced by [[Bass Strait]] passenger/vehicle ferries operated by the Tasmanian government-owned ''[[Spirit of Tasmania]]''. The state is also home to [[Incat]], a manufacturer of very high-speed aluminium catamarans that regularly broke records when they were first launched.

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
File: Ossa and Pelion West - panoramio.jpg|[[Mount Ossa (Tasmania)|Mount Ossa]] & [[Mount Pelion West]]
File:Granton Vineyard, Tasmania in autumn.jpg|Granton Vineyard in autumn 
File: Hobart moonrise from Mt Wellington.jpg|[[Hobart]] from [[kunanyi / Mount Wellington]]
File: King River (30198084246).jpg|[[King River (Tasmania)|King River]]
File: Mixed forest, the Styx River, Tasmania.JPG|[[Styx River (Tasmania)|River Styx]]
File: Tasmania logging 01 under tallest tree.jpg|92-metre-high ''[[Eucalyptus regnans]]''
File: Sun rays through the forest trees.jpg|[[Temperate rainforest]]
File: Western Arthur Range, SW Tasmania.jpg|[[Lake Pedder]] and [[Mount Anne]] from [[Arthur Range (Tasmania)|Western Arthurs]]
File:Cradle Mountain from the shore of Dove Lake, Tasmania, Australia.jpg|[[Cradle Mountain]] from the shore of [[Dove Lake (Tasmania)|Dove Lake]]
File:Cataract Gorge Tasmania.jpg|[[Cataract Gorge]], [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]]
File:Antarctic Garden Hobart BG.jpg|Sub-Antarctic Garden, [[Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens]], [[Hobart]]
File:Mt Roland, Tasmania, Australia.jpg|[[Mount Roland Conservation Area|Mount Roland]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Islands|Australia|Oceania}}
* [[Index of Australia-related articles]]<!-- * [[Bibliography of Australia]] -->
* [[List of amphibians of Tasmania]]
* [[List of schools in Tasmania]]
* [[Omission of Tasmania from maps of Australia]]
* [[Outline of Australia]]
* [[Regions of Tasmania]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=N}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |title=A History of Tasmania From Its Discovery in 1642 to the Present Time |last=Fenton |first= James |year=1884 |publisher=Launceston Examiner |location=Launceston, Tasmania |url = https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AUColLawMon/1884/2.pdf |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |title=The Companion to Tasmanian History |editor1-last=Alexander |editor1-first= Alison |year=2005 |publisher=Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies, University of Tasmania |location=Hobart, Tasmania |isbn=978-1-86295-223-2 |url=http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/ |oclc=61888464 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Robson |first=L. L. |year=1983 |title=A History of Tasmania |volume=1 |others=Van Diemen's Land from the Earliest Times to 1855 |location=Melbourne |publisher=Oxford University Press. |isbn=0-19-554364-5 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Robson |first=L. L. |year=1991 |title=A History of Tasmania |volume=2 |others=Colony and State from 1856 to the 1980s |location=Melbourne |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-553031-4 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Cameron-Ash |first=Margaret |year=2018 |title=Lying for the Admiralty. Captain Cook's first voyage & secret of Port Jackson |location=Kenthurst, New South Wales |publisher=Rosenberg |isbn=978-0-648-04396-6 |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{wikivoyage}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official|https://www.tas.gov.au/}}
* [http://www.discovertasmania.com/ Discover Tasmania] – official tourism website
* {{osmrelation|2369652}}

{{Tasmania}}
{{States and territories of Australia}}
{{Australia topics}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tasmania| ]]
[[Category:1642 in the Dutch Empire]]
[[Category:1825 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Islands of Australia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1825]]
[[Category:States and territories of Australia]]