 The island of Tasmania, an Australian state, is located 200 km south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait. Tasmania has a population of 484,700 (March 2005, ABS) and an area of 68 332 km² (26,383 square miles).
Tasmania is a rugged island of temperate climate, and was considered so similar in some ways to pre-industrial England that it was referred to by some English colonists as 'a Southern England'.Tasmania has been volcanically inactive in recent geological times, and has 'rounded smooth' mountain ranges similar to mainland Australia (unlike most of New Zealand). The most mountainous regions are the Central Highlands and south western areas, which cover most of the central, west and south west parts of the state. |
