Tasmania
Danielle Edwards
landform
Tasmania is located 150 miles south of Australia. It is separated from Australia by the Bass Strait. The Indian and Pacific Oceans as well as 334 islands surround Australia’s most mountainous state. The state is densely forested and home to some of the last temperate rainforests. There are also a great number of rivers due to the rugged topography.
Climates
Tasmania has a temperate marinate climate, not vastly hot or cold. The islands off the shore of Tasmania offer rugged and hilly landscape which is likely to be cooler and windier than the general weather of Tasmania.
Plants and Animals
While in Tasmania you are likely to see many different animals such as a pademelon, echidna, wombat, wallaby as well as a 40-spotted pardalote bird and dolphins, seals and albatross.
Trees on Tasmania include Huon Pine, fagus (beech) Kings Lomatia as well as giant oaks and elms.
Natural Resources
Fish, lobster and shellfish provide food as well as money to the island. There is also money to be made from the mineral resources beneath the ground. There are mountains, lakes and forests throughout the island.
History
The Aboriginal people lived on Tasmania 12,000 years ago and made their own tools using bark, grass, seaweed and sinew. They relied on the sea for their food. They were cut off from the main land of Australia by global glaciation and developed into their own distinctive population. The population declined and in 1803 there were only 5 to 10 thousand people, but in 1833 the population dwindled to 300 due to infection diseases that people were not immune to. 200 years ago there were 12 Aboriginal language groups on the island.
People and Language
Many languages are spoken in Tasmania including Polish, German, Spanish, Dutch and Italian but 91% of the people speak English. 4%of the people of Tasmania speak a language other than English at home.
Land Use
The land in Tasmania is used in many different ways including Commercial Forestry, mining of iron ore and scheelite, vegetable farming, raising dairy cows, sheep, beef and cattle. They are also a major producer of Hops, used to make beer. Hydroelectric power provides 90% of the electric requirements of the state.
Religion and Education
Many religions are represented in Tasmania including Anglican, Catholic, United Church, Presbyterian and Christian. Schooling is done at private schools, home-schooled as well as public education.
Traditions and Customs
Many of the women of Tasmania make necklaces out of Shells from the area. This craft is being passed down from generation to generation through a “cook book” to teach the younger generations how it’s done as well as recipes from the original Aboriginal Tasmanians.
Foods
There are many fun food in Tasmania some fruits are loganberries, pears, apricots, and cherries. Seafood is taken from unpolluted waters some of the seafood is abalone, scallops, oysters, mussels, and crayfish. There are 700 farm on Tasmania island every 3 people on the island have one cow.