Tasmania

The island of Tasmania is a state of Australia. It was once connected to the Australian mainland, and was called Lutruwita. The island is named after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who 'discovered' the island in 1642,  who named it after Anthony van Diemen, at that time governor of the Dutch East Indies. The name Tasmania has been in use since 1856.

The island has been inhabited by the aborigines for 40,000 years. It has a unique flora and fauna since its separation from the continent. It has a different climate than the rest of Australia, with four seasons. The Tasmanian pepper is one of the unique alpine plant species.