Tasmania

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

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