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#REDIRECT ]
{{Short description|State of Australia}}
{{other uses}}
{{redirect|Tasmanian people|"First Nations" Tasmanians|Aboriginal Tasmanians}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Use Australian English|date = April 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date = April 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Tasmania
| settlement_type = ]
| image_flag = Flag of Tasmania.svg
| flag_size = 120px
| flag_link = Flag of Tasmania
| image_shield = Coat of arms of Tasmania.svg
| shield_size = 135px
| shield_link = Coat of arms of Tasmania
| nickname = {{unbulleted list
|Tassie
|The Apple Isle
|The Holiday Isle
}}
| motto = {{lang|la|Ubertas et Fidelitas}}<br />(Fertility and Faithfulness)
| image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
| mapsize = 290px
| map_caption = Location of Tasmania in Australia
| coordinates = {{coord|42|S|147|E|type:adm1st_region:AU-TAS|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Australia}}
| established_title = ] <br/>as ]
| established_date = 1825
| established_title1 = ]<br />as ]
| established_date1 = 1856
| established_title2 = ]
| established_date2 = 1 January 1901
| established_title3 = '']''
| established_date3 = 3 March 1986
| seat_type = ] and ]
| seat = ]
| parts_type = Administration
| parts_style = para
| p1 = ]
| government_type = ], ]
| governing_body = ]
| leader_title = ]
| leader_name = ]
| leader_title1 = ]
| leader_name1 = ] (])
| government_blank1_title = ]
* ]
* ]
| government_blank1 = ]
] (15 seats)
{{nowrap|] (25 seats)}}
| government_blank2_title = ]
| government_blank2 = * ]
* ]
| government_blank3_title = Federal representation
| government_blank3 = ]
* ] 5/151
* ] ]/76
| area_total_km2 = 90758
| area_land_km2 = 68401
| area_water_km2 = 22357
| area_rank = 7th
| elevation_max_m = 1617
| elevation_max_point = ]
| population_footnotes = <ref name=ABSPop>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/mar-2021|title=National, state and territory population – March 2021|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=16 September 2021|accessdate=2 October 2021|archive-date=18 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916211424/https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/mar-2021|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_as_of = March 2021
| population_total = {{Increase}}541965
| population_rank = 6th
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_rank = 4th
| population_demonym = {{unbulleted list
|Tasmanian;
|Taswegian (colloquial);<ref>{{cite web |title=Taswegian |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/taswegian |website=Lexico OED |access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref>
|Vandemonian (humorous)<ref>{{cite web |title=Vandemonian |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/vandemonian |website=Lexico OED |access-date=5 September 2021}}</ref>
}}
| timezone1 = ]
| utc_offset1 = +10:00
| timezone1_DST = ]
| utc_offset1_DST = +11:00
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = TAS
| iso_code = AU-TAS
| blank_name_sec1 = GSP year
| blank_info_sec1 = 2019–20
| blank1_name_sec1 = ] ($A million)
| blank1_info_sec1 = {{Increase}}$32,102<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}}</ref> (8th)
| blank2_name_sec1 = GSP per capita
| blank2_info_sec1 = {{Decrease}}$59,779 (7th)
| blank1_name_sec2 = ] (2016)
| blank1_info_sec2 = {{IncreaseNegative}}44.8<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}}</ref> (3rd)
| blank_name_sec2 = ] (2019)
| blank_info_sec2 = {{Increase}}0.914<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=3 September 2021}}</ref> (8th)
| website = {{URL|www.tas.gov.au}}
| module = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=Yes
| mammal = ]<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=www.parliament.tas.gov.au
|access-date=2 June 2015
}}</ref>
| bird = ] (unofficial)<br />(''Anthochaera paradoxa'')<ref name=StateEmblems>{{cite web
|title=Tasmanian State Emblems
|url=http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/StateEmblems.htm
|website=parliament.tas.gov.au
|publisher=Parliament of Tasmania
|access-date=1 June 2015
}}</ref>
| flower = ]<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=www.parliament.tas.gov.au
|access-date=23 January 2013
}}</ref>
| plant = ] (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}}</ref>
| mineral = ]<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=www.parliament.tas.gov.au
|access-date=23 January 2013
}}</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}}</ref><br />{{scarf|{{cell|#006747}}{{cell|#f7e34a}}{{cell|#991f36}}}}
}}
| native_name = lutruwita
}}
]

'''Tasmania''' ({{IPAc-en|t|æ|z|ˈ|m|eɪ|n|i|ə}}) (]/]: '''''lutruwita''''') is an ] ] of ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Tasmania|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/tasmania|access-date=7 May 2021|work=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> It is located 240&nbsp;km (150&nbsp;mi) to the south of the ], separated from it by ]. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the ], and the ].<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=]}}</ref> It is Australia's least populated state, with 541,965 residents as of March 2021. The ] and largest city is ], with around 40 percent 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=]}} Estimated resident population, 30 June 2017.</ref>

The main island was inhabited by ] for up to 40,000 years before British colonisation.<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=2018-09-03|publisher=www.utas.edu.au}}</ref> It is thought that ] became separated from the mainland Aboriginal groups about 11,700 years ago, after rising sea levels formed ].<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}}</ref> The island was permanently settled by Europeans in 1803 as a ] of the ] to prevent claims to the land by the ] during the ].<ref>Frank Bolt, ''The Founding of Hobart 1803–1804'', {{ISBN|0-9757166-0-3}}</ref> The Aboriginal population is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 7,000 at the time of British settlement, but was almost wiped out within 30 years during a period of conflicts with settlers known as the "]" and the spread of ]s. The conflict, which peaked between 1825 and 1831 and led to more than three years of martial law, cost the lives of almost 1,100 Aboriginal people and settlers.

The island was initially part of the ] but became a separate colony under the name ] (named after ]) in 1825.<ref>{{cite web|title=Van Diemens Land|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Van-Diemens-Land|access-date=3 September 2018|website=]}}</ref> Approximately 80,000 ] were sent to Van Diemen's Land before this practice, known as 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|df=dmy-all}}</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 ] of Australia through the process of the ].

Today, Tasmania has the 2nd ], which is significantly formed of tourism, agriculture and 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}}</ref> Tasmania is a significant agricultural exporter, as well as a significant destination for eco-tourism. About 42% of its land area, including ] and ] (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=]}}</ref> The 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=]}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Etymology}}Toponymy==
{{Update section|date=March 2022|reason=More dual names were approved in 2021}}
In the reconstructed ] language, the main island of Tasmania is called '''lutruwita''', a name originally derived from the ]. ] recorded it as ''Loe.trou.witter'' and also as ''Trow.wer.nar'', probably from one or more of the ] or ]. However, he also recorded it as a name for ]. 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">{{cite news|url=http://tacinc.com.au/tasmanian-aboriginal-place-names/|title=Tasmanian Aboriginal place names|publisher=Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre|access-date=30 November 2019}}</ref> which has had an official ] of "Truwana" since 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tacinc.com.au/official-aboriginal-and-dual-names/|title=Aboriginal and Dual Names of places in lutruwita (Tasmania)|publisher=Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre|access-date=30 November 2019}}</ref>

Tasmania is named after ] ] ], 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 ], the Governor of the ]. 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=] |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 ] written by the notorious Australian ] ] 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 ] for the state.

A number of ] 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}}</ref>

;Bilingual names
{{columns-list|colwidth=13em|
* kanamaluka / ]
* kunanyi / ]
* laraturunawn / ]
* nungu / ]
* pinmatik / ]
* takayna / ]
* taypalaka / ]
* titima / ]
* truwana / ]
* wukalina / ]
* yingina / ]
}}

;Palawa names
* larapuna: an unbounded area centered on the ]
* ] (formerly Asbestos Range National Park)
* putalina: an unbounded area centered on ] (including the community of ])

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=2010-11-15|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 ].<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}}</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. ]).

==History==
{{Main|History of Tasmania}}
], and the mosaics in the west.]]

===Physical history===
{{Main|Geology of Tasmania}}
], a rare rock formation on the ]]]
The island was adjoined to the mainland of ] until the end of the ] about 11,700 years ago.<ref name="nma2"/> Much of the island is composed of ] ] intrusions (the upwelling of ]) 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 ] and the southeast portions of the island are mostly dolerites. ] above ] 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 ] and similar sedimentary stones. In the southwest, ] ]s were formed from very ancient sea sediments and form strikingly sharp ridges and ranges, such as Federation Peak or ].

In the northeast and east, continental ]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 ] near ], or at ] near ]. Also present in the south and northwest is ] with caves.

The quartzite and dolerite areas in the higher mountains show evidence of ], and much of Australia's glaciated landscape is found on the Central Plateau and the Southwest. ], another dolerite peak, for example, was a ]. 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}}
] shows seafaring Aboriginal people and a large canoe on the eastern shore of ]]]
Evidence indicates the presence of ] in Tasmania about 42,000&nbsp;years ago. ] 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'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 ] and ], 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}}</ref> They engaged in ], hunted game including ] and ], 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===
], the first European to sight the island, in 1642.]]
The first reported sighting of Tasmania by a ]an was on 24 November 1642 by Dutch explorer ], who landed at today's ]. More than a century later, in 1772, a French expedition led by ] landed at (nearby but different) ], and the following year ] became the first Englishman to land in Tasmania when he arrived at ], which he named after his ship ]. Captain ] also landed at ] in 1777. ] and ] sailed through ] in 1798–99, 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 ] Governor ] sent Lieutenant ] to establish a small military outpost on the eastern shore of the ] 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>

] of ] and ], 1834]]
Several months later a second settlement was established by Captain ], with 308 convicts, {{convert|5|km|mi}} to the south in ] 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 ], after the ] of the time, ]. 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 ] at ] in the southeast and ] on the West Coast. Tasmania was eventually sent 75,000 convicts—four out of every ten people transported to ].<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 ], 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}}
]
Tensions between Tasmania's Aboriginal and white inhabitants rose, partly driven by increasing competition for kangaroo and other game.<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}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url = https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-War | title = Black War – Australian History | author = The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica | encyclopedia = The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica | location = Chatswood, NSW 2067, Australia | access-date = 27 October 2016}}</ref> Explorer and naval officer ] in 1810 noted the "many atrocious cruelties" inflicted on Aboriginal people by convict ]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 ] between 1807 and 1813. They established farms along the River Derwent and east and west of ], occupying 10 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 known as the "]". While Aboriginal inhabitants were driven to desperation by dwindling food supplies as well as anger at the prevalence of abductions of women and girls, whites carried out attacks as a means of exacting revenge and suppressing the native threat. Van Diemen's Land had an enormous gender imbalance, with male colonists outnumbering females six to one in 1822—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 1826–7 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 ] 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 ] forbidding Aboriginal people to enter the settled districts without a passport issued by the government.<ref name="Carroll2014">{{cite book |author=Dr 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 ] 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 "]", 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 ]. 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====
], 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 or forced by government agent ] to move to ]. 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}}</ref> Of those removed from Tasmania, the last to die was ], in 1876.

The near-destruction of Tasmania's Aboriginal population has been described as an act of genocide by historians including ], ], ] 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 ], ] 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|pages=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—by which time they had given up their fight against white colonists—as an extreme policy position. He concluded: "The colonial government from 1832 to 1838 ] 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|pages=107}}</ref>

====Proclamation as a colony (1825) and change of name (1856)====
{{Details|Colony of Tasmania}}
] ploughing team breaking up new ground at the farm at Port Arthur.]]
Van Diemen's Land—which thus far had existed as a territory within the colony of ]—was proclaimed a separate colony, with its own judicial establishment and ], 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 ] drafted a new constitution which gained Royal Assent in 1855. The ] also approved the colony changing its name from "Van Diemen's Land" to "Tasmania", and in 1856 the newly elected ] sat for the first time, establishing Tasmania as a ] 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|url-status=live|access-date=25 July 2021|website=Documenting Democracy}}</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 ] in the ] in South Africa, and Tasmanian soldiers in that conflict won the first two ]es awarded to Australians.

====Federation====
In 1901 the Colony of Tasmania ] 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 the first place in the southern hemisphere to have electric lights, starting with Launceston in 1885 and 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 |pages=49 |jstor=j.ctvxrpxqd |url=https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/australias-fertility-transition |access-date=27 July 2020}}</ref> The 1910 foundation of what would become ] 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}}</ref> Hydro's influence culminated in the 1970s when the state government announced plans to flood environmentally significant ]. As a result of the eventual flooding of Lake Pedder, the world's first green party was established; the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Green Politics|url=https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/G/Green%20Politics.htm|access-date=2021-06-07|website=www.utas.edu.au}}</ref> National and international attention surrounded the campaign against the ] in the early 1980s.

In 1943, ] was elected the first female member of the Australian House of Representatives, winning the seat of Darwin.

After the end of World War II, the state saw major urbanisation, and the growth of towns like ].<ref name="urbanisation cultural artefact"/> It gained a reputation as "Sanitorium of the South" and a health-focused tourist boom began to grow. The ] 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 ] 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 ] public bus services. A jail was opened at Risdon in 1960, and the ] the same year. The University of Tasmania also moved to its present location in 1963.

The state was badly affected by the ], killing 62 people and destroying over 652,000 acres in five hours. In 1975 the ] when the bridge was struck by the bulk ore carrier '']''. It was the only bridge in Hobart, and made crossing the ] 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 ]. The Franklin Dam was blocked by the federal government in 1983, and ] opened its marine studies center in Hobart. ] would hold mass at ] in 1986.

The 1990s were characterised by the fight for ], culminating in the intervention of the ] in 1997 and the decriminalization of homosexuality that year. ] 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.

On 28 April 1996, in the ], lone gunman ] shot and killed 35 people (including tourists and residents) and injured 21 others. The use of ]s was immediately reviewed, and new gun ownership laws were adopted nationwide, with Tasmania's law one of the strictest in Australia.

In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II once again visited the state. ] rose to prominence as a major forestry company during this decade, only to collapse in 2013. In 2004, Premier ] died in office from lung cancer. In January 2011 philanthropist ] opened the ] (MONA) in Hobart to international acclaim. Within 12 months, MONA became Tasmania's top tourism attraction.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-05-01|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=2022-01-10|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|], declared a ] in 2010}}

The ] resulted in at least 230 cases and 13 deaths as of September 2021.<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|url-status=live|newspaper=ABC News|last1=Ting|first1=Inga|last2=Scott|first2=Nathanael|last3=Workman|first3=Michael|last4=Hutcheon|first4=Stephen}}</ref> In 2020, after the outbreak of the ] (]) and its spread to ], the ] 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}}</ref> the following month receiving the state's most significant outbreak from the ] which required assistance from the ]. 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}}</ref>

==Geography==
]
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 "]" wind that encircles the globe. To its north, it is separated from mainland Australia by ]. Tasmania is the only Australian state that is not located on the Australian mainland. About 2,500 kilometres (1,600&nbsp;mi) south of Tasmania island lies the ] of ]. Depending on which ] 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 ] to the west, and the ] to the east. The southernmost point on mainland Tasmania is approximately {{coord|43|38|37|S|146|49|38|E}} at ], and the northernmost point on mainland Tasmania is approximately {{coord|40|38|26|S|144|43|33|E}} in ] near ]. Tasmania lies at similar latitudes to ] of ], and parts of ] in ], and relative to the ], it lies at similar latitudes to ] in ], ] (]), the north ] in ], and the ]-] ].
] towards ], the ] can sometimes be seen.]]
The most mountainous region is the ] area, which covers most of the central western parts of the state. The ] 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 ] 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}}</ref> Much of Tasmania is still densely forested, with the ] and neighbouring areas holding some of the last temperate rain forests in the ]. The ], containing ] located in the island's far north west, is the largest ] 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}}</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 ]. Many rivers begin in the Central Highlands and flow out to the coast. Tasmania's major population centres are mainly situated around ] (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 ] in the ] of ], ] in the west of Bass Strait, ] south of Flinders Island, ] separated from Tasmania by the ], ] 1,500&nbsp;km from Tasmania, and ] off the east coast.
Tasmania features a number of separated and continuous mountain ranges. The majority of the state is defined by a significant ] exposure, though the ] of the state is older and more rugged, featuring ] plains, temperate rainforests, and ] ranges, notably ] and ]. The presence of these mountain ranges is a primary factor in the ], 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 ] is located.

The ] 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=]|year=2012|access-date=1 September 2021}}</ref>
], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].

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

]

===Environment===
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 ]. A distinctive type of ] found across the west, and particularly south-west of Tasmania, are ] plains, which are speculated to have been expanded by ] ].<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}}</ref> Tasmania also features a diverse ] ], such as ]. Highland areas receive consistent ]fall above ~1,000 metres every year, and due to cold air from ], 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 |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.223.253&rep=rep1&type=pdf |access-date=4 September 2021}}</ref> This environment gives rise to the ] forests of the ] and mountainous highlands. In particular, the ] with large areas of rare ], and its closest relative ]. On the ] and partially on ], Australia's only winter-] plant, ] is found, which forms a carpet or ], 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}}</ref>

Tasmania features a high concentration of ]. These can be found in small creeks, alpine ], ] ], or off precipitous plunges. Some of the tallest waterfalls are found on mountain ], sometimes at a 200-metre cascade. The most famous and most visited waterfall in Tasmania is ] in ] due to its proximity to ] 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 |access-date=4 September 2021}}</ref>
Tasmania also has a large number of ], the longest of which is ] on the ] 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}}</ref> Wineglass Bay in ] on the east coast is a well-known ] of the state.

The ] cover a few different types. These are also considered distinct from the more common wet ] forests, though these ] forests often form with ] ] and ] (such as ]) are usually never absent. Rainforest found in deep ] are usually difficult to traverse due to dense understorey growth, such as from ]. 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}}</ref> ] and are varied by environmental factors. Emergent growth usually comes from ], which can tower another 50 metres higher (usually less), providing the most common choice of nesting for giant ].

The human environment ranges from ] or ] development, to ]ing or ] ]. The most cultivated area is the ], where it has suitable soil but is also the driest part of the state.

===Insularity===
Tasmania's ] was possibly detected by Captain ] when he charted Tasmania's coast in 1642. On 5 December, Tasman was following the ] northward to see how far it went. When the land veered to the north-west at ],<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 ] howling through ].<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 ], 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 ] on ] 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 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}}</ref>

The strait was named after George Bass, after he and Matthew Flinders passed through it while circumnavigating Van Diemen's Land (now named Tasmania) 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}}
]]]
]

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}}</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 ], located on the Central Plateau, one of the coldest places in Australia, ranging between {{convert|4|°C|°F}} and {{convert|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 ]. 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)
|-
|]
|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}}</ref>
|-
|]
|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}}</ref>
|-
|]
|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}}</ref>
|-
|]
|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}}</ref>
|}

{{Weather box
| location = ] (])
|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 = ] (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=]|access-date=30 June 2017}}</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=] |access-date=30 June 2017}}</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=] |access-date=22 November 2017 }}</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=] |access-date=22 November 2017 }}</ref>
| source 2= ], ] (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=] |access-date=21 October 2017}}</ref>
}}
{{Weather box
|location = ] (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 = ] (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}}</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}}</ref>
|source 2 =Bureau of Meteorology, ] (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}}</ref>
|date=November 2016
}}
{{Weather box
|location = ] (Round Hill)
|collapsed = yes
|width = auto
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 33.8
|Feb record high C = 30.8
|Mar record high C = 28.9
|Apr record high C = 26.2
|May record high C = 20.6
|Jun record high C = 18.8
|Jul record high C = 18.3
|Aug record high C = 18.9
|Sep record high C = 22.4
|Oct record high C = 23.7
|Nov record high C = 31.5
|Dec record high C = 31.2
|year record high C = 33.8
|Jan high C = 21.2
|Feb high C = 21.5
|Mar high C = 20.3
|Apr high C = 18.0
|May high C = 15.6
|Jun high C = 13.7
|Jul high C = 13.0
|Aug high C = 13.4
|Sep high C = 14.6
|Oct high C = 16.1
|Nov high C = 18.1
|Dec high C = 19.6
|year high C = 17.1
|Jan low C = 13.3
|Feb low C = 13.8
|Mar low C = 12.5
|Apr low C = 10.8
|May low C = 9.1
|Jun low C = 7.3
|Jul low C = 6.6
|Aug low C = 6.7
|Sep low C = 7.4
|Oct low C = 8.5
|Nov low C = 10.3
|Dec low C = 11.7
|year low C = 9.8
|Jan record low C = 5.2
|Feb record low C = 5.8
|Mar record low C = 3.6
|Apr record low C = 3.0
|May record low C = 1.8
|Jun record low C = 0.2
|Jul record low C = -1.0
|Aug record low C = 0.2
|Sep record low C = 0.4
|Oct record low C = 1.6
|Nov record low C = 2.7
|Dec record low C = 3.1
|year record low C = -1.0
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm = 43.0
|Feb precipitation mm = 33.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 42.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 67.7
|May precipitation mm = 80.3
|Jun precipitation mm = 97.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 104.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 104.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 92.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 74.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 63.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 62.1
|year precipitation mm = 865.5
| unit rain days = 0.2 mm
| Jan rain days = 9.9
| Feb rain days = 7.1
| Mar rain days = 9.0
| Apr rain days = 11.0
| May rain days = 13.8
| Jun rain days = 15.0
| Jul rain days = 17.1
| Aug rain days = 17.4
| Sep rain days = 16.5
| Oct rain days = 14.6
| Nov rain days = 11.9
| Dec rain days = 10.3
| year rain days = 153.6
| Jand sun = 8.2
| Febd sun = 7.7
| Mard sun = 6.2
| Aprd sun = 5.3
| Mayd sun = 4.1
| Jund sun = 4.0
| Juld sun = 4.1
| Augd sun = 4.5
| Sepd sun = 5.3
| Octd sun = 6.8
| Novd sun = 7.3
| Decd sun = 7.5
| yeard sun = 5.9
|source 1 = ]<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=091009&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 Round Hill, Burnie|website=bom.gov.au |access-date=28 October 2017|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology}}</ref><ref name="BoM3">{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091009_All.shtml|title=Climate statistics for Round Hill, Burnie|website=bom.gov.au|access-date=16 July 2017|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110901/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091009_All.shtml|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
|source 2 = Bureau of Meteorology (1965–1993 sunshine hours)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091030_All.shtml|title=Climate statistics for Elliott Research Station|website=bom.gov.au|access-date=16 July 2017|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507101604/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_091030_All.shtml|archive-date=7 May 2018}}</ref>
}}
{{Weather box
|location = ] (1,120 m AMSL)
|collapsed = yes
|width = auto
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 30.4
|Feb record high C = 29.5
|Mar record high C = 27.9
|Apr record high C = 19.0
|May record high C = 15.3
|Jun record high C = 11.4
|Jul record high C = 10.0
|Aug record high C = 12.5
|Sep record high C = 16.2
|Oct record high C = 22.6
|Nov record high C = 24.5
|Dec record high C = 27.6
|year record high C = 30.4
|Jan high C = 14.4
|Feb high C = 14.2
|Mar high C = 12.0
|Apr high C = 8.9
|May high C = 6.4
|Jun high C = 4.7
|Jul high C = 3.7
|Aug high C = 3.9
|Sep high C = 5.6
|Oct high C = 7.8
|Nov high C = 10.8
|Dec high C = 12.1
|year high C = 8.7
|Jan low C = 5.8
|Feb low C = 6.2
|Mar low C = 5.1
|Apr low C = 3.4
|May low C = 2.2
|Jun low C = 1.0
|Jul low C = 0.2
|Aug low C = -0.1
|Sep low C = 0.4
|Oct low C = 1.4
|Nov low C = 3.2
|Dec low C = 4.1
|year low C = 2.7
|Jan record low C = -1.2
|Feb record low C = -0.8
|Mar record low C = -4.7
|Apr record low C = -4.5
|May record low C = -3.9
|Jun record low C = -5.2
|Jul record low C = -5.0
|Aug record low C = -5.3
|Sep record low C = -5.1
|Oct record low C = -5.0
|Nov record low C = -4.0
|Dec record low C = -2.3
|year record low C = -5.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 201.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 174.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 264.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 283.7
|May precipitation mm = 397.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 341.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 391.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 336.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 377.1
|Oct precipitation mm = 397.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 220.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 292.2
|year precipitation mm = 3628.1
|Jan precipitation days = 19.1
|Feb precipitation days = 17.4
|Mar precipitation days = 22.5
|Apr precipitation days = 24.0
|May precipitation days = 26.7
|Jun precipitation days = 25.9
|Jul precipitation days = 26.6
|Aug precipitation days = 25.6
|Sep precipitation days = 25.8
|Oct precipitation days = 25.9
|Nov precipitation days = 21.2
|Dec precipitation days = 21.7
|year precipitation days = 282.4
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 76
|Feb humidity = 75
|Mar humidity = 84
|Apr humidity = 88
|May humidity = 94
|Jun humidity = 92
|Jul humidity = 95
|Aug humidity = 93
|Sep humidity = 91
|Oct humidity = 84
|Nov humidity = 77
|Dec humidity = 80
|year humidity = 86
|source 1 = <ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_097085_All.shtml
| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Climate statistics for Mount Read |access-date = 26 January 2015}}</ref>
|date= 2015
}}
{{Weather box
|location = ] (1,057 m AMSL)
|collapsed = yes
|width = auto
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 32.3
|Feb record high C = 31.2
|Mar record high C = 28.6
|Apr record high C = 22.9
|May record high C = 20.1
|Jun record high C = 14.5
|Jul record high C = 12.0
|Aug record high C = 17.1
|Sep record high C = 18.5
|Oct record high C = 25.3
|Nov record high C = 27.4
|Dec record high C = 31.2
|year record high C = 32.3
|Jan high C = 19.1
|Feb high C = 18.4
|Mar high C = 16.1
|Apr high C = 12.4
|May high C = 9.0
|Jun high C = 6.6
|Jul high C = 5.6
|Aug high C = 6.5
|Sep high C = 9.0
|Oct high C = 12.0
|Nov high C = 15.0
|Dec high C = 16.6
|year high C = 12.2
|Jan low C = 5.4
|Feb low C = 5.2
|Mar low C = 3.8
|Apr low C = 1.8
|May low C = 0.2
|Jun low C = -1.0
|Jul low C = -1.6
|Aug low C = -1.3
|Sep low C = -0.5
|Oct low C = 0.7
|Nov low C = 2.8
|Dec low C = 3.9
|year low C = 1.6
|Jan record low C = -3.9
|Feb record low C = -3.6
|Mar record low C = -6.9
|Apr record low C = -7.7
|May record low C = -10.5
|Jun record low C = -11.2
|Jul record low C = -12.2
|Aug record low C = -14.2
|Sep record low C = -10.7
|Oct record low C = -7.9
|Nov record low C = -6.8
|Dec record low C = -4.5
|year record low C = −14.2
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 48.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 37.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 64.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 65.9
|May precipitation mm = 89.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 104.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 119.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 128.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 110.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 69.2
|Nov precipitation mm = 63.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 59.1
|year precipitation mm = 923.0
|Jan precipitation days = 9.4
|Feb precipitation days = 9.3
|Mar precipitation days = 12.3
|Apr precipitation days = 12.9
|May precipitation days = 16.5
|Jun precipitation days = 17.5
|Jul precipitation days = 19.7
|Aug precipitation days = 20.6
|Sep precipitation days = 17.7
|Oct precipitation days = 15.9
|Nov precipitation days = 14.1
|Dec precipitation days = 13.0
|year precipitation days = 178.9
|Jan sun = 297.6
|Feb sun = 245.8
|Mar sun = 235.6
|Apr sun = 180.0
|May sun = 139.5
|Jun sun = 105.0
|Jul sun = 120.9
|Aug sun = 161.2
|Sep sun = 201.0
|Oct sun = 232.5
|Nov sun = 261.0
|Dec sun = 272.8
|year sun = 2452.9
|source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology<ref name="abm" >{{cite web
| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_096033_All.shtml
| title = Climate statistics for Liawenee
| accessdate = 13 January 2020
| publisher = ] }}</ref>
|date=January 2020
}}

===Soils===
]

Despite the presence of some ] ], Tasmania's soils are not more fertile than those of mainland Australia, largely because most are severely ] and the areas with driest climates (least leaching) were unaffected by glaciation or alluvia derived therefrom. Most soils on the Bass Strait Islands, the east coast and western Tasmania are very infertile ] or ], with some even less fertile "lateritic podzolic soils" in the latter region. Most of these lands are thus not used for agriculture, but there is much productive ]—which remains one of the state's major industries.

On the north coast, apart from some relatively fertile ] soils used for fruit-growing, there are also deep red, easily workable soils known as "krasnozems" ("red land"). These soils are highly acidic and fix phosphate very effectively, but their extremely favourable physical properties make them extensively used for dairying, beef cattle and fodder crops.

The Midlands and the Lower Derwent present a different story from the rest of the state. Owing to a relatively dry climate and alkaline (mostly ]) parent material, these soils are relatively unleached and contain lime in the deeper subsoil. They are mostly classified as "prairie soils" or "brown earths" and bear some resemblance to the ]s of Russia and North America, although they are much lower in available ] and somewhat acidic in the surface levels. Their higher nutrient levels, however, allow them to support productive pasture, and large numbers of sheep are grazed in these regions. Some grain crops are also grown in the driest areas. In the alluvial areas of southeastern Tasmania, rich alluvial soils permit apples to be grown.

Tasmania became known as the "Apple Isle" because for many years it was one of the world's major apple producers. Apples are still grown in large numbers, particularly in southern Tasmania.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/A/Apple%20industry.htm|title=Apple Industry|access-date=14 May 2021}}</ref>

==Ecology==
{{Main|Ecology of Tasmania}}
]s in ], to the northeast of ]]]
], Tasmania's state animal emblem]]

Geographically and genetically isolated, Tasmania is known for its unique flora and fauna.

=== Flora ===
Tasmania has ] vegetation, from the heavily grazed grassland of the dry Midlands to the tall evergreen ] forest, ] heathlands and large areas of cool ] 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 ], 50&nbsp;million years ago. '']'', commonly known as Australian beech, is Australia's only temperate native deciduous tree and is found exclusively in Tasmania.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2016-03-06|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=2022-01-10}}</ref>

Distinctive species of plant in Tasmania include:
* ] - the ] flowering plant and hardwood in the world, ] (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}}</ref>
* ] - the most abundant temperate rainforest canopy species found in Tasmania.
* ] - Australia's only winter-deciduous tree.
* ] - a co-dominant rainforest tree with a nutmeg aroma.
* ] - one of the oldest-lived tree species, and a self-preserving timber.
* ] - a celery-leaved conifer found in rainforests.
* ] - a genus comprising three extant species related to ] found in Tasmania.<ref>{{cite web |title=Athrotaxis |url=https://treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/athrotaxis/ |website=Trees and Shrubs Online |access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref>
* ] - a prominent floral symbol of Tasmania and a unique ] 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}}</ref>

==== Bush tucker ====
{{See also|Bush tucker#Tasmania}}
Tasmania also has a number of ] ]s, known as ] in Australia. These plants were ] by the ] and also used for other purposes, such as ]. Unusual trees such as ] had their ] used to make a ] or an ] (]). Other trees such as ] like ] and ] could have their ] eaten or crushed into a ]. There are also many ] such as ], ] such as ], and ] such as ], though no ] like ] 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}}</ref>

=== Fauna ===
Tasmania has a large percentage of ] whilst featuring many types of animals found on mainland Australia. Many of these species, such as the ] 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}}</ref>
The island of Tasmania was home to the ], a ] which resembled a ] 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 ], 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 ] became the ] in the world following the ] of the ] 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 ]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 ] that occupy them, notably the endangered ], the ], the ], the ], the ] and others. Tasmania is also home to the world's only three migratory parrots, the critically endangered ], the ], and the fastest parrot in the world, the ].<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}}</ref>
Tasmania has 12 ] species of ] 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}}</ref>

=== Mycology ===
Tasmania is a hotspot for ] diversity. The importance of fungi in Tasmania's ecology is often overlooked, but 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}}</ref>

=== Conservation ===
Like the rest of ], Tasmania suffers from an ] problem. In particular, many important Tasmanian subspecies and world-significant species of ] are classified as at risk in some way. A famous example is the ], which is endangered due to ]. Some species have already gone ], primarily due to ], such as in the case of the ] or the ].<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}}</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}}</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}}</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) ] 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}}</ref>

] cover 21% of the island's land area in the form of ]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}}</ref> The ] (TWWHA) was inscribed by ] 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—]’s ]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}}</ref>
Controversy surrounds the decision in 2014 by the ] federal ] 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}}</ref> and the current ] and ] in the state's ] region, the largest single ] 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 Governmennt |access-date=4 September 2021}}</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}}</ref>

==Demography==
]

Tasmania's population is more homogeneous than that of other states of Australia, with many of ] and ] descent.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tasmania &#124; History, Capital, Map, Climate, & Facts &#124; Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Tasmania|access-date=2022-01-10|website=www.britannica.com|language=en}}</ref> Approximately 65% of its residents are descendants of an estimated 10,000 "founding families" from the mid-19th century.

Until 2012, Tasmania was the only state in Australia with an above-replacement ]; 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}}</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 ], ], ], ], and ]. ] 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=2019-05-28}}</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}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan=21|
]<br /><small>]</small><br />
]<br /><small>]</small><br />
]<br /><small>]</small><br />
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| <small>#</small>
! style="text-align:left; background:#f5f5f5;"| ]
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Population
! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"| Metro <br /> population
!rowspan=21|
]<br /><small>]</small><br />
]<br /><small>]</small><br />
]<br /><small>]</small>

|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 1 ||align=left | ''']'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Hobart Population 2021 |url=https://www.population.net.au/hobart-population/ |website=Population Australia |access-date=6 September 2021}}</ref> || 178,009 || 252,669 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 2 ||align=left | ''']''' || 68,813 || 110,472 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 3 ||align=left | '''] ''' || 30,297 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 4 ||align=left | ''']''' || 19,385
|-|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 5 ||align=left | '''] ''' || 14,490 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 6 ||align=left | ''']''' || 14,400 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 7 ||align=left | '''] '''|| 10,409 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 8 ||align=left | ''']''' || 7,117 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 9 ||align=left | ''']''' || 5,990
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 10 ||align=left | ''']''' || 5,834
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 11 ||align=left | ''']''' || 3,881 ||
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0"| 12 ||align=left | ''']''' || 3,849 ||
|}
</div><div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name !! Population
|-
| ] || 226,884<ref name="ABSCapitalPop2" />
|-
| ] || 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=]|date=24 April 2018|access-date=12 October 2018}} Estimated resident population, 30 June 2017.</ref>
|-
| ] || 30,044<ref name=ABSSUA/>
|-
| ] || 26,978<ref name=ABSSUA/>
|-
| ] || 14,424<ref name=ABSSUA/>
|}
</div>

===Ancestry and immigration===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+ Country of Birth (2016)<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au">{{cite web|url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/6?opendocument|title=2016 Census Community Profiles: Tasmania|website=quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au}}</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=2020-06-26}}</ref>
! Birthplace{{refn|group="N"|In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source, ], ], ] and the Special Administrative Regions of ] and ] are listed separately}} !! Population
|-
| ] || 411,490
|-
| ] || 18,776 <!-- England and Scotland are listed separately as per the source. Do not combine -->
|-
| ] || 4,997
|-
| ] || 3,036 <!-- Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau SARs are listed separately as per the source. Do not combine -->
|-
| ] || 2,283
|-
| ] || 2,193
|-
| ] || 2,108
|-
| ] || 1,980
|-
| ] || 1,630
|-
| ] || 1,616
|-
| ] || 1,524
|-
| ] || 1,409
|}

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|
* ] (47.7%)
* ] (46.3%){{refn|group="N"|The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry are part of the ] 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)|first=c=AU; o=Commonwealth of Australia; ou=Australian Bureau of|last=Statistics|website=www.abs.gov.au|date=January 1995}}</ref>}}
* ] (11.7%)
* ] (10%)
* ] (4.6%){{refn|group="N"|Of any ancestry. Includes those identifying as ] or ]. 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.}}
* ] (3.9%)
* ] (2.2%)
* ] (1.5%)
* ] (1.5%)
}}

19.3% of the population was born overseas at the 2016 census. The five largest groups of overseas-born were from ] (3.7%), ] (1%), ] (0.6%), ] (0.4%) and the ] (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 ] (] and ]) in 2016.{{refn|group="N"|Of any ancestry. Includes those identifying as ] or ]. 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 2016 census, 88.3% of the population spoke only ] at home. The other languages most commonly spoken at home were ] (0.8%), ] (0.3%), ] (0.2%) and ] (0.2%).<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

=== Religion ===
At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated religions were ] (20.4%) and ] (15.6%), while 37.8% of the population cited ].<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}}
]]]

The form of the government of Tasmania is prescribed in its constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. Since 1901, Tasmania has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the ] regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth and prescribes which powers each level of government is allowed.

Tasmania is represented in the ] by 12 senators, on an equal basis with all other states. In the ], 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 ] use a system of multi-seat ] known as ].

===Elections===
At the ], the ] won 14 of the 25 House seats. The people decreased their vote for the ]; representation in the Parliament fell to seven seats. The ] 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;"|]
| style="text-align:center;"|9
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#00bfff;"|]
| style="text-align:center;"|13
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#90ee90;"|]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|0
|-
| style="text-align:center; background:#ccf;"|]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
| 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 ] 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 ], who, after leading the state for two years, went on to win the ] in his own right. Lennon resigned in 2008 and was succeeded by ], who formed a coalition government with the Greens after the ] resulted in a ]. Bartlett resigned as Premier in January 2011 and was replaced by ], who became Tasmania's first female Premier. In March 2014 ]'s Liberal Party won government, ending sixteen years of Labor governance, and ending an eight-year period for Hodgman himself as ].<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=]|date=27 March 2014|access-date=1 May 2014}}</ref> Hodgman then won a second term of government in the ], but resigned mid-term in January 2020 and was replaced by ].<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}}</ref>

In May 2021, the ] was held after being called ] by the incumbent ], 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}}</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 ] reservoir impoundment led to the formation of the world's first ], the ].<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}}</ref>

In the early 1980s the state debated the proposed ]. The anti-dam sentiment was shared by many Australians outside Tasmania and proved a factor in the election of the ] ] government in 1983, which halted construction of the dam. Since the 1980s the environmental focus has shifted to ] logging and mining in the Tarkine region, which have both proved divisive. The Tasmania Together process recommended an end to clear felling in high conservation old growth forests by January 2003, but was unsuccessful.

In ], the House of Assembly consisted of 35 seats with 7 seats per each of the five electorates. By the ], 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}}</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}}</ref>
].]]

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

===Local government===
Tasmania has 29 ]. 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 ], Tasmania's local government elections use a system of multi-seat ] known as ]. Local government elections take place every four years and are conducted by the ] by full ]. The next local government elections will be held during September and October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Government Elections Tasmania |url=https://www.tec.tas.gov.au/Local_Government_Elections/ |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=www.tec.tas.gov.au}}</ref>
==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Tasmania}}
].]]
] in the ].]]

Traditionally, Tasmania's main industries have been mining (including copper, ], ], and iron), agriculture, forestry, and ]. Tasmania is on ] and in the 1940s and 1950s, a hydro-industrialisation initiative was embodied in the state by ]. 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|last=Inc|first=IBP|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=2016-12-16|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-4387-8388-8|language=en}}</ref> The state also has a large number of food exporting sectors, including but not limited to seafood (such as ], ] and ]).

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 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> with other crops and industries eventually rising in their place. During the 15 years until 2010, new agricultural products such as wine, ], ] and ] have been fostered by the ].

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 ], ], Grange Resources, ],<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 ], and ]. Small business is a large part of the community life, including ], ] and ]. 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}}</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=] |location=Sydney, Australia |date=9 April 2011 |access-date=26 August 2011}}</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}}</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}}</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}}</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 ] 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}}</ref>
Tasmania has a long history of scientific and ] ].<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}}</ref> The first scientific-style ]s were conducted by the ], primarily through the ] and ]ologising of the ]. In a story explaining the ] of the ] and ], it shows that it "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 |arxiv=1610.02785 |bibcode=2016JAHH...19..327G |url=https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1610/1610.02785.pdf |access-date=2 September 2021}}</ref>

The French ] Expedition of 1792-93 had anchored twice during its search of the missing ] in the ] in far-south Tasmania. During their stay, the crew took ], ], and ] 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 ]", in which "the relatively extensive, well-documented (both pictorially and written) encounters between 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 Governmennt |access-date=2 September 2021}}</ref>

The longest-running branch of the ] outside of the ] is the ] 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 ] working in Tasmania such as ] 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}}</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}}</ref>

Although ] in ] is often credited<ref>{{cite web |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 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=2 September 2021}}</ref> as being the first place in Australia with ] ]ing in 1888, ] in ] 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}}</ref>

==Culture==
===Literature===
{{Main|Tasmanian literature}}
]-winner ] 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://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/tasmania-writer-heather-rose-wins-50000-stella-prize/news-story/8051196872c9a36c4ac09a6103c67bbd?memtype=anonymous |website=myaccount.news.com.au |language=en}}</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}}</ref> by ], ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' by ], ''The Alphabet of Light and Dark'' by ], '']'' by Rohan Wilson and '']'' by ], ''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}}</ref> by ], ''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}}</ref> by Rachel Leary, and ''The Blue Day Book'' by ]. A small part of ]'s '']'' is set in Hobart as the main characters take a sojourn there. Children's books include ''They Found a Cave'' by ], ''The Museum of Thieves'' by ], ''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}}</ref> by Angelica Banks, '']'' by Marion and Steve Isham. Tasmania is home to the eminent literary magazine that was formed in 1979, ], and the biennial Tasmanian Writers and Readers Festival, now renamed the Hobart Writers Festival.

] 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 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/ces/1076 |journal=Commonwealth Essays and Studies |volume=42 |number=1|doi=10.4000/ces.1076 |s2cid=186592980 |doi-access=free }}</ref> ]'s novel '']'', written in the 1870s and set in convict era Tasmania, is a seminal example. This distinctive ] is not just restricted to literature, but can be represented through all ], such as in ], ], or ].

===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 ]—] in 1963 for a portrait of Professor ], and ] in 2003 for his portrait of ]. Photographers ] and ] are known for works that became iconic in the ] and ] conservation movements. English-born painter ] (1767–1849) is known for his paintings of Tasmanian landscapes, and is the namesake for the annual ], which is awarded to the best landscape painting of Tasmania. The ] (MONA) opened in January 2011 at the ] in ],<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-05-14|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=2022-01-10|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>, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 10 January 2011.</ref>
] (MONA), the largest privately owned museum in the Southern Hemisphere]]

===Music and performing arts===
] and Earl Arts Centre, ]]]
Tasmania has a varied musical scene, ranging from the ] whose home is the ], 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 ], ] and ]. Tasmania is also home to one of Australia's leading new music institutions, ] and gospel choirs, the ]. Prominent Australian metal bands ] and ] 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}}</ref> Noir-rock band ] and 1980s power-pop band ]<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}}</ref> are also citizens. ] the television series '']'' was filmed and based mainly in Tasmania, with the final elimination taking place in ] jail.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

The ] were known to have sung ], as ] (the last fluent speaker of any ]) had done so in recordings from 1899 to 1903.<ref>{{cite web |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 |website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=5 September 2021}}</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}}</ref> Tasmania has been home to some early and prominent ]. In piano, ] from ] was described by world-famous Australian composer ] 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}}</ref> ] was originally from ] 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}}</ref> In 1996, Sculthorpe composed the piece ''Port Arthur: In Memoriam'' for chamber ], which was first performed by the ].<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}}</ref> ] was an early Tasmanian example of the tradition of ], transported for the crime of embezzlement in 1839, and at a similar time ] had spent time as a ] in Tasmania. ], known as the ''Tasmanian Nightingale'' was a successful ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Sherwin, Frances Amy Lillian (1855–1935) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sherwin-frances-amy-lillian-4574 |website=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=5 September 2021}}</ref> and ], who came from remote ], became a world-renowned pianist at the time of her peak.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tunley |first1=David |title=Joyce, Eileen Alannah (1908–1991) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/joyce-eileen-alannah-14817 |website=Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) |access-date=18 September 2021}}</ref>

===Cinema===
{{See also|List of films shot in Tasmania|Category:Television shows set in Tasmania}}
Films set in Tasmania include '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', ''Arctic Blast'', '']'' (with music composed by ]), '']'', '']'', and '']''. Common within ], 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 ], with the epic '']'' in 1927 being the most expensive feature film made on Australian shores. ], filmed in and around ], won the 2016 AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Mini Series. The ] ] was partly filmed in Tasmania due to its terrain.

The ], which financed '']'', was the successor to the Tasmanian Government Department of Film Production, but disappeared after privatisation. Its role is now filled by the ], ], and private ventures such as ].

===Media===
{{See also|Tasmanian media}}
Tasmania has five broadcast television stations which produce local content including ], ] – an affiliate of the ], ] – an affiliate of the ], ] – an affiliate of ] (joint owned by WIN and Southern Cross), and ].

===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in Tasmania}}
] hosts ] and ], 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 ] cricket team represents the state successfully (for example the ] in 2007, 2011 and 2013) and plays its home games at the ] in Hobart; which is also the home ground for the ] in the Big Bash League. In addition, Bellerive Oval regularly hosts international cricket matches. Famous Tasmanian cricketers include ], former Australian captains ] and ].

] is also popularly followed, with frequent discussion of a proposed ] in the Australian Football League (]). Several AFL games have been played at ], Launceston, including the ] and {{As of|2012|lc=y}}, at the Bellerive Oval with the ] playing 3 home games there. The stadium was the site of an infamous match between ] and ] which was ] after the umpires failed to hear the final siren. Local leagues include the ] and ].

] Football is also played in the area, with the highest level of football played is in the ] competition. The most successful team is the ], who have won the title three times.

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

] (soccer) is played throughout the state, including a proposed ] and an existing statewide league called the ].

Tasmania hosts the professional ] tennis tournament as part of the lead up to the Australian Open and is played at the ], Hobart.

The ] 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}}</ref>

While some of the other sports played and ] for have grown in popularity, others have declined. For example, in basketball Tasmania has not been represented in the ] since the demise of the ] in 1996. A new National Basketball League team based in both Launceston and Hobart is due to enter the league in the 2021–22 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/6834597/call-for-tasmanians-to-help-name-states-new-nbl-team/ |title=NBL launches campaign to name new Tasmanian team |work=The Advocate |last=Williams |first=Claudia |date=16 July 2020 |access-date=20 September 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Potential names include the Brewers, Tigers and Devils.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbltas.com.au/ |title=Your Team is Coming |website=nbltas.com.au |access-date=20 September 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{See also|Tasmanian wine}}
Tasmanian Aboriginals 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 ], ], ]<ref name="goway"/> and ]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}}</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 ] 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}}</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}}</ref>

] 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=2022-01-10|website=Goway Travel|language=en}}</ref> and Tasmanian beer brands such as ] and ] are known and sold in Mainland Australia. ] 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 A. C. Irvine and is still popular in ] and even internationally.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McLeod |first1=E. A. |title=Irvine, Alice Christina (1879–1940) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/irvine-alice-christina-13002 |website=Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) |access-date=18 September 2021}}</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}}</ref> Tasmanian cuisine is often unique, and has won many awards. One example is the Hartshorn Distillery, which has won prizes in the World ] 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}}</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 ], starting on ] in Sydney and usually arriving at ] in Hobart around three to four days later, during the ], an annual food and wine festival. Other events include the ] ] which attracts rally drivers from around the world and is staged all over the state, over five days. Rural or regional events include ], a three-day ] held at ] (just west of Launceston) in early May and ] supported TastroFest - Tasmania's Astronomy Festival, held early August in ] (North West Tasmania). The ] and ] are both held in October annually.

Music events held in Tasmania include the ] at ] (a ] event now held in both Victoria and Tasmania on New Year's Eve), the ], a national celebration of song held each year in Hobart attracting international and national teachers and choirs in the heart of Winter, ] is a charity music event held in Launceston, to raise money for those with ]. The ] is one Australia's most iconic ] festivals and is held in ] in the ] every year in January,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cygnetfolkfestival.org/ |title=Home |website=Cygnet Folk Festival |access-date=5 September 2021}}</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 ] arts festival, ], run by ] and curated by ] and ] also run by ] and curated by Leigh Carmichael.

] is a three-day festival held every two years in ] on the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theunconformity.com.au/ |title=Home |website=The Unconformity |access-date=5 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Unconformity |url=https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/event/theunconformity |website=Discover Tasmania |access-date=5 September 2021}}</ref> Each February in ] a ] 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}}</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 ] for these reasons, and is considered an idyllic location for Australians considering a "tree-" or "sea-change", or are seeking ] because of Tasmania's ] 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}}</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 ] as popularised by ].

====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 ]. Because of these ], Tasmania is often referred to as the primary "butt" of Australian jokes.<ref>{{cite web |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}}</ref> In more recent times, references to insults against Tasmania are more ] and jovial, but angst against the island still exists. The most commonly cited sarcastic comment is on the supposedly ']' Tasmanians.<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}}</ref> But as Tasmania receives higher volumes of inter-state tourists, the perceptions are in the process of changing, due to a higher awareness of the state's unique beauty,<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}}</ref> and an acknowledgement of the similarities and ']' that hold Australia together.

The most prominent example of negative stereotype is of ] due to the relatively small size of Tasmania compared to the rest of Australia (though Tasmania is nearly as large as ] in area, and more populous than ]). This is untrue of course, 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 ] were transported for petty crimes. During this period of European settlement, Tasmania was the second centre of power (and a significant port of the ]) on the continent after ], before being surpassed in the latter half of the 19th-century by ] and regions sustained by ] 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}}</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}}</ref>

==Transport==
{{See|Transport in Australia}}
]]]

===Air===
Tasmania's main air carriers are ] and ]; ], ] and ]. These airlines fly direct routes to ], ], ] and ]. Major airports include ] and ]; the smaller airports, ] (Wynyard) and ], serviced by Rex Airlines; and ], serviced by QantasLink; have services to Melbourne. Intra-Tasmanian air services are offered by ]. Until 2001 ] operated majorly out of Tasmania to 12 destinations nationwide. Tourism-related air travel is also represented in Tasmania, such as in the ] route between ] near Hobart to ] in ].

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

===Road===
]]]
Within the state, the primary form of transport is by road. Since the 1980s, many of the ] have undergone regular upgrades. These include the Hobart ], Launceston Southern Outlet, ] reconstruction, and the ]. Public transport is provided by ] 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}}</ref> UBER ride-share services within urban areas, with ], ] and Callows Coaches providing bus service between population centres.
] runs from ] to ] and is a reminder of the once elaborate network of rail in Tasmania.]]

===Rail===
{{Main article|Rail transport in Tasmania}}
] consists of narrow-gauge lines to all four major population centres and to mining and forestry operations on the west coast and in the northwest. Services are operated by ]. Regular passenger train services in the state ceased in 1977; the only scheduled trains are for freight, but there are tourist trains in specific areas, for example the ]. There is an ] to reinstate commuter trains to Hobart. This idea however lacks political motivation.

===Shipping===
{{See also|Bass Strait Ferries}}
]'' links the island with mainland Australia.]]

The port of Hobart is the second deepest natural port in the world, second to only ] in Brazil.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} There is a substantial amount of commercial and recreational shipping within the 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}}</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 ] passenger/vehicle ferries operated by the Tasmanian government-owned ]. The state is also home to ], a manufacturer of very high-speed aluminium catamarans that regularly broke records when they were first launched. The state government tried using them on the Bass Strait run but eventually decided to discontinue the run because of concerns over viability and the suitability of the vessels for the extreme weather conditions sometimes experienced in the strait.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
File: Ossa and Pelion West - panoramio.jpg|] & ]
File: Hobart moonrise from Mt Wellington.jpg|] from ]
File: King River (30198084246).jpg|]
File: Mixed forest, the Styx River, Tasmania.JPG|]
File: Tasmania logging 01 under tallest tree.jpg|92-metre-high '']''
File: Sun rays through the forest trees.jpg|]
File: Western Arthur Range, SW Tasmania.jpg|] and ] from ]
File:Cradle Mountain from the shore of Dove Lake, Tasmania, Australia.jpg|] from the shore of ]
File:Cataract Gorge Tasmania.jpg|], ]
File:Antarctic Garden Hobart BG.jpg|Sub-Antarctic Garden, ], ]
File:Mt Roland, Tasmania, Australia.jpg|]
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Islands|Australia|Oceania}}
* ]<!-- * ] -->
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

== 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 tourism website
* {{osmrelation|2369652}}

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

{{Authority control}}

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Revision as of 03:16, 1 May 2022

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