Australia contains many amazing things. It’s natural wonders include Ayers Rock/Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Bungle Bungles. Cut-off from the rest of the world’s major land masses it’s home to some of the most exotic life on the planet. Besides marsupial kangaroos, koalas, and wombats it also features unique species of birds such as the emus and kookaburra. Perhaps the continent’s oddest creatures are the platypus and echidna – the only surviving monotremes (egg-laying mammals).
Nature isn’t the only exceptional aspect of the continent wide nation. The people of Australia come from equally exotic backgrounds. The first inhabitants took advantage of lower sea levels to cross land-bridges and narrow straights. They reached the continent ~45,000 years ago. When the ice packs melted the bridges and straights disappeared separating Australia from the rest of the world. Other than chance encounters with lost fisherman, the first inhabitants were isolated from the rest of humanity.
European Discovery
That changed with the “discovery” of Australia by Europeans. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon first set foot on the continent in early 1606. Janszoon laid claim to the land as New Holland, but the Dutch didn’t follow-up with any settlements. More than 80 years later the English privateer William Dampier made several landings, but established no settlements. It wasn’t until and the end of the 18th century that the first European “settlers” arrived. Spurred by the loss of American colonies and the explorations of James Cook the English finally established a colony.
As many may know it wasn’t a straight commercial enterprise. Rather, the first settlers of Australian were part of a penal colony. This leads many, including most famously Vizzini from The Princess Bride’s battle of wits scene, to suggest that Australians are descended from criminals. While that’s no doubt true for some, I suspect all of us have some suspect characters buried in our ancestry.
Australia’s population of 24 million is less than that of the Tokyo, Seoul, or Shanghai metropolitan areas. Despite this relatively small population Australia possesses the twelfth largest economy in the world. It also ranks highly in most quality of life measures. To illustrate just how big the world’s only true continental nation is today’s map fits more than 20 nations into Australia. (map is courtesy of Simon Crerar please visit his site for more maps)
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
PS I received no compensation direct or otherwise from any representatives of Australia for writing this post. However, if any said representatives would like to change that, please feel free to contact me.