Van Diemens Land Van Diemens Land

Van Diemens Land was the original name used by Europeans for the island of Tasmania.

The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to explore Tasmania, and named the island Anthoonij van Diemenslandt in honour of Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies who had sent Tasman on his voyage of discovery in 1642.

In 1803, the island was colonised by the British as a penal colony with the name Van Diemens Land, and became part of the British colony of New South Wales. In 1824, Van Diemens Land became a colony in its own right.

In 1856 the colony was granted responsible self-government with its own representative parliament and was renamed Tasmania in honour of Abel Tasman.

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❊ Web Links ❊

➼ Van Diemens Land 

➼ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Diemen's_Land




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