Britain began colonizing Australia in 1789 with convicts to relieve their overcrowded prisons . After their sentences were served, freed prisoners became settlers.
Why was Australia colonized?
The new colony was intended to alleviate overcrowding in British prisons , expand the British Empire, assert Britain's claim to the territory against other colonial powers, and establish a British base in the global South.
Why did the British colonize Australia?
The reasons that led the British to invade Australia were simple. The prisons in Britain had become unbearably overcrowded , a situation worsened by the refusal of America to take any more convicts after the American War of Independence in 1783.
What did the aboriginals call Australia?
The nations of Indigenous Australia were, and are, as separate as the nations of Europe or Africa. The Aboriginal English words ‘ blackfella' and ‘whitefella' are used by Indigenous Australian people all over the country — some communities also use ‘yellafella' and ‘coloured'.
Who first colonized Australia?
On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding Australia.
Is New Zealand owned by England?
Following the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the islands of New Zealand became a British colony . ... The Statute of Westminster in 1931, an act of the British Parliament, gave legal form to this declaration. It gave New Zealand and other Dominions the authority to make their own laws. New Zealand ratified the Statute in 1947.
Is New Zealand older than Australia?
Australia is about 29 times bigger than New Zealand .
New Zealand is approximately 268,838 sq km, while Australia is approximately 7,741,220 sq km, making Australia 2,780% larger than New Zealand. Meanwhile, the population of New Zealand is ~4.9 million people (20.5 million more people live in Australia).
What happened when the British colonized Australia and New Zealand?
Australia and New Zealand were both colonised by Britain. ... Constitutionally New Zealand began as an extension of the colony of New South Wales , which was its status when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. New Zealand became a separate colony in 1841.
Why is Aboriginal offensive?
‘Aborigine' is generally perceived as insensitive, because it has racist connotations from Australia's colonial past , and lumps people with diverse backgrounds into a single group. ... Without a capital “a”, “aboriginal” can refer to an Indigenous person from anywhere in the world.
What is Australia's real name?
The sovereign country Australia, formed in 1901 by the Federation of the six British colonies, is officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia , abbreviated within the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act and the Constitution of Australia to “the Commonwealth”.
What was Australia's original name?
When the map and book describing his journey was finally published in 1814 the name ‘ Terra Australis ‘ was used instead, although Flinders stated that his preference was still ‘Australia'. You can view his General chart of Terra Australis or Australia map online.
Who was in Australia before the aboriginal?
Researchers say the findings overturn a 2001 paper that argued the oldest known Australian human remains found near Lake Mungo in New South Wales were from an extinct lineage of modern humans that occupied the continent before Aboriginal Australians.
How many Aboriginal were killed in Australia?
Reports vary with from 60 to 200 Aboriginal Australians killed , including women and children. An 1842 report on the incident notes that the Gunditjmara people believed that only two members of the Kilcarer clan survived.
What was Australia like before colonization?
In The Biggest Estate, Gammage supports his thesis with exhaustive and compelling research from primary sources to prove that prior to British colonisation in 1788, Australia was an “unnatural” landscape , carefully and systematically managed by its traditional owners to ensure that “life was comfortable, people had ...
Is Australia still under British rule?
Australia is a constitutional monarchy with The Queen as Sovereign . As a constitutional monarch, The Queen, by convention, is not involved in the day-to-day business of the Australian Government, but she continues to play important ceremonial and symbolic roles. The Queen's relationship to Australia is unique.
What countries does the queen rule?
Queen Elizabeth II is also the Sovereign of 15 countries in the Commonwealth of Nations: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada , Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
