Australia is a former colony. Chapter II

Since 1788, the British government began to send criminals convicted to hard labor to Australia. Many of these people chose to live here forever after the end of the term of hard labor to which they were sentenced. In Australia began to arrive and voluntary immigrants from Britain. Some wanted to acquire land and start raising sheep and other livestock, others were attracted by the opportunity to get rich by finding a deposit of gold or other minerals.

Life in 19th century Australia was difficult and full of danger. One of these dangers was the robbery of gangs of runaway convicts, among which the most famous was Ned Kelly's gang. As settlers arrived from England, the Australian Aborigines (the original inhabitants of Australia) lost more and more of their ancestral lands. Many natives died at the hands of European colonists or died from diseases they introduced.

Treaty of the British and Maori

The first settlers from Europe arrived in New Zealand in the 1790s. In 1840, the British government officially took New Zealand under its rule.
The British governor and the chiefs of the Maori tribe who lived on the islands entered into an agreement that determined which territories would pass to the British. But the treaty that determined which territories would pass to the British. But the treaty was often violated, and violent armed clashes took place between the Maori and the Europeans.

Australia today plays a significant role on the world stage with a strong economy, a decent standard of living and high standards of civil rights and freedoms. But "Australian society" was born only in the 18th century with British colonization. The indigenous people of the mainland lived happily on their land for about 50,000 years. This clash of cultures inevitably led to many conflicts and surprising events in the following years.

In the early 1600s, European sailors began to explore the Pacific waters around Australia, calling them "Terra Australia Incognito" - "Unknown Southern Land". The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans dates back to 1606, when the expedition of the Dutchman Willem Janson on the ship Deifken explored the Gulf of Carpentaria and landed on the Cape York Peninsula. The coast of Australia was called New Holland and declared the possession of the Netherlands, but it was never mastered by the Dutch.

In 1770, James Cook's British expedition aboard the Endeavor explored and mapped the east coast of Australia for the first time. Cook discovered the bay, which he named Botany Bay, and recommended it to the British colonists for landing.

On May 13, 1787, the First Fleet of 11 ships under the command of Captain Arthur Philip sailed from the coast of Great Britain to Australia. 1,530 colonists arrived on the mainland, including 736 former prisoners.

Almost 250 days the First Fleet sailed to the coast of Australia. A week later, the prisoners tried to revolt, but he was quickly suppressed. The hot and humid weather conditions of the tropics also brought with them a lot of trouble: rats, cockroaches and bedbugs appeared on the ships. And in the last months of the journey, the Fleet was plagued by storms, one sailor was even torn off the deck and drowned.

The early settlers quickly realized that the bay was not deep enough for ships and was prone to winds. In addition, it was not possible to find sufficient sources of fresh water and salt. Captain Arthur Phillip was forced to look for a new place to settle.

Settling in Port Jackson, the British met the natives of the Eora tribe. Captain Arthur Phillip wanted to establish friendly relations with the indigenous population, but such a peaceful attitude did not last long. Soon the "cleansing" of small peoples began.

On January 24, 1788, six days after the British landed, two French warships entered Botany Bay under the command of Captain La Pérouse. Until March, the French conducted observations, and then left the mainland. At the same time, some British exiles even tried to sail away with them.

Among the first settlers there were many convicted women who had a particularly hard time. Even those who worked as domestic servants were often not paid money. Almost the only job that allowed at least somehow to make ends meet was prostitution. And all unmarried women were considered prostitutes by the settlers.

British colonists infected the natives with diseases such as measles, influenza, and worse, smallpox. Indigenous Australians were not immune to these diseases, so in just 14 months after the arrival of the First Fleet, half of the Aborigines died due to smallpox. Some researchers suggest that the British deliberately cleared the territory in such a cruel way for colonial expansion.

January 26, 1788, the entire First Fleet moved from Botany Bay to Port Jackson, and anchored in a small bay, subsequently named Sydney. Captain Arthur Phillip announced the annexation of New South Wales to Great Britain, the creation of the first settlement here, and that he is henceforth the first governor of New South Wales. Phillip named the city after Lord Sidney, who was then British Secretary of State for the Colonies. By 1840, the population of Sydney was already 35 thousand people. To this day, this city remains the largest in Australia.

On March 4, 1804, there was an uprising in Castle Hill. 233 convicts, led by Philip Cunningham, revolted, planning to capture Paramatta and Sydney. All of them wanted to return to their native Ireland and continue the fight against the British. But the troops of New South Wales quickly crushed the uprising, the rebels were convicted, and the instigators were hanged.

The Australian Aborigines tried to drive the colonists from their lands, but could not give a serious rebuff. The British, on the other hand, massively shot them and threw them off the rocks, raped the natives, infecting them with deadly venereal diseases.

Governor Phillip still did not give up hope of making peace with the indigenous population. But for this it was necessary to get to know the natives better, to understand their language and culture. By his order, two natives from the Eora people, Bennelong and Colby, were forcibly brought to Sydney Harbor. Three months later, Colby escaped, and Bennelong became an interpreter and mediator between the colonists and the natives. During a visit to the UK, he even received an audience with King George III.

In 1808, the so-called Rum Riot took place in Sydney. The governor of New South Wales, William Bly, imposed a ban on the payment of wages to farm laborers in liquor. What did not like the officers who used alcohol instead of money when paying for goods and services. As a result, Bligh was arrested by the troops and removed from his post. This rebellion was the only example of a successful armed seizure of power in Australia.

Genetic studies have established that the Australian Aborigines are the oldest civilization that originated on Earth 50,000 years ago. However, between 1788 and 1900, 90% of civilization was destroyed by colonists and introduced diseases. At the moment, only 3% of the population are descendants of the indigenous inhabitants of Australia, this is only 670,000 people. And only in the 20th century, the civil rights granted to the natives were legally secured, and in 2010 they began to be elected to parliament.

The first people, the ancestors of modern Australian Aborigines, arrived in Australia from Southeast Asia through the islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea about 40,000 years ago. Each of the numerous tribes that inhabited this continent had its own language, and the culture and life of the settlers also differed. The main activities of the natives were agriculture, hunting, and fishing. The population was about 300,000 people before the arrival of Europeans on the continent.

Australia exploration

More than one hundred years passed before the Europeans learned about the existence of the mainland.

The documented history of Australia begins in the 17th century, during which the main discoveries in the exploration of the Australian mainland were made by Dutch navigators, who gave this new land its name - New Holland.

The first European to reach the shores of Australia is the famous Dutch navigator W. Janszon, who in 1606 explored the Cape York Peninsula in the northeastern part of Australia.

The Dutchman A.Tasman, the first who circled Australia and declared that it is a separate continent.

Other famous Dutchmen - D. Hartog, F. Theisen and P. Neyts explored the western and southern coasts of Australia.

In the 18th century, the English explorer J. Cook explored the east coast, which he gave the name of New South Wales.

A large number of navigators and scientists took part in the exploration of Australia, and it continued until the end of the 19th century, and only at the beginning of the 20th century were mapped the main areas of Australia.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs discovered in 2006 on the territory of Australia suggest that the ancient Egyptians became the discoverers of the mainland five thousand years ago.

British colonization

The history of Australia in the 18th-19th centuries is marked by the period of British colonization. It was her territory that became the refuge of numerous criminals who were kept in overcrowded British prisons.

New South Wales became the first British colony, founded on January 26, 1788 by the English captain Arthur Philip, under whose leadership 11 ships with prisoners (men and women) moored to the shores of the Australian mainland. The founding day of the first colony was subsequently celebrated as a national holiday - Australia Day.

Arthur Philip, who became governor of the colony, founded the settlement that later became the city of Sydney. After some time, New South Wales was divided into 6 separate colonies: South Australia, New Zealand, Victoria, Queensland, Northern Territory and Swan River.

British colonization led to the foundation and expansion of numerous settlements throughout the Australian continent, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane were founded.

"Gold Rush" and self-government

The history of Australia during the "gold rush" marks the economic rise and development of the country.

The first gold found in New South Wales in 1851 served as a spontaneous influx to the Australian continent of numerous gold miners from North America, Europe and China. In the same year, gold mining licenses were introduced.

Large reserves of gold were also found in the settlements of Bendigo, Ballarat and Beechworth in the territory of the colony of Victoria.

Gold mines served to create numerous cities of gold prospectors and contributed to a large increase in production.

During this period, cities such as Melbourne and Sydney developed, a railway was built, and the population increased many times over.

In 1854, there was an uprising of gold miners, called the Eureka Rebellion, in honor of Fort Eureka, which was erected by the rebels during the conflict. The result of the uprising was the abolition of licenses for gold and the acceleration of the provision of self-government to the colonies.

Between 1855 and 1890, the colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, and Western Australia were self-governing, with responsible governments managing most of the affairs of these colonies. At the same time, the colonies remained part of the British Empire, which remained in charge of foreign policy and foreign trade, as well as defense.

20th century

The history of Australia at the beginning of the 20th century marks the founding of a federation of colonies - the Commonwealth of Australia, which was formed on January 1, 1901.

In 1907, the Commonwealth of Australia received the status of an independent state within the British Empire.

In the Federal Capital Territory, cut off from New South Wales in 1911, construction began on Canberra, the future capital of Australia. After the completion of the city in 1927, the federal government moved to Canberra.

Melbourne was the former capital of the Commonwealth of Australia from 1911 to 1927.

In 1911, the Northern Territory was also transferred to federal administration, which was taken away from the control of the state of South Australia, and subsequently divided into Central Australia and Northern Australia.

The islands of Norflok, Cartier and Ashmore received from Great Britain became part of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Australia gained de facto independence from Great Britain as a result of signing the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which it ratified only in 1942, while the British monarch remained head of state.

The history of Australia during the world economic crisis that occurred in 1929 is marked by a strong economic downturn. Prices for the main Australian goods - wheat and wool - fell, unemployment in the country affected the well-being of people, many of whom lost their jobs. And only by 1933 did the gradual recovery of the Australian economy begin.

Not spared Australia and the Second World War. Australian troops fought alongside British troops in Europe against Germany and Italy and in the Pacific against Japan. The threat of Japanese invasion was the reason for the rapprochement between Australia and the United States, whose support did not allow Japan to invade Australia.

Recent history and the modern period of Australia

The history of Australia in the post-war era is marked by a large influx of immigrants from devastated Europe. The Australian government has carried out a large-scale program to receive migrants. It was believed that Australia, which miraculously escaped the Japanese invasion, should not have problems in the future due to the increase in its population.

The Liberal Party of Australia, founded in 1945, dominated the postwar period in Australia. Under the leadership of its leader, Robert Menzies, who became Prime Minister, the Australian economy began to develop dynamically. Metallurgy, automotive industry, oil refining were developed. Rail transportation began to displace road transport and air transport.

Abolished in the 1970s, the White Australia policy, which restricted "colored" immigration to Australia, led to a large flow of Asian migrants into the country, which significantly affected both the demographic and cultural indicators of the country.

In 1951, Australia, together with the United States and New Zealand, formed the ANZUS military bloc. Australian troops took an active part in the Vietnam and Korean wars.

As a result of the adoption of the Australia Act in 1986, all ties between Australia and the UK were finally severed.

In the 1990s, an attempt was made to transform Australia into a republic, but in a referendum held in 1999 on this issue, the majority of Australians supported the monarchy.

Currently, Australia's foreign policy is aimed at developing ties with other countries in the Pacific region, while maintaining close relations with both traditional allies and partners of the country.

Indigenous people of Australia

History Australia during the period of European colonization adversely affected the life of the indigenous inhabitants of the Australian mainland, whose numbers were greatly reduced due to infectious diseases introduced by the British, and due to their mass extermination for resisting European colonization. Subsequently, the Australian Aborigines were exiled to the reservations created and protected by the authorities. Thanks to material and medical assistance from the authorities, the growth in the number of Australians has increased.

Australian Aborigines, like most Australians, were British subjects until 1949, when, under the Nationality and Citizenship Act, all British subjects in Australia became Australian citizens.

For 100 years, from 1869 to 1969, Australian Aboriginal children were forcibly taken away as a result of government policy at the time. The scale of this tragic phenomenon is still unknown. In 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd publicly apologized to the country's indigenous people for the policies pursued at the time.

In 1962, Indigenous Australians gained the right to vote in Commonwealth elections, and in 1967, Australian Aboriginal civil rights were legalized. At the same time, the movement for the revival of the original culture of the indigenous people of the country was gaining development, laws were being issued to protect their cultural heritage, the lands of the reservations were granted to the collective possession of the Australians in terms of self-government. At present, the number of indigenous people has increased markedly, and the standard of living leaves much to be desired.

In 2007, the National Aboriginal Television of Australia was formed, the programs of which are broadcast in many languages, including Russian. Thanks to the development of the Internet, these programs have become available around the world, people have the opportunity to get to know the culture of the indigenous people of Australia.

What is the history of Australia? Let's take a brief look at the events that are associated with its discovery. Some researchers express their assumptions, according to which, the first Europeans who reached the coast of Australia at the beginning of the seventeenth century were the Portuguese.

What is the history of the discovery and exploration of Australia? Briefly, this information is presented in encyclopedias, but they do not contain interesting points that confirm the interest of travelers in this territory. Among the evidence that it was the Portuguese who became the discoverers of Australia, the following arguments can be made:

  1. Maps of Dieppe, which were published in the middle of the 16th century in France, contain an image of a large land area between Antarctica and Indonesia, called Java la Grande. All explanations and symbols on the map are in Portuguese and French.
  2. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Portuguese colonies were located in Southeast Asia. For example, the island of Timor, which is located 650 kilometers from the Australian coast, was attributed precisely to Portuguese travelers.

French "trace"

What other interesting facts does the history of the discovery of Australia and Oceania contain? We will also briefly tell that the French navigator Binot Polmier de Gonneville told that it was he who landed on unknown lands near the Cape of Good Hope in 1504. This happened after his ship blew the winds off the intended course. Thanks to this statement, it was this traveler who was credited with the discovery of Australia for a long time. After some time, it was found out that he was on the coast of Brazil.

Discovery of Australia by the Dutch

Let's continue the conversation about what is the history of the discovery of Australia and Oceania. Let us dwell briefly on the first indisputable fact documented in the winter of 1606. The expedition of the Dutch East India Company, led by Willem Janson, managed, together with his comrades, to land on the coast from the ship "Dove". After sailing from the island of Java, they went to the southern part of New Guinea, moving along it, the Dutch expedition managed after some time to reach the shores of the Cape York Peninsula, located in the northern part of Australia. The team members were confident that they were still off the coast of New Guinea.

It is the history of the development of Australia that is briefly considered in the school course on geography. The expedition did not see which divides the coast of Australia and New Guinea. On February 26, members of the team landed near the site where the city of Weipa is currently located. The Dutch were immediately attacked by the natives. Later, Janson and his men explored about 350 kilometers of the coast of Australia, sometimes making landfalls. His crew constantly ran into hostile natives, so several Dutch sailors were killed during fierce battles with the natives. The captain decided to return. He never realized that he and his team managed to discover a new continent. Since Janson, in describing his exploration of the coast, described it as a swampy and deserted place, no one attached much importance to his new discovery. The East India Company sent expeditions in the hope of enriching themselves with jewels and spices, and not at all for serious geographical discoveries.

Luis Vaes de Torres

Describing briefly the history of the exploration of Australia, one can also say about how this traveler moved through the same strait through which Janson's team first passed. Geographers have suggestions that Torres and his comrades managed to visit the northern coast of the continent, but no written confirmation of this hypothesis has been found. After some time, the strait began to be called Torres in honor of Luis Vaez de Torres.

Notable expeditions

The story of the discovery and exploration of Australia is also of interest, briefly telling about the voyage of the next ship of the Dutch East India Company, which was driven by Dirk Hartog. In 1616, the ship managed to reach the western coast of Australia, near Shark Bay. For three days, sailors explored the coast, and explored the nearby islands. The Dutch found nothing of interest, so Hartog decided to continue sailing north along a coastline that had not been explored before. The team then headed to Batavia.

Where is the history of the discovery of Australia described? Briefly, grade 7 studies information about expeditions here from Europe in the 16-17 centuries. For example, educators talk about how in 1619 Jacob d'Erdel and Frederick de Houtman went on two ships to explore the Australian coast. As they moved north, they discovered a band of reefs called Houtman's Rock.

Continued research

After this expedition, other Dutch sailors repeatedly found themselves near these shores, calling the land New Holland. They did not even try to explore the coast, as they did not find any commercial interest here.

The beautiful coastline, even if it aroused their curiosity, clearly did not stimulate them to explore what useful resources Australia has. The history of the country briefly tells about the exploration of the northern and western coasts. The Dutch concluded that the northern lands were barren and unsuitable for use. The sailors did not see the eastern and southern coasts at that time, so Australia was undeservedly recognized as uninteresting for use.

First buildings

In the summer of 1629, the Batavia, an East India Company ship, was shipwrecked off the Houtman Rocks. Soon there was a mutiny, as a result of which a small fort was built by part of the crew for protection. It became the first European construction in Australia. Geographers suggest that at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, about fifty European ships reached the territory of Australia.

The history of the development and settlement of Australia briefly tells about the discoveries made by ships. In 1642, he tried to go around New Holland from the south, while discovering an island called Van Diemen's Land. Some time later it was renamed Tasmania. With the subsequent advance to the east, after some time, the ships ended up near New Zealand. Tasman's first voyage was not successful; travelers failed to approach Australia.

The history of Australia briefly tells that Tasman only in 1644 was able to study in detail the northwestern coast, to prove that all the lands that were discovered and analyzed in earlier expeditions are components of one mainland.

English studies

The history of Australia briefly notes the English contribution to its study. Until the second half of the seventeenth century, there was practically no information in England about the lands that were discovered by Dutch travelers. In 1688, a pirate ship carrying an Englishman, William Dampier, ended up on the northwest coast, near Lake Melville. This fact has been preserved by the history of Australia. Briefly, the surviving records say that after the repair, the ship returned to England. Here, Dampier published a story about the journey, which aroused genuine interest among the English Admiralty.

In 1699, Dampier set out on a second voyage to the coast of Australia on the ship Roebuck. But as part of this trip, he did not find anything interesting, so the Admiralty decided to stop funding the expedition.

Cook's expedition

Talking about the history of the discovery of Australia, one cannot leave without due attention the expedition of 1170, led by Lieutenant James Cook. On the sailboat "Attempt" his team went to the South Pacific. The official purpose of the expedition was to make astronomical observations, but in fact Cook received from the Admiralty the task of studying the southern part of the continent. Cook believed that since New Holland has a west coast, therefore, there must be an east coast.

At the end of April 1770, an English expedition landed on the east coast of Australia. The landing site was first named Stingray Bay, then it was renamed Botany Bay because of the unusual plants that were found there.

The open lands were named New Wales by Cook, and then the New Englishman did not even realize how massive the discovery he made was.

British colonies

The lands that Cook discovered were decided to be colonized, using them as the first colonies for convicts. The fleet, led by Captain Arthur Philip, included 11 ships. He arrived in Australia in January 1788, but, recognizing the region as inconvenient for settlement, they moved north. Governor Philip issued an order establishing the first British colony in Australia. The soils around Sydney Harbor were not suitable for farming, so farms were established near the Parramatta River.

The second fleet, which arrived in Australia in 1790, brought various materials and supplies here. During the journey, 278 convicts and crew members died, so in history it is called the "Death Fleet".

In 1827, a small British settlement was built at King Georges Sound by Major Edmund Lockyer. He became the first governor of a colony created for convicts.

South Australia was founded in 1836. It was not intended for convicts, but some of the former prisoners moved here from other colonies.

Conclusion

It was mastered almost fifty thousand years before its official discovery by European travelers. For more than one century, people with an original culture and religion have lived in the waterless deserts and tropical jungles of the continent. After the colonization of the Australian coast, a period of active exploration of the territory began. Among the first serious researchers who managed to study the channels of the rivers Macquarie, Lochlan, geographers name John Oxley. Robert Burke became the first Englishman to cross the mainland from north to south. The discovery of Australia was the result of a centuries-old search for the Dutch, Portuguese, and British of the Southern country.

In 2006, archaeologists discovered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs in Australia. This fact led to the promotion of an original hypothesis about the discovery of the contingent by the Egyptians.

Scientists agreed that 1606 can be considered the most likely time for the discovery of Australia. It was then that the famous Dutchman V. Janszon explored the northeastern part - the Cape York Peninsula.

The history of the settlement of Australia is briefly described in this material. Until now, it is associated with numerous mysteries that scientists have yet to solve. For example, cannons found during archaeological excavations give reason to believe that the Portuguese visited this territory in the fifteenth century. A complete map of the British colony, which was Australia, scientists managed to draw up only at the beginning of the last century.

“Very often great events taking place in one part of the world affect the lives of people living thousands and thousands of kilometers away. This happened with the colonization of Australia and the transformation of the Green Continent into one of the most interesting, comfortable countries for living on our planet.

It began with a revolution in America, during which a new state appeared on the world map - the United States, uniting 13 states under a common flag, in which emigrants from Europe lived. Having lost the war in which the United States gained independence, England lost most of its possessions in North America.

The British government thought - where, in fact, to exile criminals? English prisons are overcrowded, you can no longer send dashing people to America ... And the British decided to populate distant Australia with condemned robbers.

On the one hand, a similar method of colonization of overseas territories was proposed not by anyone, but by Christopher Columbus. On the other hand, the farther from London the prison is, the calmer London will feel.

This landmark decision was made in 1786. And two years later, on January 18, 1788, at the height of the southern summer, a squadron of ships arrived to the shores of Australia, in the holds of which languished 778 criminals - the first settlers of the Australian continent. On the same ships, a team of overseers and the governor of New South Wales, Captain Arthur Philip, arrived. On January 26, the first prisoners and their guards descended to the ground - this day is celebrated by Australians as a national holiday.

Through the efforts of Arthur Philip, the first city of Australia, Sydney, was laid. It was founded on the shore of the same Port Jackson Bay, in which the expedition stood, literally 10 kilometers from the place where he met the first natives. The name of the city was chosen in honor of the then Minister of the Interior and the Colonies, Lord T. Sidney. On February 7, 1788, the governor of New South Wales established the administration of a colony extending from Sydney to Cape York, including both the nearest islands and the adjacent inland territories. On February 14, a detachment of soldiers led by Lieutenant Philip King is sent to Norfolk for its development, since it was decided to arrange a colony for exiles there as well. A few years later, in 1794, one of the research expeditions equipped by the authorities reaches the mountains on the eastern side of the mainland. In October 1798, the doctor Basho and Lieutenant Flinders circled the island of Tasmania and partially explored its territory ...

Sydney at the end of the 18th century was a few dirty streets, but later the authorities decided to ennoble the city, giving it a typical British look. Years after the founding of Sydney, the Royal Botanic Gardens were laid out - one of the main attractions of the city. And then the whole old Sydney, which is now the Roque area, was rebuilt.

The history of the appearance of the main observation deck of the city is interesting. The then Governor McGuire could not refuse anything to his capricious wife, who loved beautiful views. Especially for her, a special seat was carved into the rock on the picturesque coast, which was later nicknamed "Ms. McGuire's chair."

Australia is an amazing continent. The smallest of all existing, but at the same time huge for one country. The most remote from the centers of world civilizations, but with a favorable climate for living. The greenest because of the luxurious eucalyptus forests in the eastern part and completely deserted in the western part (moreover, the deserts of Australia are considered the most lifeless on the planet). There are almost no dangerous predators on the territory of Australia (except for crocodiles), but there are a lot of poisonous spiders (and the real scourge of the northwestern regions of the continent is ... ordinary flies!). Thanks to tens of thousands of years of absolute isolation from other continents, a unique animal world has developed in Australia, consisting of the most ancient species that have become extinct on other continents (we are talking primarily about marsupials). But all these features of Australia had to be learned.

Melbourne was founded in 1835. It is curious that the two largest cities in Australia (and Sydney today is home to 3.5 million people - 20 percent of the total population of the country) competed for the status of the capital for many years. Fuel was added to the fire by the decision of the Constitutional Assembly to hold meetings in Melbourne, and not in Sydney. The dispute was resolved in a non-trivial way - in 1909, small Canberra, located between Sydney and Melbourne, was chosen as the capital.

For half a century, ships filled with convicts went to Australia from England. There were few free settlers in the country - even the very first settlement, founded by Arthur Philip, consisted of 70 percent of convicts. Only the discovery of gold deposits in the early 50s of the XIX century caused an influx of free colonists. Prospectors poured into Australia, and the population of the colonies quadrupled in just a few years. Free colonists are fighting to stop the deportations of criminals that continued in individual states until 1868. If by the end of the 19th century in Australia it was difficult to find a person whose immediate ancestors would not have been connected with the prison - as prisoners, exiles or guards, then today it is considered a special privilege to be a descendant of a criminal exiled to Australia. And this is also one of the features of this amazing country.

And what about New Zealand? The first settlement of Europeans here was created only in 1820. The fauna of New Zealand is less rich than that of Australia.

Nadezhdin N.Ya., Encyclopedia of geographical discoveries, M., "Belfry-MG", 2008, p. 335-337.