Tasmania, the largest island of Australia, has a landmass of 68,401 km² (26,410 sq mi) and is located directly in the pathway of the notorious "Roaring Forties" wind that encircles the globe. To its north, it is separated frommainland Australia byBass Strait.Tasmania is the onlyAustralian state that is not located on the Australian mainland. About 2,500 kilometres (1,300 nautical miles) south of Tasmania island lies theGeorge V Coast ofAntarctica. Depending on whichborders of the oceans 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 theGreat Australian Bight to the west, and theTasman Sea to the east. The southernmost point on mainland Tasmania is approximately43°38′37″S146°49′38″E / 43.64361°S 146.82722°E /-43.64361; 146.82722 atSouth East Cape, and the northernmost point on mainland Tasmania is approximately40°38′26″S144°43′33″E / 40.64056°S 144.72583°E /-40.64056; 144.72583 inWoolnorth / Temdudheker nearCape Grim / Kennaook. Tasmania lies at similar latitudes toTe Waipounamu / South Island ofNew Zealand, and parts ofPatagonia inSouth America, and relative to theNorthern Hemisphere, it lies at similar latitudes toHokkaido inJapan,Northeast China (Manchuria), the northMediterranean inEurope, and theCanada-United Statesborder.

The most mountainous region is theCentral Highlands area, which covers most of the central western parts of the state. TheMidlands 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 isMount Ossa at 1,617 m (5,305 ft).^[1] Much of Tasmania is still densely forested, with theSouthwest National Park and neighbouring areas holding some of the last temperate rain forests in theSouthern Hemisphere. TheTarkine, containingSavage River National Park located in the island's far north west, is the largesttemperate rainforest area in Australia covering about 3,800 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi).^[2] With its rugged topography, Tasmania has a great number of rivers. Several of Tasmania's largest rivers have been dammed at some point to providehydroelectricity. Many rivers begin in the Central Highlands and flow out to the coast. Tasmania's major population centres are mainly situated aroundestuaries (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 areFlinders Island in theFurneaux Group ofBass Strait,King Island in the west of Bass Strait,Cape Barren Island south of Flinders Island,Bruny Island separated from Tasmania by theD'Entrecasteaux Channel,Macquarie Island 1,500 km from Tasmania, andMaria Island off the east coast. Tasmania features a number of separated and continuous mountain ranges. The majority of the state is defined by a significantdolerite exposure, though thewestern half of the state is older and more rugged, featuringbuttongrass plains, temperate rainforests, andquartzite ranges, notablyFederation Peak andFrenchmans Cap. The presence of these mountain ranges is a primary factor in therain shadow effect, 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 wheretakayna / Tarkine is located.

TheInterim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia divides Tasmania into 9 bioregions:^[3]Ben Lomond,Furneaux,King,Central Highlands,Northern Midlands,Northern Slopes,Southern Ranges,South East, andWest.

Wineglass Bay seen from Mount Amos atFreycinet National Park

Tasmania's environment consists 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 oftemperate rainforest. A distinctive type ofmoorland found across the west, and particularly south-west of Tasmania, arebuttongrass plains, which are speculated to have been expanded byTasmanian Aboriginalburning practices.^[4] Tasmania also features a diversealpine gardenenvironment, such ascushion plant. Highland areas receive consistentsnowfall above ~1,000 metres every year, and due to cold air fromAntarctica, this level often reaches 800 m, and more occasionally 600 or 400 metres. Every five or so years, snow can form at sea level.^[5] This environment gives rise to thecypress forests of theCentral Plateau and mountainous highlands. In particular, theWalls of Jerusalem with large areas of rarepencil pine, and its closest relativeKing Billy pine. On theWest Coast Range and partially onMount Field, Australia's only winter-deciduous plant,deciduous beech is found, which forms a carpet orkrummholz, or very rarely a 4-metre tree.^[6]

Tasmania features a high concentration ofwaterfalls. These can be found in small creeks, alpinestreams,rapidrivers, or off precipitous plunges. Some of the tallest waterfalls are found on mountainmassifs, sometimes at a 200-metre cascade. The most famous and most visited waterfall in Tasmania isRussell Falls inMount Field due to its proximity toHobart and stepped falls at a total height of 58 metres.^[7] Tasmania also has a large number ofbeaches, the longest of which isOcean Beach on theWest Coast at about 40 kilometres.^[8] Wineglass Bay inFreycinet on the east coast is a well-knownlandmark of the state.

TheTasmanian temperate rainforests cover a few different types. These are also considered distinct from the more common wetsclerophyll forests, though theseeucalypt forests often form withrainforestunderstorey andferns (such astree-ferns) are usually never absent. Rainforest found in deepgullies are usually difficult to traverse due to dense understorey growth, such as fromhorizontal (Anodopetalum biglandulosum). 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^[9]canopy and are varied by environmental factors. Emergent growth usually comes fromeucalyptus, which can tower another 50 metres higher (usually less), providing the most common choice of nesting for giantwedge-tailed eagles.

The human environment ranges fromurban orindustrial development, tofarming orgrazingland. The most cultivated area is theMidlands, where it has suitable soil but is also the driest part of the state.

Tasmania'sinsularity was possibly detected by CaptainAbel Tasman when he charted Tasmania's coast in 1642. On 5 December, Tasman was following theeast coast northward to see how far it went. When the land veered to the north-west atEddystone Point,^[10] he tried to keep in with it but his ships were suddenly hit by theRoaring Forties howling throughBass Strait.^[11] Tasman was on a mission to find theSouthern Continent, not more islands, so he abruptly turned away to the east and continued his continent-hunting.^[12]

The next European to enter the strait was CaptainJames Cook onHMSEndeavour 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 [i.e. Van Diemen's Land and New Holland] are one land or no".^[13]

The strait was named after George Bass, after he and Matthew Flinders passed through it while circumnavigating Van Diemen's Land in theNorfolk 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".^[14] 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.^[15]

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.^[16] Summer is from December to February when the average maximum sea temperature is 21 °C (70 °F) and inland areas around Launceston reach 24 °C (75 °F). Other inland areas are much cooler, withLiawenee, located on the Central Plateau, one of the coldest places in Australia, ranging between 4 °C (39 °F) and 17 °C (63 °F) in February. Autumn is from March to May, with mostly settled weather, as summer patterns gradually take on the shape of winter patterns.^[17] 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 12 °C (54 °F) on average along coastal areas and 3 °C (37 °F) on the central plateau, as a result of a series of cold fronts from theSouthern Ocean. 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.

Despite the presence of someQuaternaryglaciation, Tasmania's soils are not more fertile than those of mainland Australia, largely because most are severelyleached 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 infertilespodosols orpsamments, 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 productiveforestry in Tasmania—which remains one of the state's major industries.

On the north coast, apart from some relatively fertilealluvial 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 (mostlydolerite) 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 thechernozems of Russia and North America, although they are much lower in availablephosphorus 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.^[38]

Tasmania hasextremely diverse vegetation, from the heavily grazed grassland of the dry Midlands to the tall evergreeneucalypt forest,alpine heathlands and large areas of cooltemperate rainforests 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 ofGondwana, 50 million years ago.Nothofagus gunnii, commonly known as Australian beech, is Australia's only temperate native deciduous tree and is found exclusively in Tasmania.^[39]Eucalyptus regnans (mountain ash) is thetallest flowering plant and hardwood in the world,reaching 100 m (328 ft).^[40]

Tasmania also has a number ofnativeedibles, known asbush tucker in Australia.^[41]

Tasmania has many endemic species. Some, such as theplatypus are larger than their mainland relatives.^[42]The island of Tasmania was home to thethylacine, amarsupial which resembled afossa 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 thedingo, 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. TheTasmanian devil became thelargest carnivorous marsupial in the world following theextinction of thethylacine 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 andemus. 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.^[43]

Tasmania is a hotspot forgiant habitat trees and the large animal species that occupy them, notably the endangeredTasmanian wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax fleayi), theTasmanian masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops), theTasmanian giant freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi), theyellow wattlebird (Anthochaera paradoxa), thegreen rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) and others. Tasmania is also home to the world's only three migratory parrots, the critically endangeredOrange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), theBlue-winged parrot (Neophema chrysostoma), and the fastest parrot in the world, theswift parrot (Lathamus discolor).^[44]Tasmania has 12endemic species ofbird in total.^[45]

Like the rest ofAustralia, Tasmania suffers from anendangered species problem. In particular, many important Tasmanian subspecies and world-significant species ofanimal are classified as at risk in some way. A famous example is theTasmanian devil, which is endangered due todevil facial tumour disease. Some species have already goneextinct, primarily due tohuman interference, such as in the case of thethylacine or theTasmanian emu.^[46][47] In Tasmania, there are about 90 endangered, vulnerable, or threatened vertebrate species classified by the state or Commonwealth governments.^[48] 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)roadkill rate in the world, with 32 animals killed per hour and at least 300,000 per year.^[49]

Protected areas of Tasmania cover 21% of the island's land area in the form ofnational parks.^[50] TheTasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area was inscribed byUNESCO 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 meets 7 out of 10 criteria. Only one other place on earth—China’sMount Taishan—meets that many criteria".^[51] Controversy surrounds the decision in 2014 by theAbbott federalLiberal government to request the area's delisting and opening for resource exploration (before it was rejected by the UN Committee at Doha),^[52] and the currentmining anddeforestation in the state'sTarkine region, the largest singletemperate rainforest in Australia.^[53][54]

• Climate of Australia
• Geography of Victoria
• Geography of South Australia

• Geography of Tasmania

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