Tasmania Geography

Tasmania geography is unique when compared to the rest of mainland Australia. It is a small rugged island located roughly 200 kilometres to the southeast of mainland Australia. Early European settlers described Tasmania as a "southern England" because of it's similarities to their homeland in climate and geography.

Tasmanian mountains

Tasmania is separated from the Australian mainland by the Bass Strait making it one of the largest Australian islands measuring approximately 350 kilometres in length.

Tasmania has a number of inactive volcanoes and is one of the most mountainous of the Australian islands. The highest regions of Tasmania are the central highlands and south-western region of the state, which cover most of the central, west and south west parts of the island. The central east area is fairly flat by comparison, and is predominantly used for agriculture.

The west coast is known for it's significant mineral deposits with some mining occuring in the area. The southwest is densely forested and contains some of the world's last temperate rainforests.