     the history of tasmania begins at the end of the most recent ice age (approximately 10,000 years ago) when it is believed that the island was joined to the australian mainland. while not much is known about the history of tasmania for most of the time that it has been part of australia, upon british colonization in the 19th century, a rich history began to unfold. ==indigenous people==  tasmania was inhabited by an indigenous population, the tasmanian aborigines, and evidence indicates their presence in the territory, later to become an island, at least 35,000 years ago. the aboriginal population at the time of british settlement in 1803 has been estimated at approximately 5,000 or more j.r macneil and william h. neil, the human web, a bird's-eye of world history, w.w. norton and company 2003, p 214 but through persecution (see black war and black line) and disease much of the population was eradicated. until the 1970s, most people thought that the last surviving tasmanian aborigine was trugernanner,bonwick, james: the last of the tasmanians, p 270-295 who died in 1876. however this 'extinction' was a myth, as documented by lyndall ryan in 1991ryan, lyndall: the aboriginal tasmanians, 1991 ==european arrival==  thumb|250px|seventeenth century map of tasmania, showing the parts discovered by tasman. the first reported sighting of tasmania by a european was on 24 november 1642 by the dutch explorer abel tasman, who named the island anthoonij van diemenslandt, after his sponsor, the governor of the dutch east indies. the name was later shortened to van diemen's land by the british. in 1772, a french expedition led by marc-joseph marion du fresne landed on the island. captain james cook also sighted the island in 1777, and numerous other european seafarers made landfalls, adding a colourful array to the names of topographical features. the first settlement was by the british at risdon cove on the eastern bank of the derwent estuary in 1803, by a small party sent from sydney, under lt. john bowen. an alternative settlement was established by capt. david collins 5&nbsp;km to the south in 1804 in sullivans cove on the western side of the derwent, where fresh water was more plentiful. the latter settlement became known as hobart town, later shortened to hobart, after the british colonial secretary of the time, lord hobart. the settlement at risdon was later abandoned. the early settlers were m
Dutch_Golden_Age History_of_Tasmania