Who founded Australia. Australia. story. Self-government of Australian Territories

“Very often, great events occurring in one part of the world affect the lives of people living thousands and thousands of kilometers away. This is what happened with the colonization of Australia and the transformation of the Green Continent into one of the most interesting and 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 USA, uniting under a common flag 13 states in which emigrants from Europe lived. Having lost the war in which the United States gained independence, England lost most their holdings in North America.

The British government began to think - where, exactly, should the criminals be sent to? English prisons are overcrowded, you can no longer send dashing people to America... And the British decided to populate distant Australia with convicted robbers.

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

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

Through the efforts of Arthur Philip, Australia's first city, Sydney, was founded. It was founded on the shore of the very Port Jackson Bay in which the expedition was stationed, literally 10 kilometers from the place where it met the first aborigines. The name of the city was chosen in honor of the then Secretary of the Interior and Colonies, Lord T. Sidney. On February 7, 1788, the governor of New South Wales established the administration of a colony stretching from Sydney to Cape York, including the nearest islands and adjacent inland territories. On February 14, a detachment of soldiers under the leadership of Lieutenant Philip King is sent to Norfolk to develop it, since it was decided to establish a colony for exiles there too. 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, physician Basho and Lieutenant Flinders circumnavigated the island of Tasmania and partially explored its territory...

Sydney at the end of the 18th century consisted of several dirty streets, but later the authorities decided to improve the city, giving it a typical British look. Years after the founding of Sydney, the Royal Botanic Garden was laid out - one of the main attractions of the city. And then all of old Sydney was rebuilt, which is now the Roque district.

The history of the appearance of the main observation deck cities. 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 shore, which was later nicknamed “Mrs. McGuire’s chair.”

Australia is an amazing continent. The smallest of all existing ones, 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. It is the greenest due to the luxurious eucalyptus forests in the eastern part and completely deserted in the western part (and the deserts of Australia are considered the most lifeless on the planet). Almost none in Australia dangerous predators(except for crocodiles), but it is full of poisonous spiders (and the real scourge of the northwestern regions of the continent are... ordinary flies!). Thanks to tens of thousands of years of absolute isolation from other continents, Australia has developed a unique animal world, consisting of ancient species that became extinct on other continents (we are primarily talking about marsupials). But all these features of Australia still needed to be learned.

The city of Melbourne was founded in 1835. It's interesting that two largest cities Australia (and Sydney today is home to 3.5 million people - 20 percent of the country's total population) has been competing for capital status for many years. The decision of the Constitutional Assembly to meet in Melbourne rather than Sydney added fuel to the fire. The dispute was resolved in a non-trivial way - in 1909, small Canberra, located between Sydney and Melbourne, was elected as the capital.

For half a century, ships filled with convicts sailed 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 convicts. Only the discovery of gold deposits in the early 50s of the 19th century caused an influx of free colonists. Miners poured into Australia, and the population of the colonies quadrupled in just a few years. Free colonists are fighting to end the deportations of criminals, which continued in some states until 1868. If by the end XIX century Since in Australia one could hardly find a person whose immediate ancestors were not connected with the prison - as prisoners, exiles or guards, then nowadays 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.

What about New Zealand? The first European settlement here was created only in 1820. New Zealand's wildlife is less rich than Australia's.

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

Ancient world
Once upon a time, more than 100 million years ago, Australia was part of one of two continents on Earth. Then, breaking away and moving towards the equator, it became an independent continent. The indigenous people of Papua New Guinea migrated to the Australian continent about 60 thousand years ago and founded settlements in various parts of it. The Aboriginal population before Europeans arrived in Australia ranged from 300,000 to a million people, with 500 different cultural groups speaking 250 different languages.
Discovery of Australia by Europeans
In the 17th century, Dutch explorers landed on the northern and eastern coasts of Australia and discovered the island of Tasmania. William Dampier was the first Briton to land on the northwestern part of the Australian continent in 1688.
How the Aborigines ate Cook
In 1770, James Cook discovered and charted the east coast of Australia. Cook named the land he discovered New South Wales and declared it the property of Great Britain. The curious story that the Australian aborigines allegedly ate Cook is a poetic fiction. In fact, Captain James Cook died in a battle with residents Hawaiian Islands February 14, 1779, where a statue and memorial were erected to him (Waimia, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands).

Australia Day
Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of a flotilla of 11 ships carrying the first batch of prisoners, guards and officials, landed on Australian soil on January 18, 1788 at Botany Bay. After 8 days, this group of 1,373 people, including 732 prisoners, moved several kilometers north and founded a settlement, which later grew to the size of a city and was named Sydney. That is why Australia Day is celebrated on January 26th.
Settlement of Australia
European settlement of Australia began in 1788, when the first British convict colony was founded. Over the next century, settlements were established in what are now Hobart, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. Over the next 80 years, Britain sent 160,000 prisoners to Australia. In addition, between 1852 and 1889, about 40 thousand Chinese arrived in Australia in search of gold.
Unification of the colonies
By the end of the 19th century, Australia consisted of 6 independent colonies: New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Each of the colonies was an autonomous political unit with its own parliament, governor, and its own laws and rules. Ultimately, it was decided to unite the colonies in order to protect and promote common interests. The first national government was created on January 1, 1901.
Immigration
After World War II great amount people who lost their homes in their own countries immigrated to Australia. The total number of migrants was 5.9 million, which allowed Australia to overcome problems associated with labor shortages. The arrival of migrants from more than 200 countries has fundamentally changed every aspect of Australian society, making Australia the most diverse country in the world.
Today Australia is a country that everyone dreams of going to to see the distant and amazing land, still inhabited by aborigines who have never been touched by civilization, a fantastic world of fauna and flora that is not found anywhere else, a country in which everything is the other way around - winter in summer, and summer in winter. And even the moon on the left.

Australia; the least populated continent on Earth. About 19 million people live on its territory. The total population of the islands of Oceania is about 10 million people.

The population of Australia and Oceania is divided into two unequal groups, indigenous and alien, of different origin. There are few indigenous people on the mainland, but on the islands of Oceania, with the exception of New Zealand, Hawaii and Fiji, they make up the vast majority.

Scientific research in the field of anthropology and ethnography of the peoples of Australia and Oceania began in the second half of the 19th century. Russian scientist N. N. Miklouho-Maclay.

Like America, Australia could have been inhabited by humans not as a result of evolution, but only from the outside. In its ancient and modern fauna, not only primates are absent, but also all higher mammals in general.

No traces of the Early Paleolithic have yet been discovered within the continent. All known finds of human fossils have features of Homo sapiens and date back to the Upper Paleolithic.

The indigenous population of Australia has such pronounced anthropological characteristics as: dark brown skin, wavy dark hair, significant beard growth, and a wide nose with a low bridge. The faces of Australians are distinguished by prognathism, as well as a massive brow. These features bring Australians closer to the Veddas of Sri Lanka and some tribes South-East Asia. In addition, the following fact deserves attention: the oldest human fossils found in Australia bear a close resemblance to the bone remains discovered on the island of Java. They are roughly dated to a time coinciding with the last Ice Age.

Of great interest is the problem of the route along which humans settled Australia and the islands close to it. At the same time, the question of the time of development of the mainland is being resolved.

Undoubtedly, Australia could only be inhabited from the north, that is, from Southeast Asia.

This is confirmed both by the anthropological characteristics of modern Australians and by the paleoanthropological data discussed above. It is also obvious that modern humans penetrated into Australia, i.e. the settlement of the continent could not have occurred earlier than the second half of the last glacial period.

Australia has existed for a long time (obviously since the end of the Mesozoic) isolated from all other continents. However, during the Quaternary period the landmass between Australia and Southeast Asia was for a time more extensive than it is today. A continuous land bridge between the two continents obviously never existed, since, if there had been one, the Asian fauna would have been able to penetrate into Australia through it. In all likelihood, in the late Quaternary, in place of the shallow basins separating Australia from New Guinea and southern islands Sunda archipelago (their modern depths do not exceed 40 m), there were vast areas of land formed as a result of repeated fluctuations in sea level and land uplifts. The Torres Strait, which separates Australia from New Guinea, may have been formed quite recently. The Sunda Islands may also have been periodically connected by narrow strips of land or shoals. Most land animals were unable to overcome such an obstacle. People gradually, by land or overcoming shallow straits, penetrated through the Lesser Sunda Islands to New Guinea and to the Australian mainland. At the same time, the settlement of Australia could have occurred either directly from the Sunda Islands and the island of Timor, or through New Guinea. This process was very long, it probably lasted for millennia during the Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic. Currently based on archaeological finds on the mainland it is assumed that man first appeared there about 40 thousand years ago.

The process of spreading people across the mainland was also very slow. The settlement proceeded along the western and eastern coasts, and in the east there were two routes: one along the coast itself, the second to the west of the Great Dividing Range. These two branches converged in the central part of the mainland in the area of ​​Lake Eyre. In general, Australians are distinguished by their anthropological unity, which indicates the formation of their main characteristics after their penetration into Australia.

The culture of Australians is very original and primitive. The originality of the culture, the originality and proximity to each other of the languages ​​of various tribes indicate the long isolation of Australians from other peoples and their autonomous historical development until modern times.

By the beginning of European colonization, about 300 thousand Aborigines lived in Australia, divided into 500 tribes. They fairly evenly populated the entire continent, especially its eastern part. Currently, the number of indigenous Australians has decreased to 270 thousand people. They make up approximately 18% of Australia's rural population and less than 2% of its urban population. A significant proportion of Aboriginal people live on reserves in the northern, central and western regions or work in mines and cattle ranches. There are still tribes that continue to lead the same semi-nomadic lifestyle and speak languages ​​that are part of the Australian language family. Interestingly, in some disadvantaged areas, Indigenous Australians make up the majority of the population.

The rest of Australia, that is, its most densely populated areas, the eastern third of the continent and its south-west, is inhabited by Anglo-Australians, who make up 80% of the population of the Commonwealth, and people from other countries of Europe and Asia, although people with white skin are poorly adapted for life in tropical latitudes. By the end of the 20th century. Australia ranks first in the world for skin cancer incidence. This is due to the fact that an ozone hole periodically forms over the continent, and the white skin of representatives of the Caucasian race is not as protected from ultraviolet radiation as the dark skin of the indigenous population of tropical countries.

In 2003, the population in Australia exceeded 20 million people. This is one of the most urbanized countries in the world; more than 90% are urban residents. Despite the lowest population density compared to other continents and the presence of vast, almost uninhabited and undeveloped territories, as well as the fact that the settlement of Australia by immigrants from Europe began only at the end of the 18th century and for a long time the basis of its economy was agriculture, human impact on nature in Australia has very large and not always positive consequences. This is due to the vulnerability of Australia’s nature itself: about half of the continent is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, and the adjacent areas periodically suffer from droughts. It is known that arid landscapes are one of the most vulnerable types of natural environment, easily destroyed by outside interference. The cutting down of tree vegetation, fires, and overgrazing by livestock disturb the soil and vegetation cover, contribute to the drying out of water bodies and lead to complete degradation of landscapes. The ancient and primitive organic world of Australia cannot compete with the more highly organized and viable introduced forms. This organic world, especially fauna, cannot resist the hunter, fisherman, and collector. The population of Australia, mainly living in cities, strives to relax among nature; tourism is increasingly developing, not only national, but also international.

The islands of the Pacific Ocean, which arc around Australia from the east, and also located in its central part, have long been densely populated by various tribes. The origin, appearance, culture and languages ​​of this indigenous population vary across different island groups. Their settlement took place in different time, but its source was Southeast Asia.

The settlement of the islands of Melanesia and all of Oceania began with New Guinea. The first settlers, engaged in hunting and gathering and belonging to the Australian race, appeared there about 30 thousand years ago. Later waves of settlers penetrated not only to New Guinea, but also to other islands of Melanesia. Over time, a population called the Papuans developed.

Much later (about 5 thousand years ago) people with clearly expressed Mongoloid features appeared in New Guinea and spoke Austronesian languages. They mixed with the Papuans and partially inherited racial characteristics, resulting in the formation of a group of peoples, which are united under the name Melanesians. Their descendants settled the Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, and New Caledonia.

Another branch of Austronesians (East Ocean) settled the islands of Fiji and Micronesia. This group of peoples is called Micronesians.

For a long time, the origin and racial identity of the population of the islands of the northern and central parts of the Pacific Ocean, from the Hawaiian Islands to New Zealand inclusive, have been a mystery to researchers. The population of these islands, called Polynesia, is characterized by great unity both in anthropological terms and in terms of language and culture.

Polynesians are characterized by a height of 170-173 cm, dark dark skin, wavy hair, weak beard growth, and a rather wide, somewhat protruding nose. The skull is usually dolichocephalic. The peoples inhabiting different islands may have slightly different characteristics. The most typical Polynesians can be considered the inhabitants of Eastern Polynesia. The languages ​​of the Polynesians are close to the languages ​​of the peoples of Indonesia; their culture is original and, in comparison with the culture of the Australians or Melanesians, is very high.

Theories about the American and Asian origins of the Polynesians were considered. An outstanding scientist, a follower of the theory of American origin, the famous Norwegian ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl, in order to confirm his assumption, sailed on a raft in 1947 from the shores of Peru to the islands of Polynesia. However, most researchers have long adhered to the theory of the Asian origin of the Polynesians.

According to modern data, the islands of Polynesia were inhabited by Eastern Oceanians, who 1000-1500 years ago entered the islands of Tonga and Samoa through Fiji, and then gradually began to populate the remaining islands of Polynesia. In conditions of long-term isolation, a special ethnic community emerged with a unique, rather high culture, different from the culture of the Melanesian islands.

Bibliography

Bibliography.

1. Physical geography of continents and oceans: a textbook for students. higher ped. textbook establishments / T.V. Vlasova, M.A. Arshinova, T.A. Kovaleva. - M.: Publishing Center Academy, 2007.
2. Mikhailov N.I. Physiographic zoning. M.: Moscow State University Publishing House, 1985.
3. Markov K.K. Introduction to physical geography M.: Higher school, 1978.

Some researchers suggest that the Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the shores of Australia back in the 20s of the 16th century.

As the main evidence, supporters of this theory cite the following points:

• maps of Dieppe, published in France in the mid-16th century. They depict a large area of ​​land between Indonesia and Antarctica, called Java la Grande, and the symbols and explanations are in French and Portuguese;
• the presence of Portuguese colonies in Southeast Asia at the beginning of the 16th century. In particular, the island of Timor is located only 650 km from the Australian coast;
• Various finds discovered on the Australian coastline have been attributed to early Portuguese explorers.

In addition, the French navigator Binot Polmier de Gonneville claimed that he landed on certain lands east of the Cape Good Hope in 1504, after the ship was blown off course by the wind. For some time he was credited with the discovery of Australia, but it was later discovered that the lands he visited were part of the coast of Brazil.

Discovery of Australia by the Dutch

The first indisputable discovery of Australia was documented at the end of February 1606. The expedition of the Dutch East India Company, led by Willem Jansson, landed on board the ship "Duifken" ("Dove") on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Jansson and his comrades explored the shores of New Guinea. Sailing from the island of Java to the southern coast of New Guinea and moving along it, after some time the Dutch reached the shores of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia, believing that they were still observing the shores of New Guinea.

Apparently, for some reason, the expedition did not notice the Torres Strait, which separates the coasts of New Guinea and Australia. On February 26, the team landed near the place where the city of Weipa is located today and was immediately attacked by the aborigines.

Subsequently, Jansson and his people sailed along the coast of Australia for about 350 km, making landings from time to time, but everywhere they came across hostile natives, as a result of which several sailors died. The captain decided to return back, without realizing that he had discovered a new continent.

Since Jansson described the coast he explored as deserted and swampy, the new discovery did not arouse any interest. The East India Company equipped its ships in search of new lands rich in spices and jewelry, and not for the sake of geographical discoveries as such.

In the same year, Luis Vaez de Torres sailed through the same strait, which, apparently, was not noticed by Jansson’s expedition and was later named Torres. Perhaps Torres and his comrades visited north coast continent, but no written evidence of this has survived.

In 1616, another ship of the Dutch East India Company, led by Dirk Hartog, reached the shores of Western Australia, in the Shark Bay area (Shark Bay) at approximately 25 degrees south latitude. The navigators spent three days exploring the coast and nearby islands. Having found nothing of interest, Hartog continued sailing north along the previously unexplored coastline to 22 degrees S, after which he set course for Batavia.

In 1619, Frederic de Houtman and Jacob d'Herdel explored the Australian coast at 32 degrees south in two ships. w. moving gradually north, where at 28 degrees S. latitude. discovered a strip of reefs called Houtman Rocks.

In subsequent years, Dutch sailors continued to sail along the coast of Australia, calling this land New Holland, without bothering to explore the coast properly, since they did not see any commercial benefit in it. Extensive coastline, may have aroused their curiosity, but did not encourage them to explore the country’s resources. Exploring the western and northern coasts, they formed the impression of the newly discovered lands as swampy and barren. During that period the Dutch had never seen the southern and eastern shores, much more attractive in appearance.

On July 4, 1629, the Dutch East India Company ship Batavia was shipwrecked off the Houtman Rocks. After a mutiny that occurred shortly after, some of the crew built a small fort for their protection - it was the first European structure in Australia.

By some estimates, between 1606 and 1770, more than 50 European ships visited the shores of Australia. Most of them belonged to the Dutch East India Company, including the ships of Abel Tasman. In 1642, Tasman, trying to go around the so-called New Holland from the south, discovered an island which he called Van Diemen's Land (this island was later renamed Tasmania). Moving further east, after some time the ships reached New Zealand. However, on his first voyage, Tasman never came close to Australia. Only in 1644 did he manage to explore in detail its north- West Coast and prove that all territories previously discovered during Dutch expeditions, with the exception of Van Diemen's Land, are parts of a single continent.

English Studies

Almost until the end of the 80s of the 17th century, practically nothing was known in England about the lands discovered by the Dutch. In 1688, a pirate ship carrying the Englishman William Dampier dropped anchor on the northwest coast, near Lake Melville. There was not much to plunder, and after several weeks of repairs the ship left the inhospitable shores. However, this voyage had some consequences: upon returning to England, Dampier published a story about his journey, which interested the English Admiralty.

In 1699, he set off on a second voyage to the shores of Australia, on the ship "Roebuck" provided to him. As in the previous case, he visited the barren northwest coast and after 4 months of exploration was forced to return without finding anything worthy of attention. Since Dampier was unable to report any facts that could interest the Admiralty, interest in the new lands faded for almost three-quarters of a century.

In 1770, an expedition led by Lieutenant James Cook set out to southern part Pacific Ocean on the sailing ship "Endeavour" ("Attempt"). The navigators were expected to make astronomical observations, but Cook had secret orders from the British Admiralty to search for the southern continent of Terra Australis Incognita, which geographers of the time believed extended around the pole. Cook reasoned that since the so-called New Holland has a western coast, it must also have an eastern one.

The expedition landed on the east coast of Australia at the end of April 1770. The landing site, originally named Stingray Bay, was later renamed Botany Bay due to strange and unusual plants growing there.

Cook named open lands New Wales, and subsequently New South Wales. He had no idea of ​​the scale of his discovery, or that this island was an entire continent, 32 times larger than Britain itself. Among other things, Cook was the first European to visit the Great barrier reef. The ship that chanced upon it spent the next seven weeks undergoing repairs.

The British returned in 1778 to colonize new lands.

British colonies

It was decided to begin colonizing the lands discovered by James Cook, using convicts as the first colonists. The first fleet, led by Captain Arthur Philip, consisting of 11 ships carrying a total of about 1,350 people, arrived at Botany Bay on the 20th of January 1788. However, the area was considered unsuitable for settlement and they moved north to Port Jackson.

Governor Philip issued orders establishing the first British colony in Australia. The soil around Sydney Harbor was poor. The young colony relied both on the development of farms along the Parramatta River, 25 kilometers upstream to the west, and on purchasing food from the indigenous people.

The Second Fleet in 1790 delivered desperately needed supplies and various materials; however, among the newly arrived prisoners there were a large number of sick people, many of them were close to death and useless for the colony. The Second Fleet became known as the "Deadly Fleet" - 278 convicts and crew died on this voyage, compared to just 48 deaths on the first.

The colony experienced many other difficulties, including a significant numerical superiority of men - about four men per woman, which was a problem in the settlement for many years.

Several other British colonies were also created.

Van Diemen's Land

The first British settlement on the island was established at Risdon in 1803, when Lieutenant John Bowen landed with about 50 settlers, crew, soldiers and convicts. In February 1804, Lieutenant David Collins founded a settlement in Hobart. The colony of Van Diemen's Land was created in 1825, and in 1856 it officially became known as Tasmania.

Western Australia

In 1827, Major Edmund Lockyer built a small British settlement at King Georges Sound (Albany). Captain James Stirling became its first governor. The colony was created specifically for convicts, and the first prisoners arrived in 1850.

South Australia

The British province of South Australia was founded in 1836 and became a Crown colony in 1842. Although South Australia was not created for convicts, a number of former prisoners subsequently moved there from other colonies. About 38,000 immigrants arrived and settled in the area by 1850.

Victoria

In 1834 the Henty brothers arrived in Portland Bay and John Batman settled in what would become Melbourne. The first immigrant ships arrived in Port Phillip in 1839. In 1851, Victoria (Port Phillip area) separated from New South Wales.

Queensland

In 1824, a colony known as the settlement of Moreton Bay was established at Redcliffe by Lieutenant John Oxley, which later became known as Brisbane. About 19 hundred people were sent to the settlement between 1824 and 1839. The first free European settlers moved into the area in 1838. In 1859, Queensland separated from New South Wales.

Northern Territory

In 1825, the land now occupied by the Northern Territory was part of New South Wales. In 1863, control of the area was given to South Australia. The capital Darwin was founded in 1869 and was originally known as Palmerston. On 1 January 1911, the Northern Territory separated from South Australia and became part of the Commonwealth of Australia.

After the colonization of the coast, a period of active exploration began. However, until 1813, not a single expedition was able to overcome the high mountain range located along east coast. After the passage was discovered, Governor Macquarie crossed the Blue Mountains in 1815 and founded the city of Bathurst on the other side. Many explorers rushed deeper into the continent.

John Oxley was the first serious explorer to explore the beds of the Lochlan, Macquarie and several other rivers. Charles Sturt in search of the mythical inland sea, discovers the Darling River, explores the Lochlan and Marumbidgee river system. John McDouall Stewart explores the territories north of Adelaide, Friedrich Leichhardt crosses Cleveland and the Northern Territories, along the way discovering many small rivers and lands suitable for Agriculture, and in 1858-60 Robert Burke crossed the continent for the first time from north to south. Nathaniel Buchanan finds vast pastures on the Barkly Plateau, which later became the center of sheep farming in Northern Australia.

In addition to those listed, many other researchers continued to study the mainland, discovering new lands and contributing to the further development of Australia.

For a long time, the lands discovered by Captain Cook in the South Pacific Ocean were not used in any way. It was only when the American colonies declared their independence and refused to accept further exiles that England was forced to look for new lands for its prisoners.

On January 26, 1788, a caravan of ships landed on the deserted shores of Australia. This was the first English fleet, under the command of Sir Arthur Phillip. On the 11 ships of the fleet there were 750 settlers, men and women, four teams of sailors and a supply of food for two years. Philip arrived at Botany Bay on 26 January, but he soon moved the colony to Sydney Cove, where water and land were better. The Colony of New South Wales was officially opened by raising the flag in Sydney on 7 February 1788.

For the new arrivals, New South Wales was a terrible place and the threat of famine hung over the colony for 16 years. Governor Phillip is constantly grappling with one problem - how to provide food for prisoners. Life there is very harsh, and the colony survived the first two years only by miracle. The discipline was very strict, physical punishment was used.

The first from the colonial administration of New South Wales drew attention to New Zealand Philip King, Arthur Phillip's assistant in managing the exile settlement on Norfolk Island. In November 1793, the ship Britannia arrived in Norfolk. King decided to use the opportunity to get acquainted with New Zealand with a view to organizing a British settlement there. The indigenous people of New Zealand - the Maori - were friendly and hospitable. But they could not overcome their distrust of the pale-faced people, despite the rich gifts of the British.

In subsequent years, whaling ships visited New Zealand more frequently. At the beginning of 1775, the first sperm whale was killed in the South Pacific Ocean, and after that whaling gradually began to develop here.

South Seas also attracted attention as a place for catching seals. It was in connection with this that the first, short-lived British settlement in New Zealand was created.

Ships sailing to Australia from India also began to visit New Zealand. Having delivered the cargo to Sydney, on the way back they entered the waters of New Zealand and filled their holds with goods, which they then sold in China and India. At the same time, the number of visits to New Zealand harbors by whaling ships and seal hunters increased.

More and more British trade expeditions to New Zealand were organized. But the British were by no means a monopoly in contacts with the Maori. From the very first steps they met strong competition from the Americans, who began their whaling operations in Pacific Ocean in 1791. The French were also very active in the Pacific waters.

The colonization of Australia occurred in three stages: convicts deported until 1851, farmers and squatters in 1850, and gold seekers in 1880. There were approximately 123,000 male convicts and 25,000 female convicts. Two thirds of them were from England, a third from Ireland and a few from Scotland.

As the colonization of Australia developed and expanded, some of the prisoners were sometimes used as draft animals on the farms of the new colonists. Others were sent to a new colony on Norfolk Island, located in the Pacific Ocean, 1600 km northeast of Sydney. Today's Norfolk is under the jurisdiction of the Australian federal government. It is now a busy tourist center. By 1820, convicts and their descendants made up most of the population and most of the workers who settled Australia.

The first free colonists appeared in Sydney in 1793. At first there were few of them, but gradually the number of colonists increased and increased sharply by 1850, the time of the “gold rush”. Like Sydney, the first cities were created at the site where the colonists landed. Melbourne was founded in 1835, Adelaide in 1836.

Between the departure of Governor Phillip in 1792 and the arrival of the new Governor John Hunter in 1795, a small group of officers from an army corps, nicknamed the Rum Corps, from New South Wales took over control. These officers and their assistants created many difficulties for the authorities. They wanted to have prisoners at their disposal, as well as a monopoly on imports, in particular on rum, which became a bargaining chip - they were paid wages. This management, based on tyranny and rum, turned out to be disastrous for the small community, for its future.

The most interesting episode during the reign of officers from New South Wales is associated with Captain Blyth. In 1805 he was appointed governor and tried to prohibit the use of rum as payment. A year and a half later he was removed by the Rum Corps. Everything calmed down only when this corps was sent to England. A statue of Captain Blythe and a replica of The Bounty are located on Circular Quay in Sydney.

Lachlan Macquarie, appointed governor in 1810, was given permission to impose his own regime on the colony. His policies favored the release of prisoners, giving them a chance to free themselves and become small farmers. This man, whom everyone unanimously calls the father of Australia, built public buildings, founded a bank, and invested a lot of effort in the development of the continent and the development of sheep farming. He introduced money into circulation to end the rum monopoly. He also contributed to the expansion of the colony.

In 1813, it was possible to cross the Blue Mountains, behind which there were pastures suitable for livestock. Official buildings built by Macquarie still stand in Sydney. Lady Macquarie's Chair, carved into the rock at the end of the Royal botanical garden, - favorite place tourists. From here one of the most best views to Sydney.

Beginning in 1788, for more than 50 years, the English government used Australia as a place of exile for criminal and political offenders. The administration of the convict colony seized vast expanses of fertile land, which were cultivated by the forced labor of exiled settlers. The indigenous population was pushed into the deserts of central Australia, where they died out or were exterminated. Its number, which reached by the time the British appeared at the end of the 18th century. 250-300 thousand, decreased by the end of the next century to 70 thousand people

Gradually, English colonies formed in Australia, representing in language, economy and culture a continuation of the capitalist metropolis. At first, these colonies were not connected with each other in any way, and only by the beginning of the 20th century. formed the Australian Federation, which received the rights of the English dominion.