Australia Flashcards
When was Australia established as a British penal colony?
In 1787.
What did Britain decide to do during the 1780s when their prisons were over-crowding?
They sent their convicts to Australia.
When did the first group of convicts arrive in Australia and how many?
They arrived in 1787.
There were about 500 males and 200 females.
By 1830, how many British prisoners were arriving in Australia per year?
Around 3000 British prisoners.
What did convicts that served their time have an opportunity to do?
They could make a life, a new life, for themselves in Australia.
What were the Australian natives known as?
The Aborigines.
What were the Aborigines like?
Just like the Native Americans:
- Nomadic lifestyle
- Hunter-gatherers
They had lived in Australia for over 50’000 years.
What happened to many of the Aborigines?
They caught British diseases and many died.
Between the British arrival and 1900, by how much did the population of the Aborigines drop by due to extermination?
By about 90%.
