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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: New South Wales

New South Wales, state (1991 pop. 5,164,549), 309,443 sq mi (801,457 sq km), SE Australia. It is bounded on the E by the Pacific Ocean. Sydney is the capital. The other principal urban centers are Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Lismore, Wollongong, and Broken Hill. More than half the population live in the Sydney metropolitan area. Located in the temperate zone, the state has a generally favorable climate. There are four main geographic regions: the coastal lowlands; the eastern highlands, culminating in Mt. Kosciusko (7,316 ft/2,230 m), the highest peak of the Australian Alps and of Australia; the western slopes; and the western plains, which cover about two thirds of the state. The Murray River, which forms the greater part of the southern border, and its principal tributaries are important for the state's extensive irrigation systems. New South Wales is economically the most important state in Australia. The Sydney-Newcastle-Wollongong area is Australia's greatest industrial region, with steel the principal product. Financial services and tourism are important, as is agriculture: wheat, wool, and meat are produced, and there is considerable dairy farming. Tropical fruits and sugarcane are grown in the northeast. The state's rich mineral resources include coal, gold, iron, copper, silver, lead, and zinc. New South Wales has a large aboriginal population; over 50% of the Australian aborigines live in New South Wales and Queensland. The coast of Queensland was explored in 1770 by Capt. James Cook, who proclaimed British sovereignty over the east coast of Australia. Sydney, the first Australian settlement, was founded in 1788 as a prison farm. During the 1820s and 30s the character of New South Wales changed as the wool industry grew and the importation of convicts ceased. In the early 19th cent. the colony included Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and New Zealand. These territories were separated and made colonies in their own right between 1825 and 1863. In 1901, New South Wales was federated as a state of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Australian Capital Territory (site of Canberra, the federal capital), an enclave in New South Wales, was ceded to the commonwealth in 1911. Jervis Bay, S of Sydney, became commonwealth territory in 1915 as a potential port for Canberra; it is no longer part of the capital territory. The nominal head of the state government is the governor; however, actual executive functions are exercised by the premier and cabinet, who are responsible to a bicameral state parliament.

Wikipedia search results for: New South Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia. It was founded in 1788 and originally comprised much of the Australian mainland, as well as Tasmania, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. When Britain annexed New Zealand in 1840 it was briefly a part of New South Wales. During the 19th century large areas were successively separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as being New South Welsh or New South. New South Wales's...more »

Columbia Encyclopedia search results: New South Wales

Results 1 - 10 of 58

Blue Mountains, Australia
Blue Mountains, region of New South Wales, SE Australia. Located W of Sydney, this elevation is actually a plateau forming part of the Great Dividing Range.
Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory (1991 pop. 276,468), 939 sq mi (2,432 sq km), SE Australia, an enclave within New South Wales, containing Canberra, capital of Australia. It was called the Federal...
Broken Hill
Broken Hill, city (1991 pop. 23,263), New South Wales, SE Australia, near the South Australia border. Since 1883 it has been a principal center of zinc and silver mining in Australia.
Kosciusko, Mount
Kosciusko, Mount, 7,316 ft (2,230 m) high, SE New South Wales, Australia, in the Australian Alps; highest peak of Australia. Tourism developed significantly in the 1980s.
Lismore, city, Australia
Lismore, city (1991 pop. 27,246), New South Wales, E Australia, on the North Arm of the Richmond River. An important industrial city, Lismore is a leading producer of butter. Its port is Balli...
Macquarie
Macquarie, river, 590 mi (950 km) long, rising in the Blue Mts., E New South Wales, Australia, and flowing NW to the Darling River. It flows through an important sheep- and wheat-raising area.
Parkes
Parkes, town (1991 pop. 8,784), New South Wales, SE Australia. It is the site of a radiotelescope (opened 1961) capable of receiving radio waves from a distance of 1 billion light-years.
New Zealand
New Zealand, island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest ...
Darling
Darling, river, 1,702 mi (2,739 km) long, rising in the Eastern Highlands, NE New South Wales and SE Queensland, Australia, and flowing SW across New South Wales into the Murray River at Wentw...
Gold Coast, city, Australia
Gold Coast, city (1991 pop. 256,275), Queensland, E Australia, on the Pacific Ocean. The city, a major resort, stretches for many miles along the coast and extends into New South Wales. In 199...

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Seagulls In Kiama

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Category: Pets & Animals
Dolphins in Jervis Bay

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Category: Pets & Animals
Kangaroo & Her Joey (Geehi/New South Wales)

Channel: YouTube
Category: Pets & Animals

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