# 4/15 geography question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258 "2004-04-15T23:54:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/1 "2004-04-15T23:54:22Z")
1. Anthropologists beleive it may have been inhabited for as long as 13,000 years. 2. On a 1640 Dutch map, it’s named for the European explorer whom discovered it. However he had already named it what we know it as today. 3. In early 19th century, Darwin compared some inhabitants to depraved animals. 4. For centuries it was beleived to be connected to the larger landmass _Terra Australis_ . I’m guessing Tasmania, but would like some confirmation. Thanks again in advance. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/2 "2004-04-16T00:01:49Z")
It’s [Tasmania](http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/T/TA/TASMAN_ABEL_JANSZOON.htm), discovered by Abel Tasman. He also discovered New Zealand (after the Maori did, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/3 "2004-04-16T00:35:01Z")
How does Tasmania fit condition 2? Your link states (AFAIK) correctly, that he discovered it and named it Van Dieman’s Land. But we don’t call it VDL today. We call it Tasmania. So in effect, it’s the opposite of what the second sentence of condition 2 says. How about Australia itself? I know that Terra Australis was once considered to be a massive continent extending far to the south, and that originally, Australia was thought to be an outcropping of this continent. Maybe the 1640 map called Australia “Tasmania”. The weakness of this is that others had discovered bits of Australia before Tasman. ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/4 "2004-04-16T00:40:01Z")
I say Tierra Del Fuego 1. It was once named after Magellan who discovered it. Tasmania can’t fit because it currently is called Tasmania. 2. Darwin had some bad things to say about the people [here](http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3809dc0b7797.htm) 3. Terra Australis is Antartic which is righ nect to Tierra del Fuego ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/5 "2004-04-16T00:42:18Z")
Actually, to correct myself Terra Australis isn’t Antartica but an imaginary southern landmass ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/6 "2004-04-16T00:51:41Z")
Yep its Tierra del Fuego or [Magellanica.](http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/unicorn/fullscreen.cfm?ImageID=F0324&ID=G279%3A4%2F40#content) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/7 "2004-04-16T00:55:45Z")
> [@TitoBenito](#): > > I say Tierra Del Fuego > > 1. It was once named after Magellan who discovered it. Tasmania can’t fit because it currently is called Tasmania. > 2. Darwin had some bad things to say about the people [here](http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3809dc0b7797.htm) > 3. Terra Australis is Antartic which is righ nect to Tierra del Fuego You’re right! The 13,000 years should’ve been the give-away. Tasmania was populated much longer ago than that. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/8 "2004-04-16T00:56:36Z")
What the hell is the question? 😕 [sup]completely[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/9 "2004-04-16T01:12:29Z")
I think it might be Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea History It is believed that Papua New Guinea was originally inhabited by Asian settlers over 50,000 years ago. The first European contact in 1526-27 was by the Portuguese explorer Jorge de Meneses, who named the island Ilhas dos Papuas (Island of the Fuzzy Hairs). The Spaniard Inigo Ortiz de Retes later called it New Guinea because he thought the people similar to those of Guinea in Africa. Further exploration followed, including landings by Bougainville, Cook, Stanley and John Moresby. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/10 "2004-04-16T01:22:06Z")
Sounds like Tierra del Fuego. I’ll post back tomorrow when she gets the answer. Thanks again everyone. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/11 "2004-04-16T01:48:20Z")
> [@Cillasi](#): > > I think it might be Papua New Guinea > Papua New Guinea > History > It is believed that Papua New Guinea was originally inhabited by Asian settlers over 50,000 years ago… See point #1 in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/12 "2004-04-16T03:54:00Z")
One interesting little tidbit about Tasman that I think is true is that, although he discovered a lot of things on his voyages, he sailed completely around the continent of Australia without ever seeing it. Quite a feat. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/13 "2004-04-16T21:52:08Z")
It was Tierra del Fuego. Thanks again for the help. New one should posted Tues or Wed next week. ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-15-geography-question/240258/14 "2004-04-16T22:29:54Z")
woo hoo