Australia Culture Expo

Author: Li Changlei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: A country located in the eastern part of the Southern Hemisphere. The name originates from the Latin word "Australia," meaning "southern." Ptolemy included it on his maps, marking it as "Terra Australis Incognita," originally meaning the unknown southern land. The first to reach the area were the Dutch, William Jansz. In 1606, the Spanish navigator Pedro de Quiros landed on the New Hebrides Islands, mistakenly believing it was the southern land and naming it "Australiade l'Espíritu Santo," referring to all areas as far as the Antarctic. In 1814, the British navigator Matthew Flinders proposed shortening the original name to "Australia," an idea adopted by Governor Macquarie in 1817 and used ever since.