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Why did the British take over Australia?
The reasons that led the British to invade Australia were simple. The prisons in Britain had become unbearably overcrowded, a situation worsened by the refusal of America to take any more convicts after the American War of Independence in 1783.
How long did it take to get from England to Australia in the 1850s?
Prior to the 1850s it was common for sailing ships to stop en route but, by the early 1850s, most ships made the trip without stopping. The voyage became faster, with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the increasing speed of ocean-going steamships, but still took six or seven weeks to reach Australia.
When did the British first come to Australia?
Between 1788 and 1852, around 100,000 (mostly British) convicts were transported to Eastern Australia. In the 1850’s large numbers of free British settlers came to Australia to join the gold rush. The population of people born in the United Kingdom outnumber the number of Australia-born until 1861.
How many people lived in Australia before British settlement?
Prior to British settlement, more than 500 Indigenous groups inhabited the Australian continent, approximately 750,000 people in total. [1] Their cultures developed over 60,000 years, making Indigenous Australians the custodians of the world’s most ancient living culture.
Who was the first person to colonize Australia?
Captain James Cook, after a Pacific voyage of more than 2,000 miles, reached the east coast of Australia in 1770. He named the place Botany Bay and claimed its possession for the British Crown. When Captain Cook returned to Britain, his reports then inspired the British authorities to colonize this recently claimed territory.
When did the British colonize Botany Bay Australia?
The British Empire colonized Australia in 1788. After 18 years from when Captain Cook’s landfall, the British government started colonizing Botany Bay.