Map of a part of New Holland made by William Dampier in
1699 is a
historic name for the
island continent of
Australia. The name was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer
Abel Tasman as
Nova Hollandia, naming it after the Dutch province of
Holland, and remained in use for 180 years.
William Dampier's account of exploring the region used the name in his account.
After the establishment of a settlement at
New South Wales in 1788, which encompassed the eastern part of the continent, the term
New Holland was more often used to refer only to that part of the continent that had not yet been
annexed to New South Wales; thus it referred to the area of land that is now
Western Australia.
The abandonment of the name is due to
Matthew Flinders, who used the name
Australia for the continent, and recommended its official adoption. This was rejected at the time, but in 1824 the name change received official sanction by the
United Kingdom.
In the Netherlands
Nieuw Holland would remain the usual name of the continent until the end of the 19th century; it is now no longer in use.
See also
