Why Australia is not New Holland?
Terra Australis Incognita means “the unknown land in the south” in Latin, and rumours of the continent’s existence dated back to Ancient Roman times.
The first person from Europe to find a land that could possibly fit this description was Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon, who went there in 1606. In 1644 the future continent was given its first name: New Holland, but the Netherlands didn’t attempt to lay any real claims to the land.
In the 1770s, British explorer James Cook sailed to the continent and decided to claim the entire east coast for England.
The British colonized the continent, and it was Matthew Flinders who pushed for the use of “Australia” from 1804.
Though “Australia” was used unofficially for several years, Governor Lachlan Macquarie petitioned for its official adoption in 1817.
It wasn’t until 1824 that the name was officially given to the continent.
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