Where does the name Australia come from?
The name Australia comes from the Latin word australis, meaning southern. For centuries, European mapmakers imagined a great southern land called Terra Australis Incognita, the unknown southern land.
When Dutch explorers charted parts of the coast in the 1600s, they called the land New Holland. After British settlement in 1788, the eastern part was known as New South Wales.
The explorer Matthew Flinders, who sailed around the continent in 1802 and 1803, promoted the name Australia. In his 1814 book about the voyage, he explained that he preferred Australia as more pleasing to the ear than Terra Australis.
Making the name official
Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales, used the name in official dispatches and recommended its adoption in 1817. By the 1820s, the name Australia was increasingly accepted.
In 1901, when the colonies federated, the new nation was called the Commonwealth of Australia. Today, Australians are often called Aussies, a nickname that also comes from the name of the country.
Before British colonization, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had their own names for their countries and lands, and many of those names are still used today.
Did You Know?
Antarctica's name also comes from Greek words meaning opposite the Arctic.