In the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, there are many areas which are commonly known by regional names.

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

s are areas that share similar characteristics. These characteristics may be natural such as the

Furneaux Islands The Furneaux Group is a group of approximately 100 islands located at the eastern end of Bass Strait, between Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The islands were named after British navigator Tobias Furneaux, who sighted the eastern side of ...

, the coastline, or the Central Highlands. Alternatively, the characteristics may be cultural, such as a

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

land use. Tasmania is divided by numerous regional boundaries, based on different characteristics. In many cases boundaries defined by different government agencies are coterminous and are often cited by the Australian and local media that tend to distinguish between North West, West Coast, Southern, and East Coast. Some regions were historically identified in terms of land use. In the 1960s the ''Atlas of Tasmania'' was the definitive Tasmanian Government publication in relation to regional geographical variations in Tasmania.

Local government

In Tasmania the third tier of elected government after the federal and

governments are the local government authorities, which are responsible for the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

s. The types of LGAs in Tasmania are

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

s. Tasmania has 29 local government areas which have an elected council and carry out various functions delegated to them by the Tasmanian Government.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

The

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...

has multiple regional structures for which it analyses and reports data. These regional structures derive from the

Australian Standard Geographical Classification The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...

(AGSC). The AGSC defines at the very smallest level, the ''Census Collection District'' (CCD). These CCD's aggregate to form the Statistical Local Area (SLA), which is the common base unit for each of the larger regional structures. The boundaries of the SLA are designed to be typically coterminous with Local Government Areas unless the LGA does not fit entirely into a Statistical Subdivision (SSD), or is not of a comparative nature to other LGA's. Bureau of Statistics provides statistics for Local Government Areas, as well as three other statistical structures: ''Statistical Divisions'', ''Statistical Regions'', and ''Statistical Districts''.

Statistical Divisions

Statistical Divisions (SD) form the main structural hierarchy of statistical analysis. These regions are structured to provide a broad range of

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

demographic Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analy ...

and

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

statistics. The basis for the boundary delineations centre on socio-economic criteria. The five divisions for Tasmania are: ::Greater Hobart, Southern, Northern, Mersey-Lyell, Off-Shore Areas & Migratory.

Statistical Regions

The Statistical Region (SR) structure was established in 1986 as a means for labor force analysis. ::Greater Hobart, Southern, Northern, Mersey-Lyell.

Statistical Districts

The Statistical District (SDist) is a non-capital, urban region of one or more adjoining areas, with a population of 25,000 or more. The SDist is defined with consideration of a 20-year growth forecast. The SDist does not need to conform to LGA boundaries or to state territory boundaries. The two Statistical Districts in Tasmania are: ::Launceston, Burnie-Devonport.

Biogeographic regions

The

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeography, biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities ( ...

(IBRA) is a

biogeographic Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

regionalisation of Australia; divided into 89 bioregions and 419 subregions. Each region is a land area made up of a group of interacting ecosystems that are repeated in similar form across the landscape. Regions and subregion cross state and territory boundaries. There are nine bioregions that are located within all or part of Tasmania: *

Ben Lomond Ben Lomond (, ), , is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. Situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, it is the most southerly of the Munros. Ben Lomond lies within the Ben Lomond National Memorial Park and the Loch Lomond and The Trossach ...

* Furneaux *

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Tasmanian Central Highlands The Tasmanian Central Highlands is an interim Australian bioregion located in central highlands region of Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is ...

* Tasmanian Northern Midlands *

Tasmanian Northern Slopes The Tasmanian Northern Slopes is an interim Australian bioregion located in the northern region of Tasmania, comprising . See also * Ecoregions in Australia * Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia * Regions of Tasmania In th ...

Tasmanian Southern Ranges The Tasmanian Southern Ranges is an interim Australian bioregion located in the southern region of Tasmania, comprising . See also * Ecoregions in Australia * Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia * Regions of Tasmania In the ...

* Tasmanian South East *

Tasmanian West Tasmanian West is an interim Australian bioregion located in the western region of Tasmania, comprising . See also * Ecoregions in Australia * Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia * Regions of Tasmania In the Australian Sta ...

Informal divisions

Specific uses of regions for different purposes

Weather forecasting

Since 2013, the

Australian Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government that is responsible for providing weather forecasts and meteorological services to Australia and neighbouring countries. It was established in 1906 unde ...

(BOM) divided Tasmania into eleven land-based districts for the purpose

weather forecasting Weather forecasting or weather prediction is the application of science and technology forecasting, to predict the conditions of the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere for a given location and time. People have attempted to predict the weather info ...

. In addition, the Bureau detailed nine coastal districts and a further five inshore districts covering the bays and channels in the River Derwent lower estuary. ;Land based districts * Furneaux Islands * North East * East Coast * Central North (including Launceston) * Midlands * South East (including Hobart) * Upper Derwent Valley * Central Plateau * Western (includes South Western and Western Tasmania) * North West Coast * King Island ;Coastal districts * Far North West Coast * Central West Coast * Southwest Coast * Southeast Coast * Southeast Inshore * Lower East Coast * Upper East Coast * East of Flinders Island * Banks Strait (Larapuna) * Central North Coast

Tasmanian Government

Other coastal regions

In some schemes a quadrant of the coast is made into four parts: *North West and South West - Cape Sorell *North West and North East -

Devonport, Tasmania Devonport ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Limilinaturi'') is a port city situated at the mouth of the Mersey River (Australia), Mersey River on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Positi ...

*North East and South East - Bicheno, Tasmania *South West and South East -

South East Cape South East Cape is a cape located at the southernmost point of the main island of Tasmania, the southernmost state in Australia. The cape is situated in the southern and south-eastern corner of the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmani ...

In general terms, the usage is found in a number of forms: * North West - generally starting north of the Pieman River mouth and proceeding round into the Bass Strait coast * South West - generally starting at Cape Sorell and finishing at either South Cape or South East Cape * South East - usually incorporates the region around Hobart and through to wineglass Bay or further north * North East - usually referring to the coast from the Tamar River and proceeding round onto the East Coast These regional schemes do not relate to the physical realities of the coast, or any of the coastal processes, but are simply organisational categorigisation.

Tourist regions

Tourism regions are a scheme of tourist promotion; some tourist regions are in sub-regions, or a component of separate regions, and others are grabs of separate regions. Regions most commonly used for tourism purposes include: *

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

* Huon Valley and

D'Entrecasteaux Channel The D'Entrecasteaux Channel is a body of water located between Bruny Island and the south-east of the mainland of Tasmania, Australia. The channel is the mouth for the estuaries of the Derwent and the Huon Rivers and empties into the Tasman ...

(Southeast) * Derwent Valley and Central Highlands * Launceston and the Tamar Valley * Midlands * North East * Devonport and Cradle Valley * West Coast and Wilderness. Tourism Tasmania, a Tasmanian Government body, divided the state into five regions on the Tasmanian mainland, and two regions covering the two major Bass Strait islands: * East Coast * Flinders Island * Hobart and South * King Island * Launceston and North * North West * West Coast Zones have also been historically used for the purposes of

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

including: Hobart and surrounds, Launceston, Tamar and the North, North West Coast, East Coast, and Western Wilderness.

Wine regions

* Huon Valley - south of Hobart *North West - south of Devonport * Tamar Valley - along the valley north of Launceston * Pipers River - on the Georgetown to Bridport road. * East Coast - between Bicheno in the north, and east of Sorell * Coal River Valley - between Cambridge and north of Colebrook. * Derwent Valley - between Hamilton and Hobart * Southern - between Kingston and Southport

References

{{reflist, 2 Coastline of Tasmania