Interesting Facts
What is the oldest continuous culture in the world? Some might say it’s the Egyptians, since they’ve been kicking around for several thousand years, or perhaps the Indians living along the Indus River Valley — one of ancient history’s greatest (and least-known) civilizations. However, the real answer lies far away from these centers of ancient wonder, in the Land Down Under, among that continent’s first peoples — the Aboriginal Australians. A study in 2016 by an international team of researchers gathered genomic data that showed this group first arrived on the continent some 50,000 years ago, after leaving Africa about 70,000 years ago.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a fibAlthough British explorer James Cook’s arrival in the Land Down Under in 1770 is well known, it was actually Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon who, in 1606, landed at what is now called Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia.
However, it’s worth noting that Aboriginal peoples are far from a homogenous unit. After the first peoples arrived on the continent, they quickly spread across Australia, forming isolated pockets that developed independently of one another. By the time Europeans arrived en masse in the late 18th century, some 200 nations of Aboriginal Australians — each with their own language — lived throughout the continent. But that diversity goes beyond just tribes or nations; a study in December 2023 concluded that Aboriginal peoples have high levels of genetic diversity compared to European or Asian populations.
Unfortunately, Aboriginal Australians continue to struggle compared to non-Indigenous Australians, and experience an eight-year shorter life expectancy, poorer health and educational outcomes, and other ill effects stemming from colonialism and mistreatment. But if the past 75,000 years have taught us anything, it’s that Aboriginal Australians are a resilient culture, and they aren’t going anywhere.
Numbers Don't Lie
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First elected in 1972, ______ was Australia’s first Indigenous parliamentarian.
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First elected in 1972, Neville Bonner was Australia’s first Indigenous parliamentarian.
Aboriginal peoples are not the only Indigenous group living in Australia today.
Although Aboriginal Australians make up the lion’s share of the country’s Indigenous peoples, another important group, called Torres Strait Islander Australians, lives on an archipelago of some 274 small islands between mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea. According to a 2021 census, Torres Strait Islanders constitute roughly 8% of Australia’s Indigenous population. These native peoples first migrated to these islands nearly 70,000 years ago when the land was still part of Papua New Guinea, and while James Cook claimed ownership of the Torres Strait Islands in 1770, the islanders weren’t annexed by Queensland (then a British colony and now an Australian state) until 1879. While the cause of Indigenous rights in Australia often pairs Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders together, the two groups possess languages and cultures that are wholly separate. In 2013, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Act finally acknowledged that these two peoples were to forever be considered the first inhabitants of Australia.
Interesting Facts writers have been seen in Popular Mechanics, Mental Floss, A+E Networks, and more. They’re fascinated by history, science, food, culture, and the world around them.
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