Where do most people living in Australia and New Zealand descend from?
To find the answer to your question, we can look into the history of Australia and New Zealand. Both countries have diverse populations with people from various ancestries, but the majority of the population in Australia and New Zealand primarily descended from European settlers.
1. Australia:
- The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were the original inhabitants of Australia, with a history spanning over 65,000 years.
- In 1788, Australia was colonized by the British, who established penal colonies for the transportation of convicts.
- Over the years, large numbers of immigrants arrived from different parts of Europe, mainly from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany.
- In the 20th century, immigration from other parts of the world, particularly Asia and the Pacific, significantly contributed to the population's diversity.
2. New Zealand:
- The indigenous population of New Zealand is the Māori people, who arrived in New Zealand centuries before the Europeans.
- In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British Crown and Māori chiefs, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.
- Like Australia, New Zealand experienced waves of immigration from Europe, with a significant number of settlers coming from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scotland.
- In recent decades, immigration from Asia and the Pacific has increased, bringing further diversity to the population.
It is important to note that both Australia and New Zealand are multicultural countries, and their populations include people from various backgrounds and ancestries.