177 Nations of Tasmania

Belarus is a land-locked nation centred between Russia, Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states. Despite becoming independent from the former USSR in 1991, It has maintained strong ties with Russia, not only through cultural and political connections, but through personal and family connections between individuals. Similar to its large neighbour, it has been shaped by the trauma of war and hardship...

The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. It's an archipelago of green and mountainous small islands situated in the North Sea, between Scotland, Iceland and Norway and home to just 54,000 inhabitants. Lena spent the first 20 years of her life in the small town of Klaksvik, in the eastern part of the Faroes, surrounded by family in a close-knit community. She grew...

Jersey is one of several self-governing islands that make up part of the United Kingdom. Although it it a possession of the UK, it actually lies closer to France, and French culture is evident on Jersey, including in its local, but now little-spoken language, Jersiais. Like other British islands, its an offshore tax haven, meaning that the majority of islanders work in the finance industry or rela...

Belize is a small and unique country in Central America - it's the only English-speaking nation, has the 2nd largest coral reef, and possesses an unusual and unique racial mix in its population. Willoh was born in a small village by the Caribbean coast of Belize, and was something of a novelty as the only white child in the village at the time. Her hippy parents had ended up in Belize in very...

Guatemala is the largest country in Central America by both population and area. Like many other countries in the region, it has experienced its fair share of conflict and instability over the year and it's a society marked by income inequality and the problems that brings. As a result of this, many Guatemalans look for a better life abroad, and most seek the so-called "American Dream&quo...

Zambia is a largeish country in central southern African, perhaps best known for sharing the iconic landmark of Victoria Falls with it's southern neighbour, Zimbabwe. Although it's not a country that comes up on our radar much in Tasmania, according to the 2021 Census, there were over one hundred Zambians living in Tasmania. Not many perhaps, but also not insignificant. Renella has lived i...

Costa Rica is one of the smaller countries of Central America, both in population and in size. It's also historically been much more stable and secure than many of its neighbours and its efforts to preserve and protect its natural environment has made it a biodiversity hot spot. As a result, Costa Ricans haven't emigrated at the same rate as some other peoples in Latin America. Hence, it i...

As of late 2025, the number of New Zealanders living in Australia was estimated to be around 700,000 - a huge number for such a small country, reflecting the close relationship between our two countries. In Tasmania, it's estimated there are about 5000 New Zealanders living here, making them one of the top 5 migrant groups. It's assumed often that New Zealanders are very similar to us and...

El Salvador is a small Central American nation that has suffered from a multitude of hardships over many decades, include civil wars, a brutal military dictatorship, crippling poverty and violent crime. This has led to a large exodus of the population escaping, through both legal and illegal channels, to countries like the USA, Canada, Mexico and Australia. In fact Australia is home to the third-l...

Cuba is a country that really stands out amongst Latin American nations because of the revolution in 1959. Since then they have lived under the rule of a Communist dictatorship and for most of that time also under severe sanctions from the United States, both of which have create severe hardship for the people of Cuba, both in material terms and also in terms of the lack of civic freedoms. This ha...

Trinidad and Tobago is one of the larger nations of what is often known in the West Indies. It's known for its tropical beaches, its coral reefs, its steel drums and the Caribbean's biggest carnival celebration. In Australia, it is also associated with world-class cricketers like Brian Lara. Rodney grew up in a couple of small close-knit communities on the north coast of Trinidad and has great mem...

It can be easy to forget that English is not the only indigenous language of Britain, and indeed Welsh, still spoken by around 600,000, has its roots far deeper in the history of ancient Britain. Wales is a land of mythical folk tales, rolling hills, magnificent choral singing traditions, passion for rugby and so much more. Though perhaps clichees, although these contribute to a distinctive Welsh...

Ingrid hails from the tiny island nation of Saint Lucia, a lush Caribbean island known for its volcanic peaks, vibrant Creole culture, and status as the only country named after a woman. With a population of around 180,000, Saint Lucia blends African, French, and British influences, and though its official language is English, many speak Saint Lucian Creole. Ingrid trained as a physician in Cuba o...

Lobelia’s story begins in the Solomon Islands, a Pacific nation comprising over a thousand islands scattered southeast of New Guinea. Growing up in a small, remote village on one of the six main islands, she experienced a simple and traditional village lifestyle, with no technology and few of the modern convenience we take for granted now. At the end of her high school, life in the Solomons took a...

Laos, a Southeast Asian country of about 7 million people,is known for its Buddhist traditions and vibrant food culture. Outhay grew up in the capital, Vientiane, helping her family run a 24-hour convenience store where everyone pitched in. Memories of both the abundance and scarcity of food shaped her childhood. After studying English at university, Outhay worked in government administration, whe...

Yemen is a country that gets little attention despite being at the centre of one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world, as declared by the UNHCR in 2025. There is not space enough here to describe all the events that have led to such a crisis, including civil war, an overthrow of the government and in 2015 a Saudi-led mass bombing of the country, but the results have seen a catastrophic...

The Isle of Man, or Manx, is a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom, located between Great Britain and Ireland, and has been influenced by the cultures of both. It's known for being an offshore tax haven and a centre for gambling companies. It also has the oldest continuously-running parliament, the Tynwald, which is claimed to be over 1000 years old. There is also the Manx tongue, a Ce...

John's story begins in an undistinguished town in the South-East of war-torn Germany, where as a child he remembers sheltering under a blanket in a cellar as Lancaster bombers roared overhead.  As a young boy he experienced the deprivation of the post-war era and then the emergence of the Germany Democratic Republic and its sophisticated surveillance society. Even after escaping across the border...

To mark Refugee Week 2024, here's a compilation of stories from five of the interviews I've done in the last 12 months that reflect different aspects of the refugee experience from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. There's Ieva's story of her whole family walking 200km to get to the port of Riga to escape the oncoming Soviet Army, Sandra's tale of when a to-close-for-comfort missile attack...

Rose's story begins in the throes of World War 2, in one of the darkest moments in Maltese history, as the island was laid siege by the axis powers and would become the most bombed territory in all of the war. Rose came from a big family, and their fate reflected the wider human cost of the war on the population, having their house destroyed and family members killed. Rose was born after the S...

Lili grew up in the southernmost region of China, in a neighbourhood where there were strong community connections. Her parents were perhaps not typical for Chinese parents in that they were not focused on grades, but more than Lili was doing what made her happy and they encouraged her to beat her own path. This perhaps contributed to her decision to go to Australia to study after she finished sch...

Rwanda is a small nation of 13 million people in the centre of Africa, and the setting for one of the worst atrocities of the late 20th century. During the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 an estimated 500,000-800,000 people of the Tutsi minority were killed by members of the Hutu majority Tasmania may seem a million miles away from such horrors, but the small Rwandan community here has continued to comme...

Cambodia is a country with a dark recent past, with the the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime leading to millions of deaths and large numbers of refugees. A large portion of those refugees came to Australia in the late 70s and early 80s, often on boats. However, in more recent times, Cambodia has enjoyed a sustained period of relative stability and prosperity, and Cambodians are more likely to c...

Tunisia is a small northern African country, majority Muslim and Arabic-speaking, but also strongly connected with other cultures of the Mediterranean and North Africa. Akram is, at least at the time of recording, the only Tunisian in Tasmania. Yet Tasmania was an intentional choice by Akram, who arrived here in 2023 with his Filippino wife and two young children. Previously they had been living i...

Bosnia Herzegovina is perhaps sadly best known for the brutal war waged there in the 1990s between Serbs, Croats and Muslims. An estimated 100,000 were killed and millions became war refugees. Mia, as a 4 year old , was one of those many that fled the war, and her family took refugee in Croatia, where she would grow up and receive her schooling. At 18 years, Mia received a funny message on MySpace...