New South Wales (abbreviated as NSW) is a state of Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales encompasses the whole of the Australian Capital Territory.
The state capital is Sydney, which is also the state’s most populous city. As of June 2010, the estimated population was 7,238,819, which was 34.5% of the population of Australia, making it Australia’s most populous state. Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as New South Welshmen.
The colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 and originally comprised much of the Australian mainland, as well as Van Diemen’s Land, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, in addition to the area currently referred to as the state of New South Wales, which was formed during Federation in 1901.
When Britain annexed New Zealand in 1840, it briefly became a part of New South Wales. During the 19th century, large areas were successively separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania (established as a separate colony named Van Diemen’s Land in 1825), South Australia (1836), Victoria (1851) and Queensland (1859).
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