Italiano 
English The colonization of what is now known as Australia dates back to the earliest beginnings of modern humans. Subsequently, its remoteness led to a relative cultural isolation, as was also the case for nearby New Zealand, perhaps the last habitable area on Earth to be colonized by humans.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries everything changed with the increased technological capacity and the hunger for new territories of the European powers, particularly Great Britain. The unknown lands of the Antipodes appeared as a blank canvas onto which all kinds of colonial and imperial fantasies could be projected. In reality, these lands were home to a considerable variety of cultures and societies. European arrivals in New Zealand began with whaling and sealing stations, where foreign ships could gather resources, carry out repairs, and resupply. In Australia, the first arrivals were due to the transportation of convicts from Great Britain and Ireland to penal colonies, but the British soon took advantage in regions where the climate was familiar and, to support rapid colonial expansion, introduced European crops and livestock.
A growing number of new settlers increased the demand for land, introduced firearms, and also diseases previously unknown to the native populations. These factors contributed to the sharp decline of the Māori people in New Zealand and of the Aboriginal peoples in Australia.
