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How did rising sea levels affect Aboriginal people living in Tasmania?
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Australian Aboriginal peoples
Aboriginal people from Galiwnku Island gathering to watch the proceedings at which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia for their mistreatment under earlier Australian governments, February 2008.
The rising sea levels that occurred approximately 10,000 to 12,000 years ago significantly impacted the Aboriginal people of Tasmania by flooding the land bridge that had previously connected the island to the Australian mainland. This environmental change resulted in the Bass Strait being formed, which effectively isolated the Tasmanian population from mainland Australian Aboriginal people.12
Following this isolation, the Tasmanian Aboriginal people developed as a distinct population with their own unique languages and social structures.1