Tasmania is like West Virgina in many ways. Both have large regions of forest with much wildlife, rugged but not particularly high mountains, wide valleys overgrazed by sheep, and great mineral wealth being extracted by outside interests. Inhabitants of both have the reputation among their fellow-citizens of being simple country folk: "hillbillies" or "Tassies". Both export many of their young people, and import retirees and summertime residents from the more "civilized" parts of their nations -- for a net rate of population growth of under 1%. Both have rapidly-growing eco-tourism industries, and both are trying to balance traditional hunting and fishing with conservation.
But, Tasmania is about 25% larger and has about 1/3 the population. And, Tasmania has an ocean.
