Answer: Earliest European settlements in Australia began as penal colonies.
Explanation: In the 17th century, Dutch explorers made the earliest recorded European sightings and landfalls on the Australian mainland. The Dutch charted the western and northern coastlines, naming the island continent "New Holland," but did not attempt to settle. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, naming it New South Wales and claiming it for Great Britain. In 1788, the British established a settlement known as Sydney Cove, which later became Sydney, in what is now New South Wales. This settlement served as a penal colony for British convicts, who were sent to Australia as a form of punishment.