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He didn't.

James Cook, who was the first European to chart the area, named the eastern coast of Australia New South Walesbecause the countryside bore a resemblance (in his mind) to parts of southern Wales.

Australia, as a name, was not yet being used by the Europeans to refer to the continent, and it was not even clear whether or not the land that Cook charted was part of a larger continent.

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Q: Why did Captain James Cook give the name South Wales to Australia?
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James Cook (not yet a captain) claimed New South Wales for Great Britain in 1770.


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