AP World History

Answer - C - The colonial population of Australia during the 1700s and early 1800s was largely made up of convicts.

Key Takeaway: During the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to various penal colonies in Australia by the British government. One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia, in fact, was to establish a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their overburdened correctional facilities. Over the course of 80 years, more than 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia.