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The Bush
 
 
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The bush is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in many places, such as Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, and Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
.

Australia
In Australia the term has a number of distinct meanings, usually clear in context. In reference to the landscape, the term describes any wooded area, generally where eucalypts
Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of Flowering plant trees in the Myrtus family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia....
 are present.

From a social and/or political perspective "the Bush" refers to any populated region outside of the major metropolitan areas, including mining and agricultural areas.






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Australian Bush
The bush is a term used for rural, undeveloped land or country areas in many places, such as Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, and Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
.

Australia


In Australia the term has a number of distinct meanings, usually clear in context. In reference to the landscape, the term describes any wooded area, generally where eucalypts
Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of Flowering plant trees in the Myrtus family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia....
 are present.

From a social and/or political perspective "the Bush" refers to any populated region outside of the major metropolitan areas, including mining and agricultural areas. Consequently it is not unusual to have a mining town in the desert such as Port Hedland (Pop. 14,000) referred to as "The bush" within the media.

The term bush is also affixed to any number of other entities or activities to describe their rural, country or folk nature, eg "Bush Cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
", "Bush Music
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
", etc.

New Zealand

Lakegunnbush
In New Zealand, the term has a more specific connotation — that of isolated, heavily forested countryside, as opposed to the open coastal plains and tussock-covered high country
High country (New Zealand)

High country is a New Zealand term for the elevated pastoral land of the internal South Island and - to a lesser extent - internal North Island of New Zealand....
. Bush always refers to areas of native trees rather than exotic forests.

Areas with this type of land cover are found predominantly in the South Island
South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major Islands of New Zealand of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. The Maori name for the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu, meaning "The Water/s of Greenstone" , possibly evolved from Te Wahi Pounamu which means "The Place Of Greenstone"....
, especially in the West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand

The West Coast is one of the List of regions in New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country....
 region stretching from Fiordland
Fiordland

Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland....
 to Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand

The city of Nelson is close to the centre of New Zealand. It lies at the shore of Tasman Bay, at the northern end of the South Island, and is the administrative centre of the Nelson region....
, with the east coast having been deforested except for parts of Kaikoura
Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand of New Zealand. It is located on New Zealand State Highway network 180 km north of Christchurch, New Zealand....
 and the Catlins
The Catlins

The Catlins comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha, New Zealand and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland Region regions....
. Much of Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island/Rakiura

Stewart Island/Rakiura is the third-largest island of New Zealand. It lies south of South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Its permanent population is slightly fewer than 400 people, most of whom live in the settlement of Oban, New Zealand....
 is bush-covered. In the North Island
North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the List of islands by area....
, the largest areas of bush cover the main ranges stretching north-northeast from Wellington
Wellington

Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand, situated at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington Urban Area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and ranks as New Zealand's third most populous Urban areas of New Zealand with residents....
 towards East Cape
East Cape

For other uses, see East Cape .East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located to the north of Gisborne, New Zealand...
, notably including the Urewera Ranges
Te Urewera

Te Urewera, often known as The Ureweras, is an area of the central North Island of New Zealand. Located in rough, sparsely populated hill country to the northeast of Lake Taupo, it is the spiritual home of the Tuhoe, one of the most independent-minded and prominent Maori iwi....
, and the catchment of the Whanganui River
Whanganui River

The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand.Known for many years as the Wanganui River, the river's name reverted to Whanganui in Timeline of New Zealand history#1990s, according with the wishes of local iwi....
. Significant stands remain in Northland and the ranges running south from the Coromandel Peninsula towards Ruapehu, and isolated remnants cap various volcanoes in Taranaki, the Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and the Hauraki Gulf.

South Africa

In South Africa, the term has specific connotations of rural areas which are not open veld
Veld

The term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrubland....
. Generally it refers to areas in the north of the country that would be called savanna
Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a tropical, subtropical or temperate woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the Canopy does not close....
. "Going to The Bush" often refers to going to a game park or game reserve. Areas most commonly referred to as The Bush are the Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga, , is a Provinces of South Africa South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Nguni languages....
 and Limpopo
Limpopo

Limpopo is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly called Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of the Transvaal province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal....
 Lowveld, The Limpopo River
Limpopo River

The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. It is around long, with a drainage basin in size....
 Valley, northern Kwa-Zulu Natal or any other similar area of wilderness.

Alaska and Canada

The Bush in Alaska is generally described as any community not "on the road system", making it accessible only by more elaborate transportation. Usage is similar in Canada; it is called la brousse, or colloquially le bois, in Canadian French
Canadian French

Canadian French is an umbrella term for the varieties of the French language used in Canada. French is the mother tongue of about seven million Canadians and is one of the country's two official languages, along with English language....
.

Related terms