Australian literature is the written or literary work made in the area or by the people of Australia and its preceding colonies. During its early western history, Australia was many British colonies. Therefore, its literary tradition is linked with English literature. Since 1788, the character of a new continent came into the literature. Themes included Aboriginality, "mateship", egalitarianism, democracy, migrant and national identity, distance from other Western nations and proximity to Asia, the complexities of urban living and the "beauty and the terror" of life in the Australian bush.