"The bush" is a term mostly used in the English vernacular of Australia and New Zealand where it is largely synonymous with backwoods or hinterland, referring to a natural undeveloped area. The fauna and flora contained within this area must be indigenous to the region, although exotic species will often also be present. The Australian and New Zealand usage of the word "bush" for "forest" or scrubland, probably comes from the Dutch word "bos/bosch" ("forest"), used by early Dutch settlers in South Africa, where it came to signify uncultivated country among Afrikaners. Many English-speaking early European settlers to South Africa later migrated to Australia or New Zealand and brought the term with them. Today, in South Africa Fynbos tends to refer to the heath vegetation of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. It is also widely used in Canada to refer to the large, forested portion of the country. The same usage applies in the US state of Alaska. History Indigenous Australians have lived in remote areas of bush for thousands of years and in turn have provided resources for the survival skills, mainly with bush tucker and the spiritual healing of bush medicine. From 1788 onwards, land grants began to develop along with permanent human settlements near vast tracts of bush. In the period of British colonial rule in Australia, bushrangers were originally escaped convicts and used the bush as a sanctuary to hide from authorities. The era of bushranging came to an end in 1880 when they disappeared completely, with the concluding execution of Ned Kelly. Since that time, the bush has been the intense scene of frequent seasonal bushfires. Usage by country Australia The concept of "the bush" has become iconic in Australia. In reference to the landscape, "bush" refers to any sparsely-inhabited region, regardless of vegetation. "The bush" in this sense was something that was uniquely Australian and very different from the green European landscapes familiar to many new immigrants. The term "Outback" is also used, but usually in association with the more arid inland areas of Australia. "The bush" also 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. Bush poets such as Henry Lawson (1867-1922) and Banjo Paterson (1864-1942) revered