The
Coral Sea Islands Territory includes a group of small
tropical islands and reefs in the Coral Sea, northeast of
Queensland, Australia, around 18° S 152° E. There are about
30 separate reefs and atolls, 12 of them wholly submerged or
drying only during low tide, and 18 others with a total of
about 51 islets and cays (18 alone on the atoll Lihou Reef
and Cays), some of which are vegetated. The atolls exhibit a
wide range of size, from a few kilometers in diameter to
perhaps the second largest atoll in the world by total area
(including lagoon): Lihou Reef, with a lagoon size of 100 by
30 km and an area of 2,500 km², which compares to a combined
land area of the 18 individual islets of only 0.91 km². The
islands are all very low. The territory's FIPS 10-4 code is
CR, whereas ISO 3166 includes it in Australia (AU).
The atolls are scattered over a sea area of about 1 million
km². The Willis Islets (Willis Group) are important nesting
areas for birds and turtles, but their natural resources are
negligible. They comprise less than three square kilometers
of land. There is no port or harbour, only offshore
anchorage.
The territory was created in 1969 by the Coral Sea Islands
Act (before, the area was considered part of Queensland) and
extended in 1997 to include Middleton Reef and Elizabeth
Reef nearly 800 km further South, already in the Tasman Sea.
The two latter reefs are indeed much closer to Lord Howe
Island, New South Wales (about 150 km) than to the
southernmost island of the rest of the territory, Cato
Island. The islands, cays and reefs of the Great Barrier
Reef are not part of the territory, belonging to Queensland
instead. The outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef is the
boundary between Queensland and the Coral Sea Islands
Territory.
The territory is a possession of Australia, administered
from Canberra by the Australian Department of the
Environment, which has control over the activities of
visitors. Defense is the responsibility of Australia, and
the territory is visited regularly by the Royal Australian
Navy. Australia maintains automatic weather stations on many
of the isles and reefs, and claims a 200 nautical mile (370
km) exclusive fishing zone. There is no economic activity,
no permanent population, only a staff of three or four
people to run the meteorological station on Willis Island
(South Islet), established in 1921.
Background:
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Scattered over some 1 million square
kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were
declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are
uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff
on the Willis Islets. Automated weather stations,
beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands
and reefs. |
Location:
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Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea,
northeast of Australia |
Environment - current issues:
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no permanent fresh water resources
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Geography - note:
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important nesting area for birds and
turtles |
Country name:
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conventional long form:
Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands
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Dependency status:
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territory of Australia; administered
from Canberra by the Department of the Environment,
Sport, and Territories |
Legal system:
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the laws of Australia, where
applicable, apply |
Executive branch:
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administered from Canberra by the
Department of the Environment, Sport, and
Territories |
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (territory of Australia)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (territory of Australia)
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Flag description:
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the flag of Australia is used
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Australia
is massive, and very sparsely peopled:
in size it rivals the USA, yet its population is just over
eighteen million - little more than that of the Netherlands.
This is an ancient land, and often looks it: in places, it's
the most eroded, denuded and driest of continents, with much
of central and western Australia - the bulk of the country -
overwhelmingly arid and flat. In contrast, its cities - most
of which were founded as recently as the mid-nineteenth
century - express a youthful energy.
The most memorable scenery is in the Outback, the vast
desert in the interior of the country west of the Great
Dividing Range. Here, vivid blue skies, cinnamon-red earth,
deserted gorges and other striking geological features as
well as bizarre wildlife comprise a unique ecology - one
that has played host to the oldest surviving human culture
for at least fifty thousand years.
The harshness of the interior has forced modern Australia to
become a coastal country. Most of the population lives
within 20km of the ocean, occupying a suburban, southeastern
arc extending from southern Queensland to Adelaide. These
urban Australians celebrate the typical New World values of
material self-improvement through hard work and hard play,
with an easy-going vitality that visitors, especially
Europeans, often find refreshingly hedonistic. A sunny
climate also contributes to this exuberance, with an outdoor
life in which a thriving beach culture and the congenial
backyard "barbie" are central.
While visitors might eventually find this Home and Away
lifestyle rather prosaic, there are opportunities -
particularly in the Northern Territory - to gain some
experience of Australia's indigenous peoples and their
culture, through visiting ancient art sites, taking tours
and, less easily, making personal contact. Many Aboriginal
people - especially in central Australia - have managed to
maintain their traditional way of life (albeit with some
modern accoutrements), speaking their own languages and
living according to their law (the tjukurpa). Conversely,
most Aboriginal people you'll come across in country towns
and cities are victims of what is scathingly referred to as
"welfare colonialism" - a disempowering system in which,
supported by dole cheques and other subsidies, they often
fall prey to a destructive cycle of poverty, ill-health and
alcoholism. There's still a long way to go before black and
white people in Australia can exist on genuinely equal
terms.
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