Lexi Webster
Australia is a unique country as it is the world's only country that is also a continent. As an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with some neighbouring countries. These include Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and New Zealand. Australia has signed treaties with these countries to establish official maritime borders, addressing boundary challenges and the vast quantity of resources located in those regions.
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What You'll Learn
Australia's maritime border with Indonesia
Australia is a unique country as it is the world's only country that is also a continent. As an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with some nations, including Indonesia.
Australia and Indonesia share a maritime border described by four signed treaties, one of which is yet to be ratified. The two countries were previously engaged in a heated dispute over control of the area. The first two treaties between the nations caused some discontent among Indonesians as the method used to decide the border's location had the potential to deny Indonesia oil reserves. The agreements signed in 1971 and 1972 established the seabed boundary between the two countries. The 1971 treaty established part of the eastern segment of the seabed boundary, while the 1972 treaty demarcated the rest of the eastern segment and a portion of the western segment.
The final treaty, signed in 1997, included elements of both countries' arguments to determine the location of the border. This treaty, known as the Perth Treaty, established the line between the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Australia and Indonesia in accordance with equidistance principles. The 1997 agreement also addressed the boundary challenges that affected the lives of the native people in the region.
The maritime border between Australia and Indonesia is unique in that it divides overlapping maritime claims into two different sets of boundaries: the northern seabed boundary (continental shelf) and the southern fisheries boundary (exclusive economic zone). This creates an area of overlapping sovereign rights, with each country having control over the water column and seabed in specific areas. The seabed boundaries were favourable to Australia as its "natural prolongation" arguments pushed them considerably closer to Indonesia's coastlines, in contrast with the median line approach used in the Perth Treaty.
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Papua New Guinea to the north of Australia
Papua New Guinea is located north of Australia. It is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. The territory of Papua New Guinea was split in the 1880s between German New Guinea in the north and the British Territory of Papua in the south, the latter of which was ceded to Australia in 1902. All of present-day Papua New Guinea came under Australian control following World War I, although it remained two distinct territories.
The nation was the site of fierce fighting during the New Guinea campaign of World War II, following which the two territories were united. In 1975, Papua New Guinea became a sovereign state. It has a land border with Indonesia to the west and maritime borders with Australia to the south and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital is Port Moresby. The country covers two time zones, with the Autonomous Region of Bougainville an hour ahead of the rest of the country.
Papua New Guinea has sought to maintain good relations with its neighbours Australia, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands, while also building links to Asian countries to the north. Tensions sometimes emerge with Australia due to changes in aid, while regional conflicts have complicated relations with the Solomon Islands and Indonesia, due to the Bougainville conflict and the Papua conflict respectively. In 1986, Papua New Guinea became a founding member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group alongside the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and the three signed a formal cooperation agreement in 1988. Cooperation treaties were signed with Indonesia in 1986 and Australia in 1987.
Papua New Guinea has recognised and supported Indonesia's control of neighbouring Western New Guinea, the focus of the Papua conflict where numerous human rights violations have reportedly been committed by the Indonesian security forces. The country has a complex ethnic composition, with speakers of over 700 different languages. Although about two-thirds of Papua New Guinea’s population is Christian, traditional religious beliefs and rituals are still widely practised.
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Timor-Leste and Australia's shared border
As an island, Australia does not share a land border with any other nation. However, it does share maritime borders with some neighbouring countries. One of these neighbours is Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor. Timor-Leste is a 5,400-square-mile nation that gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. It is located about 610 kilometres northwest of the Australian city of Darwin.
In 2018, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a historic treaty establishing a permanent maritime border in the Timor Sea. This treaty settled a long-running dispute over rights to the sea's rich oil and gas reserves. The agreement was praised by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for its "vision and determination". It was also hailed as a momentous day for Timor-Leste, as it would now receive the majority of revenue from the Greater Sunrise oil field, estimated to be worth billions.
The maritime border treaty between Australia and Timor-Leste was signed in New York on March 6, 2018, and came into force in August 2019. It established a stable legal framework for resource development, providing certainty and stability for businesses and investors. The treaty also recognised the legitimate sovereign rights of both countries as coastal states under UNCLOS (the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea).
Prior to the treaty, Australia and Timor-Leste had a temporary maritime boundary in place. However, Timor-Leste argued that this deal had been unfairly forced upon them, and that Australia had an unfairly large share of access to the oil and gas fields in the region. The new treaty provides for the two countries to develop the Greater Sunrise gas fields together and share in the benefits, with 70-80% of the revenue going to Timor-Leste.
In addition to the maritime border agreement, Australia and Timor-Leste have close political and trade ties. Australia has been the biggest development partner and supporter of Timor-Leste, providing over 1 billion Australian dollars in development aid since 2000. Australia has also played a prominent role in ensuring security and stability in Timor-Leste, leading the military force that helped stabilise the country after its independence.
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Australia and New Zealand's border treaty
Australia is a continent and a sovereign country. It is the world's smallest continent and is located in the Southern Hemisphere, bordering the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As Australia is an island, it does not share any land borders with other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with several neighbouring countries. These include Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and New Zealand.
New Zealand is one of Australia's closest neighbours, located to the southeast of Australia. The two countries have extremely close relations, often referred to as Trans-Tasman relations, due to their shared history as antipodean Dominions and settler colonies within the British Empire. They also share cultural similarities and are both part of the Anglosphere.
To formally establish their maritime borders, Australia and New Zealand signed the Australia-New Zealand Maritime Treaty in Adelaide on 25 July 2004. The treaty was signed by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, and the New Zealand Foreign Minister, Phil Goff. It came into effect on 25 January 2006 after ratification by both countries.
The treaty defines the boundaries between the exclusive economic zones and continental shelf claims of Australia and New Zealand. Specifically, it establishes two separate maritime boundaries, which are not connected. The first and more northern boundary separates New Zealand's North Island and Three Kings Islands from Australia's Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. This boundary is composed of 27 straight-line segments defined by 28 separate coordinate points. The second and more southern boundary separates Australia's Macquarie Island from New Zealand's Auckland Island and Campbell Island. This boundary is made up of nine straight-line maritime segments defined by ten separate coordinate points.
The Australia-New Zealand Maritime Treaty formalised the ocean borders that had been unofficially recognised by both countries since the early 1980s, following the creation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This treaty not only strengthened the bilateral relations between Australia and New Zealand but also ensured the peaceful and orderly management of their shared maritime borders.
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Vanuatu and Australia's close relationship
Australia is a continent and a sovereign country. As an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it shares maritime borders with some neighbouring countries, including Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and New Zealand.
Vanuatu is a small nation located about 2,000 kilometres northeast of Brisbane, Australia, in the Coral Sea. It is an archipelagic country with 83 islands and a population of around 326,740 people (as of 2022).
Vanuatu and Australia have a strong and enduring bilateral relationship, based on shared values and interests in a prosperous and stable region. Australia has been a consistent supporter of Vanuatu, advocating for its independence in the United Nations and Pacific Forums before it gained independence in 1980.
The two countries have strong connections at the government, business, and community levels. Australia is Vanuatu's largest bilateral aid donor, providing significant development and humanitarian assistance. Australia has committed to helping Vanuatu strengthen its governance systems, improve service delivery to rural and remote communities, facilitate economic growth, and build resilience against natural disasters and the impacts of climate change.
In recent years, Australia has provided crucial support to Vanuatu in response to natural disasters, such as Tropical Cyclones Kevin, Judy, and Lola, and the Category 5 Cyclone Harold in 2020. Australia's assistance included funding for health, education, water, sanitation, and social protection services, as well as support for economic recovery.
Additionally, Australia and Vanuatu have a close security partnership. Australia has contributed to the development of the Vanuatu Police Force and works together with Vanuatu to strengthen legal and justice institutions, improve access to justice and police services for vulnerable groups, and address issues like violence against women and children.
The relationship between Vanuatu and Australia demonstrates a mutual commitment to shared prosperity and stability in the Pacific region. Through their close partnership, the two countries work together to address challenges and promote development, showcasing the importance of international cooperation and support.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Australia does not share a land border with any country as it is an island.
Yes, Australia shares maritime borders with Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and the islands of New Caledonia.
Papua New Guinea and New Zealand are Australia's closest neighbours.
Yes, Australia and Indonesia were previously engaged in a heated dispute over control of their shared maritime border. There was also a dispute between Australia and Timor-Leste over how to share oil and gas resources located in the border region.
