Leslie Massey
Australia is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. It is surrounded by seas and gulfs, with Indonesia and Timor-Leste to the north and northeast, Papua New Guinea to the north and northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast. The northernmost point of Australia is Cape York, which comprises the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula, in the state of Queensland. In this article, we will explore the country above Australia, its diverse landscapes, unique culture, and stunning natural wonders.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country northeast of Australia | Papua New Guinea |
| Relationship with Australia | Papua New Guinea is separated from Australia by the Coral Sea and Torres Strait |
| Other countries bordering Australia | Indonesia, Timor-Leste, New Zealand, Antarctica |
| Land borders with Australia | None |
| Australia's division | Six states and two territories |
| Papua New Guinea's location | North of Australia |
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What You'll Learn
Papua New Guinea is northeast of Australia
Papua New Guinea shares a maritime border with Australia, separated by the Coral Sea and the Torres Strait. The northernmost point of Australia is Cape York, which comprises the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula in the state of Queensland. The Cape York Peninsula is the largest wilderness in northern Australia, and the land is mostly flat, with about half of the area used for grazing cattle. The peninsula has been occupied by Aboriginal Australian peoples for tens of thousands of years.
Papua New Guinea is part of Oceania, which is generally considered a continent by non-English-speaking countries, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its continental landmass. Oceania is the smallest continent in land area and the second least populated after Antarctica. It has a diverse mix of economies, from highly developed markets in Australia, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand, to less developed economies in Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western New Guinea.
Australia is a large country, with unique flora and fauna, including hundreds of kinds of eucalyptus trees and the only egg-laying mammals on Earth, the platypus and echidna. The Great Barrier Reef, off the east coast of Queensland, is the greatest mass of coral in the world and one of the world's foremost tourist attractions.
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The Coral Sea and Torres Strait separate the two countries
Australia is separated from Papua New Guinea by the Coral Sea and the Torres Strait. The Coral Sea lies to the east of the Torres Strait, which connects it with the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. The Torres Strait Treaty, signed in 1985, defines the sovereignty and maritime boundaries in the area between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The Coral Sea and the Torres Strait play a significant role in the marine geography of the region. The Coral Sea is home to the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system, which spans the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist destination, known for its diverse marine life, including fish, whales, dolphins, and six of the world's seven species of marine turtles.
The Torres Strait, discovered in 1606 by Spanish mariner Luis Vaez de Torres, is an important international sea lane. It is a passageway for shipping routes to the Coral Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and the outer regions of the Great Barrier Reef. However, the Torres Strait can be hazardous to navigate due to its shallow waters and numerous reefs and islands.
The water movement through the Torres Strait is bidirectional, flowing from the Gulf of Carpentaria eastward into the Coral Sea during certain months and in the reverse direction during the rest of the year. This water movement potentially allows for the migration of various marine species between the two bodies of water.
The Coral Sea and Torres Strait, along with other seas and straits, contribute to Australia's geographical isolation. Australia, the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, does not share land borders with any other nation. Its proximity to these bodies of water influences its marine geography and connectivity with neighbouring regions.
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The Torres Strait also separates Australia from New Guinea
Australia is separated from Papua New Guinea by the Coral Sea and the Torres Strait, which lies to the northeast of the Australian mainland. The Torres Strait is a passage between the Coral Sea to the east and the Arafura Sea to the west, in the Pacific Ocean. To the north of the strait lies New Guinea, and to the south is the Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mainland.
The Torres Strait is named after the Spanish navigator Luís Vaz de Torres, who sailed through the strait in 1606. The discovery was recorded in Spanish maps of the Pacific, which later enabled James Cook's expedition to Australia. The strait is about 80 miles (130 km) wide and has many reefs and shoals that make navigation difficult. Its larger islands are inhabited, and the strait is home to the indigenous Torres Strait Islander communities, who have a unique culture and a long history with the nearby coastlines.
The Torres Strait Islands are an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, with a total land area of 566 square kilometres (219 square miles). The islands are now mostly part of Queensland, a constituent state of the Commonwealth of Australia, but they are administered by the Torres Strait Regional Authority, a statutory authority of the Australian federal government. A few islands very close to the coast of mainland New Guinea belong to the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, including Daru Island and its provincial capital, Daru.
In 1978, an agreement between Australia and Papua New Guinea, known as the Torres Strait Treaty, determined the maritime border in the Torres Strait. The treaty outlined that the islands and their inhabitants would remain Australian, while the maritime boundary between the two countries would run through the centre of the strait.
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The Arafura Sea is another body of water between the two countries
Australia is separated from Papua New Guinea to the northeast by the Coral Sea and the Torres Strait. It is also separated from Indonesia to the northwest by the Timor and Arafura Seas. The Arafura Sea is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, located between Australia and the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea, also known as Western New Guinea or Papua. The sea covers a surface area of approximately 650,000 square kilometres and is 1,290 kilometres long and 560 kilometres wide. The Arafura Sea is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria and the continent of Australia to the south, the Timor Sea to the west, the Banda and Seram Seas to the northwest, and the Coral Sea to the east, which it connects to through the Torres Strait.
The sea is generally shallow, with depths of 50 to 80 metres, although it deepens towards the west. The Arafura Shelf, a continental shelf that is part of the Sahul Shelf, underlies most of the sea. The Arafura Shelf appears to have been a low-relief, arid land surface before it was inundated by the postglacial rise of the sea. During the last ice age, the Gulf of Carpentaria, Torres Strait, and the Arafura Gulf formed a land bridge, facilitating migration between New Guinea and Australia.
The Arafura Sea is one of the world's richest marine fisheries, known for its abundant fish stocks, including economically important species such as Barramundi, grouper, Penaeid shrimp, and Nemipteridae fishes. The coastal areas bordering the sea are home to large populations, most of whom depend on the sea for their livelihood. The sea is also a major stronghold for marine and coastal fauna, including birds, dugongs, sea snakes, turtles, sharks, and fish.
The Arafura Sea is an important body of water for Australians and Indonesians living near its coast due to its rich fishery resources. It plays a critical role in global circulation by linking the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. The Indonesian Throughflow, a warm water current flowing across the sea from the Pacific to the Indian Oceans, strongly influences the sea's and the region's climate.
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Australia's northernmost point is Cape York
Australia is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. It is geographically positioned in the Southern and Eastern Hemispheres of the Earth. It is completely surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans and a series of bays, gulfs, seas, and straits.
Australia is a nation of islands with over 8,000 islands in its territory. The largest is Tasmania, located 240 km (149 mi) south of the eastern part of the mainland. The Great Barrier Reef, off the east coast of Queensland, is the greatest mass of coral in the world and one of the foremost tourist attractions.
Australia does not share land borders with any other nation. However, it lies relatively close to Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the east, and New Zealand to the southeast.
Australia's mainland extends from west to east for nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) and from the Cape York Peninsula in the northeast to Wilsons Promontory in the southeast for nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km). The northernmost point of the Cape York Peninsula is Cape York, which is the northernmost point on the Australian mainland.
Cape York is located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The land is mostly flat, and about half of the area is used for grazing cattle. The Cape York Peninsula is recognised for its undisturbed eucalyptus-wooded savannahs, tropical rainforests, and other habitats of global environmental significance.
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Frequently asked questions
Papua New Guinea is northeast of Australia, separated by the Coral Sea and Torres Strait.
Australia is surrounded by seas and gulfs and does not share land borders with any other nation. However, it lies relatively close to Indonesia and East Timor to the north-west, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the east, and New Zealand to the south-east.
The northernmost point of Australia is Cape York, which comprises the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula, in the state of Queensland.
Sydney is the largest city in Australia, and also the capital of the state of New South Wales.
Australia is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth. Outside of English-speaking countries, it is considered a part of the continent of Oceania, which is the smallest continent in land area.
