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Australia is unique in that it is the only country in the world that is also a continent. As an island, it has no land borders with other nations, but it does share maritime borders with some countries, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Timor-Leste. Australia is divided into six states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The country also has ten federal territories, three of which are internal territories: the Australian Capital Territory, the Jervis Bay Territory, and the Northern Territory.
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What You'll Learn
- Australia has no land borders with other nations
- New South Wales shares a border with Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory
- Queensland shares a border with New South Wales
- Australia has signed treaties with Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, and French-controlled New Caledonia
- Australia's external territories include Norfolk Island, the Australian Antarctic Territory, and Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Australia has no land borders with other nations
Australia is unique in that it is the only country that is also a continent. It is surrounded by water and does not share land borders with any other nation. Australia does, however, have several islands and territories that are considered a part of its states and internal territories. These include the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, the Jervis Bay Territory, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and the Coral Sea Islands.
Australia has six federated states: New South Wales (including Lord Howe Island), Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania (including Macquarie Island), Victoria, and Western Australia. These states are partially sovereign administrative divisions that govern themselves, with their own constitutions, legislatures, executive governments, and law enforcement agencies.
The states of Australia share internal land borders with each other. For example, New South Wales shares a border with Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and Jervis Bay Territory. The Queensland-New South Wales border runs through Coolangatta (Queensland) and Tweed Heads (New South Wales), splitting the Gold Coast Airport.
While Australia has no land borders with other nations, it does share maritime borders with some neighbouring countries. Australia and Indonesia share a maritime border defined by four signed treaties, one of which is yet to be ratified. Australia has also established maritime borders with Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Zealand, and French-controlled New Caledonia.
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New South Wales shares a border with Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory
New South Wales shares a border with Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and Jervis Bay Territory. New South Wales has the longest land border of all the states and territories in Australia, totalling 4,635 kilometres.
The Queensland-New South Wales border runs through Coolangatta in Queensland and Tweed Heads in New South Wales, dividing the Gold Coast Airport. The border between New South Wales and Victoria is also notable, with the twin cities of Albury in New South Wales and Wodonga in Victoria forming a conurbation that spreads across the border. The border between these two states also includes the Murray River, with the Victorian locality of Mildura lying close to the river and facing Wentworth in New South Wales.
The Australian Capital Territory was formed in 1909, and Oaks Estate was originally part of New South Wales until it was excised to become part of the new territory. The border between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory is marked by a "surveyor's corner" at Cameron's Corner, located in Sturt National Park. This is one of five such corners in Australia, created where state and territory borders meet at an angle, and marked by pillars.
The border between New South Wales and Jervis Bay Territory is the shortest, at 32 kilometres.
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Queensland shares a border with New South Wales
Australia is unique in that it is the only country that is also a continent. As an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it does have several states and territories that share internal borders. Queensland shares a border with New South Wales, which is the state with the longest land border in Australia. This border runs through Coolangatta in Queensland and Tweed Heads in New South Wales, splitting the Gold Coast Airport.
The Queensland-New South Wales border is one of the more well-known internal borders in Australia. The two states were once part of the Colony of New South Wales, which was established by the British Empire in 1788. At that time, the colony encompassed central and eastern mainland Australia, the island of Tasmania, both islands of New Zealand, and Norfolk Island. Over time, the colony's borders expanded further west, and in 1829, the Swan River Colony was established in western mainland Australia, which later became known as Western Australia.
The border between Queensland and New South Wales has been a source of interest and even dispute. The Gold Coast Airport, for example, is split by this border, with the airport terminal located in New South Wales and most of the runways in Queensland. This has led to some interesting logistical challenges and unique travel experiences for passengers.
The border between Queensland and New South Wales also has historical significance. In the colonial era, surveying the lengthy border between the two states was a challenging task. German-born South Australian surveyor Augustus Poeppel and his assistant Lawrence Wells ventured north in 1880 along the line from Cameron Corner to the northeast tip of Queensland to survey the border. Their efforts helped establish the boundary that we know today.
In conclusion, Queensland shares a border with New South Wales, and this border has been a source of interest, dispute, and historical significance. The Gold Coast Airport, which straddles this border, provides a unique example of how internal borders can impact infrastructure and daily life. The efforts of colonial-era surveyors like Augustus Poeppel and Lawrence Wells also remind us of the challenges faced in defining these internal borders within Australia.
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Australia has signed treaties with Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, and French-controlled New Caledonia
Australia is an island continent, and as such, it does not share land borders with any other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with several neighbouring countries.
In 2018, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a treaty establishing a permanent maritime border between the two countries. The agreement addressed disputes over how to share oil and gas resources in the border region. Australia has also signed treaties with Papua New Guinea, from which it gained independence in 1975, and the Solomon Islands, defining their respective maritime borders.
In 1982, Australia signed a treaty with French-controlled New Caledonia, which came into effect a year later. This treaty officially recognised the border between the two countries, which had been adhered to since the 1980s.
Additionally, Australia and New Zealand signed a treaty in 2004 to establish their boundary, which became effective in 2006. This treaty recognised the borders that had been in place since James Cook, the first European to explore the area, named it New Caledonia as it reminded him of Scotland.
These treaties are essential in maintaining cordial relationships and addressing disputes over the vast resources located in maritime border regions. Australia has also faced border disputes with Indonesia, which were resolved through signed treaties.
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Australia's external territories include Norfolk Island, the Australian Antarctic Territory, and Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world and the only one of the top six that is completely surrounded by water. The country has several territories outside of its mainland, including Norfolk Island, the Australian Antarctic Territory, and Heard Island and McDonald Islands.
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is about 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of Australia's Evans Head and roughly 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island. The island has a population of 2,188 people and its capital is Kingston. The island was first settled by East Polynesians, though they had already departed by the time of its colonisation by Great Britain in 1788. The island served as a convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 to 5 May 1855, with an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825. On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when descendants of the Bounty mutineers were relocated from Pitcairn Island. In 1914, the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory.
Australian Antarctic Territory
The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the largest of any claims to the Antarctic continent, covering nearly 5.9 million square kilometres. This makes up about 42% of Antarctica and corresponds to roughly twice the size of Mainland Australia. The territory includes all the islands and territory south of 60°S and between 44°38′E and 160°E, except for Adélie Land, which divides the AAT into Western AAT and Eastern AAT. The territory is mostly inhabited by the staff of research stations, which are maintained by the Australian Antarctic Division. Whaling in Australian Antarctic territorial waters has received international attention, with anti-whaling protest groups such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society actively campaigning against it.
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) is an Australian external territory comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The islands were discovered in the mid-19th century and have been an Australian territory since 1947. The islands contain Australia's only two active volcanoes, Mawson Peak and McDonald Island. The islands are administered from Hobart by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. There is no permanent human habitation on the islands, and the only exploited resource is fish, with the Australian government allowing limited fishing in the surrounding waters.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia is unique in that it is the only country that is also a continent and is completely surrounded by water. However, it does share maritime borders with some nations, including New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands.
Australia has three internal territories: the Australian Capital Territory, the Jervis Bay Territory, and the Northern Territory.
Australia has seven external territories: the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and Norfolk Island.
Yes, there are a few urban areas that are divided by state or territory borders, including Gold Coast-Tweed Heads (Queensland-New South Wales), Canberra-Queanbeyan (Australian Capital Territory-New South Wales), Albury-Wodonga (New South Wales-Victoria), and Mildura-Wentworth (Victoria-New South Wales).
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