Damon Mcknight
Australia has 8,222 islands within its maritime borders, ranging from small rocks that are not covered by water at high tide to islands that are more than twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory. The islands of Australia are a mix of internal and external territories, with the latter consisting of small reefs, cays, and atolls, as well as remote islands in the Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans, and the Coral and Timor Seas. The Australian government administers the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and the Coral Sea Islands.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of islands within maritime borders | 8,222 |
| Largest islands by size | Tasmania, Melville Island, Kangaroo Island, Groote Eylandt, Bathurst Island, K'gari, Flinders Island, King Island, Mornington Island |
| Largest sand island | K'gari |
| Number of federated states | 6 |
| Federated states | New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia |
| Number of internal territories | 3 |
| Internal territories | Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay Territory, Northern Territory |
| Number of external territories | 7 |
| External territories | Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island |
| Number of inhabited external territories | 3 |
| Inhabited external territories | Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Norfolk Island |
| Former external territories | Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Territory of Papua, Territory of New Guinea |
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What You'll Learn
Indian Ocean Territories: Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Australia is responsible for the external territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, collectively referred to as the Indian Ocean Territories (IOT). These islands are located in the Indian Ocean, 2,605 km and 2,936 km, respectively, northwest of Perth, and 490 km and 1,270 km, respectively, southwest of Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago of 27 coral islands approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and relatively close to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Only two of the islands are inhabited: West Island and Home Island. The population of around 600 people consists mainly of Cocos Malays, who mostly practise Sunni Islam and speak a dialect of Malay as their first language.
The governance of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is based on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955 and depends heavily on Australian law. The islands are administered from Canberra by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts through a non-resident Administrator appointed by the Governor-General. The Cocos Islands remain constitutionally distinct from Western Australia, with the power to legislate delegated by the federal government. Western Australian laws are applied to the Cocos Islands "so far as they are capable of applying in the Territory", with non-application or partial application at the discretion of the federal government.
Christmas Island, along with the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, is administered by the Australian government's Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, and Cities. The Australian government provides Commonwealth-level government services through the Christmas Island Administration. Telecommunication services on the islands are integrated into Australia's system, and Google has announced plans to build a subsea cable connecting Darwin to Christmas Island to enhance digital connectivity in the region.
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Pacific Ocean islands
Australia has 8,222 islands within its maritime borders. The islands of Australia range in size, with some being small rocks that are not covered by water at high tide, while others are more than twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory.
Australia has a number of islands in the Pacific Ocean that form part of its External Territories. These include Norfolk Island, the Coral Sea Islands, and the Ashmore and Cartier Islands. Norfolk Island is the most controversial of these, with the present government taking measures to integrate the territory into Australia proper, including representation in parliament and compulsory voting. However, the Norfolk Islanders have not formally consented to this change and assert that they are not Australian. The Coral Sea Islands cover an area of approximately 780,000 square kilometres of the Coral Sea, extending from the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. The Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands consists of West, Middle and East Islands of the Ashmore Reef, Cartier Island, and the 12 nautical miles of the territorial sea generated by these islands.
Apart from these, the now-independent countries of Nauru and Papua New Guinea were also once part of the Australian External Territories.
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K'gari, the world's largest sand island
Australia has 8,222 islands within its maritime borders. One of these islands is K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, which is the world's largest sand island. Located off the coast of southern Queensland, K'gari stretches over 123 kilometres in length and reaches 25 kilometres at its widest point. The island is covered by extensive coastal dune fields, sand dunes, wetlands, rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, and sandblows (parabolic dunes that move across the island via the wind). K'gari is also home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including a small number of mammal species and a variety of birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
K'gari has a rich history and cultural significance. The island is part of the traditional lands of the Butchulla people, who named it "K'gari", meaning "paradise". According to the Butchulla people, K'gari is "a beautiful white spirit" who "provides food, water, and shelter, and in return, we protect and preserve her". In 1847, European settlers renamed the island "Fraser Island" after Captain James Fraser, who was shipwrecked and died on the island in 1836.
K'gari is recognised for its unique natural landscape and attractions, making it a popular destination for outdoor adventures such as four-wheel driving, beach runs, and exploring dune fields and rainforests. The island is also known for its coloured sands, which have been stained by decayed vegetation leaching into the sand for thousands of years. Some deposits are up to eight million years old.
In addition to its natural beauty, K'gari has a World Heritage listing and is home to the Great Sandy National Park, which covers 52,400 hectares on the northern half of the island. The island was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and is recognised as an outstanding example of geomorphological processes. Today, K'gari is a popular tourist destination, with up to 500,000 people visiting the island each year.
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Islands in the Coral and Timor Seas
Australia has sovereignty over thousands of islands, including in the Coral and Timor Seas. The Coral Sea Islands Territory is an external territory of Australia, comprising a group of small, mostly uninhabited tropical islands and reefs in the Coral Sea, northeast of Queensland, Australia. The territory covers 780,000 square kilometres (301,160 square miles), most of which is ocean, extending east and south from the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. The only inhabited island is Willis Island, which has a staff of three or four people running the meteorological station. The territory includes Heralds Beacon Island, Osprey Reef, the Willis Group, and fifteen other reef/island groups. Cato Island is the highest point in the Territory.
The Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve was renamed the Coral Sea Marine Park in October 2017. It covers an area of 989,836 square kilometres (382,178 square miles) and is Australia's largest single marine park. The Coral Sea Marine Park, along with the French Natural Park of the Coral Sea, protects most of the Coral Sea. The Coral Sea Islands became an Australian external territory in 1969 by the Coral Sea Islands Act and was extended in 1997 to include Elizabeth Reef and Middleton Reef, nearly 800 km further south.
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 administered from Canberra and was previously administered by the Attorney-General's Department and the Department of Transport and Regional Services. Defence is the responsibility of Australia, and the territory is visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy.
K'gari, also known as Fraser Island, located just off the coast of southern Queensland, is the world's largest sand island, stretching over 123 kilometres in length and reaching 25 kilometres at its widest point. The island features diverse landscapes, including freshwater lakes, sand dunes, wetlands, crystal-clear lakes, and dense rainforests. K'gari is also known for its coloured sands, which have been stained by decayed vegetation over thousands of years. The Australian government banned sand mining on the island in the 1970s, and today, K'gari has a World Heritage listing and the Great Sandy National Park.
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External Territories
Australia has six federated states and ten federal territories, out of which seven are external territories. These consist of innumerable small reefs, cays, and atolls between the Great Barrier Reef of Queensland and islands in the Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans, as well as the Coral and Timor Seas.
The Australian External Territories are a group of non-self-governing dependencies of Australia. They cover an area almost as large as Australia itself and consist entirely of islands, except for claims in Antarctica. The latter oceanic outposts represent the tips of submerged mountain ranges, many of volcanic origin.
The external territories are 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. Only Christmas, Norfolk, and the Cocos Islands have permanent inhabitants.
The Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department provides administrative services for Norfolk Island, the Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, the Coral Sea Islands, and the Ashmore and Cartier group. The Department of Primary Industries and Energy is concerned with fishing rights in the external territories, which extend 200 nautical miles (370 km) into the surrounding waters. An administrator or official representative is appointed by the governor-general of Australia to assist the government of the inhabited territories.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia has 8,222 islands within its maritime borders.
Some of the islands governed by Australia include Tasmania, Melville Island, Kangaroo Island, K'gari, and Flinders Island.
Yes, Australia has several external territories, including the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, and the Coral Sea Islands.
Yes, the Heard Island and McDonald Islands are treated as part of Australia by the central government, although they are uninhabited.
