This article is about the peninsula located in the Australian state of Queensland; it should not be confused with either Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, or Cape York, Greenland.

Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula in northern Queensland, Australia. Cape York is at the tip of the peninsula and is the northernmost point on the Australian continent. It was named by Lt. James Cook in 1770 after His Royal Highness the Duke of York. crop of existing PD image This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located north-west and west of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St. ... Emblems: Hairy Nosed Wombat (faunal); Leafy Seadragon (marine); Piping Shrike (bird: unofficial); Sturts Desert Pea (floral); Opal (gemstone) Motto: United for the Common Wealth Slogan or Nickname: Festival State Other Australian states and territories Capital Adelaide Government Const. ... Cape York is cape at the north-west coast of Greenland, in northern Baffin Bay. ... Peninsula A peninsula (from Latin paene insula, almost island) is a geographical formation consisting of an extension of land from a larger body, surrounded by water on three sides. ... Emblems: Faunal - Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus); Floral - Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium bigibbum); Bird - Brolga (Grus rubicunda); Aquatic - Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos); Gem - Sapphire; Colour - Maroon Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of York (14 March 1739- 17 September 1767) was the younger brother of George III of the United Kingdom, the second son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. ...

From the tip, it is about 140 km to New Guinea across the island-studded Torres Strait. The west coast borders the Gulf of Carpentaria and the east coast borders the Coral Sea. The area of Cape York Peninsula is approximately 137,000 km² and has a population of about 18,000. A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... The Torres Strait - Cape York Peninsula is at the top; several of the Torres Strait Islands can be seen strung out towards Papua New Guinea (North is downwards in this image) The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. ... The Gulf of Carpentaria viewed from orbit. ... The Coral Sea is a region off the north-east coast of Australia with a namesake chain of islands (uninhabited), including the Willis, Coringa, and Tregosse Islets. ...

Geographically, it is an extremely eroded, almost level plain, with some very low hills on the eastern side. The highest of these form the Iron Range, noted for its unusual tropical rainforests, which feature a number of species, such as the Palm Cockatoo, otherwise found only in New Guinea. The soils are remarkably infertile even compared to other areas of Australia, being almost entirely laterised and in most cases so old and weathered that very little development is apparent today (classified in USA soil taxonomy as Orthents). It is because of this extraordinary soil poverty that the region is so thinly settled: the soils are so unworkable and unresponsive to fertilisation that attempts to grow commercial crops have usually failed. This article is about the rainforest in general. ... Binomial name Probosciger aterrimus Gmelin, 1788 Palm Cockatoo range (in red) The Palm Cockatoo, Probosciger aterrimus, is a large black parrot of the cockatoo family. ... Soil is the material on the surface of a lithosphere subject to weathering, and especially the earthy portion of that material. ... Cutting of laterite brickstones, Angadipuram, India Laterite is a surface formation in tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminium and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. ... Soil taxonomy provided by United States Department of Agriculture / Natural Resources Conservation Centre provides an elaborate classification of soil types according to several parameters and in several levels: Order, Suborder, Great Group, Subgroup, Family, and Series. ... In USA soil taxonomy, Orthents are defined as Entisols that lack horizon development due to either steep slopes or parent materials that contain no permanent weatherable minerals (such as ironstone). ... Fertilizers are chemicals given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil or by foliar spraying. ...

Climatically, Cape York Peninsula is monsoonal, with a wet season extending from November to April and a dry season from May to October. Annual rainfall is high, ranging from over 2000 millimetres in the Iron Range and north of Weipa to about 700 millimetres at the southern border.

There are many rivers, amongst them the Endeavour, Annan, Bloomfield, Pascoe, Jardine, Wenlock, Archer, Holdroyd, Mitchell, and Staaten. In fact, Cape York Peninsula contributes as much as a quarter of Australia's surface runoff - indeed it produces more runoff than all of Australia south of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Murray River in Australia. ... Endeavour River locator map The Endeavour River 15°28′S 145°17′E on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia, was named in 1770 by Lt. ... The Mitchell River begins on the Atherton Tableland about 50 km northwest of Cairns, Queensland, Australia, and flows over 500 km northwest across Cape York Peninsula to the Gulf of Carpentaria. ... Run-off, composed of a mixture of water and soil along with any other organic or inorganic substances that may exist in the land, is the product of precipitation, snowmelt, over-irrigation, or other water coming in contact with the earth and carrying matter to streams, rivers, lakes, and other... The Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ...

A completely sealed inland road links Cairns and the Atherton Tableland to Lakeland Downs and Cooktown. The road north of Lakeland Downs to the tip of the Peninsula is sometimes cut after heavy rains during the wet season (roughly December to May) Cairns is a regional city located in far north Queensland, Australia. ... The Atherton Tableland is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. ... Lakeland, Queensland (° 15°49′ S 145°00′ E) - also known as Lakeland Downs - is a small farming centre in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. ... Cooktown is the northernmost town on the East coast of Australia, located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. ...

It is 430 km from the Bloomfield River, in the southeast, across to the west coast (just south of Kowanyama), and some 660 km from the southern border of Cook Shire, to the tip of Cape York. Kowanyama Aboriginal Mission () is an Aboriginal town in Queensland, Australia. ...

Some of the world's most extensive and ancient rock painting galleries surround the tiny town of Laura, some of which are available for public viewing. There is also an impressive new Interpretive Centre from which information on the rock art and local Aboriginal culture is available and tours can be arranged. Laura, 15°32′ S 144°30′ E, is a small town (pop. ... Indigenous Australians are the first inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands, continuing their presence during European settlement. ...

There are extensive deposits of bauxite along the west or Gulf of Carpentaria coast. Weipa is the centre for this mining activity. The Gulf of Carpentaria viewed from orbit. ... Weipa (12°36′S 141°58′E), a town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast on Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia, is a mining town of approximately 3,000 people that exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. ...

Although much of the Cape is sparsely populated, there are settlements at Cooktown, Lakeland, Laura, Coen, and Weipa, and Aboriginal communities at Wujal Wujal, Hopevale, Lockhart River, Injinoo, New Mapoon, Umagico, Old Mapoon, Napranum, Aurukun, Pormparaaw, and Kowanyama. Torres Strait Islander communities on the mainland are Bamaga and Seisia. Cooktown is the northernmost town on the East coast of Australia, located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. ... Lakeland, Queensland (° 15°49′ S 145°00′ E) - also known as Lakeland Downs - is a small farming centre in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. ... Laura, 15°32′ S 144°30′ E, is a small town (pop. ... Coen (13° 54 S; 143° 13 E), is a small inland town of about 200 people on the main road heading up the Cape York Peninsula in far northern Queensland, Australia. ... Weipa (12°36′S 141°58′E), a town on the Gulf of Carpentaria coast on Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia, is a mining town of approximately 3,000 people that exists because of the enormous bauxite deposits along the coast. ... Wujal Wujal is in northern Queensland, Australia. ... Hopevale, (or Hope Vale), Queensland, Australia () is an Aboriginal community on Cape York Peninsula about 46 km west of Cooktown, and about 10 km off the Battlecamp Road that leads to Lakefield National Park and Laura. ... Lockhart River is an Aboriginal community on Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. ... Injinoo refers to Australian Aborigine people in Cape York Peninsula. ... New Mapoon is an area South of Seisia and West of Bamaga at the tip of Cape York Peninsula , The people who live at New Mapoon were forcibly moved from Marpuna in the early 1960s to accommodate mining expansion on their traditional country. ... Aurukun is situated approximately 100 km south of Weipa in far North Queensland, Australia. ... Kowanyama Aboriginal Mission () is an Aboriginal town in Queensland, Australia. ... The Torres Strait - Cape York Peninsula is at the top; several of the Torres Strait Islands can be seen strung out towards Papua New Guinea (North is downwards in this image) The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. ... // Bamaga History The original site for the township of Bamaga was at a site known as Muttee Heads some 20 kilometres south of the present Bamaga township. ... Seisia is an area North of New Mapoon and West of Bamaga at the tip of Cape York Peninsula. ...

The main industries are tourism, mining, fishing and cattle. El Nido, Philippines Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation and business, and the provision of services for this act. ... Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine in the world, Chile. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular usage, kine archaic, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ...

Download high resolution version (776x1165, 494 KB)Map of Cape York Peninsula File links The following pages link to this file: Cape York Peninsula Categories: Images with unknown source ... Download high resolution version (776x1165, 494 KB)Map of Cape York Peninsula File links The following pages link to this file: Cape York Peninsula Categories: Images with unknown source ...

References

• Hough, Richard. 1994. Captain James Cook: a biography. Hodder and Stroughton, London. ISBN 0-340-58598-6.
• Pike, Glenville. 1979. Queen of the North: A Pictorial History of Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula. G. Pike. ISBN 0959896058.
• Moon, Ron & Viv. 2003. Cape York: An Adventurer's Guide. 9th edition. Moon Adventure Publications, Pearcedale, Victoria. ISBN 0-9578766-4-5
• Moore, David R. 1979. Islanders and Aborigines at Cape York: An ethnographic reconstruction based on the 1848-1850 'Rattlesnake' Journals of O. W. Brierly and information he obtained from Barbara Thompson. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Canberra. ISBN 0-85575-076-6 (hbk); 0-85575-082-0 (pbk). USA edition ISBN 0-391-00946-X (hbk); 0-391-00948-6 (pbk).
• Pohlner, Peter. 1986. gangaurru. Hopevale Mission Board, Milton, Queensland. ISBN 1-86252-311-8
• Trezise, P.J. 1969. Quinkan Country: Adventures in Search of Aboriginal Cave Paintings in Cape York. A.H. & A.W. Reed, Sydney.
• Trezise, Percy. 1973. Last Days of a Wilderness. William Collins (Aust) Ltd., Brisbane. ISBN 0-00-211434-8.
• Trezise, P.J. 1993. Dream Road: A Journey of Discovery. Allen & Unwin, St. Leonards, Sydney.
• Haviland, John B. with Hart, Roger. 1998. Old Man Fog and the Last Aborigines of Barrow Point. Crawford House Publishing, Bathurst.
• Premier's Department (prepared by Connell Wagner). 1989. Cape York Peninsula Resource Analysis. Cairns. (1989). ISBN 0-7242-7008-8.
• Roth, W.E. 1897. The Queensland Aborigines. 3 Vols. Reprint: Facsimilie Edition, Hesperian Press, Victoria Park, W.A., 1984. ISBN 085905-054-8
• Ryan, Michelle and Burwell, Colin, eds. 2000. Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland: Cooktown to Mackay. Queensland Museum, Brisbane. ISBN 085905-045-9 (set of 3 vols).
• Scarth-Johnson, Vera. 2000. National Treasures: Flowering plants of Cooktown and Northern Australia. Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association, Cooktown. ISBN 0646397265 (pbk); ISBN 0646397257 Limited Edition - Leather Bound.
• Sutton, Peter (ed). Languages of Cape York: Papers presented to a Symposium organised by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. (1976). ISBN 0-85575-046-4
• Wallace, Lennie. 2000. Nomads of the 19th Century Queensland Goldfields. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton. ISBN 1-875998-89-6
• Wallace, Lennie. 2003. Cape York Peninsula: A History of Unlauded Heroes 1845-2003. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton. ISBN 1-876780-43-6
• Wynter, Jo and Hill, John. 1991. Cape York Peninsula: Pathways to Community Economic Development. The Final Report of The Community Economic Development Projects Cook Shire. Cook Shire Council.

HMS Rattlesnake, painted by Sir Oswald Walters Brierly, 1853. ... Sir Oswald Walters Brierly (1817 - December 14, 1894), English marine painter, who came of an old Cheshire family, was born at Chester. ...

External links

• "Cape York 2003 Trip Report" Detailed trek notes including GPS points and photos.
• "A Cape to Adventure" A description of a 4WD journey to Cape York by Roderick Eime
• Cooktown and Cook Shire official website
• Nature's PowerHouse in Cooktown's Botanic Gardens.