Thursday Island is the administrative and commercial centre of the Torres Strait Islands. Lying 39 km north of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, in Torres Strait, Thursday Island has an area of about 3 km² and an estimated population of 3,500. Thursday Island experiences a tropical climate with an average daily temperature of 29 degrees Celsius: The hottest month is traditionally November (31.4 degrees Celsius) while the coldest is July (27.6 degrees Celsius). January typically experiences the highest rainfall (389 mm) and September and October average 3 mm. The Torres Strait Islands are a group of islands, numbering more than 100, which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating Cape York, Queensland, Australia from Papua New Guinea. ... 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. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... 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. ...

Populated for thousands of years by the Melanesian Torres Strait Islanders, who named the island Waiben (thought to mean 'dry place', owing to the scarcity of fresh water on the island), Thursday Island’s first reported sighting by Europeans was in 1607 by Spanish explorer Luis Vaez de Torres. Lieutenant James Cook first visited in 1770 and annexed the island, along with the eastern half of Australia, to the British Crown, which permanently settled the island in 1877. Melanesia (from Greek black islands) is a region extending from the west Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. ... Torres Strait Islander Flag Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. ... Events January 20 - Tidal wave swept along the Bristol Channel, killing 2000 people. ... Luiz Váez de Torres, Portuguese seaman, remembered chiefly because the Torres Strait separating Australia from Papua New Guinea is named for him. ... This article refers to the British navigator and cartographer. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

A lucrative pearling industry was founded on the island in 1885, attracting workers from around Asia, including Japan, Malaya and India, seeking their fortune. Additionally, many south Pacific Islanders were also imported to work in the industry, many against their will. While the pearling industry has declined in importance, the mix of cultures is still in evidence today.

During World War II, Thursday Island became the military headquarters for the Torres Strait and was a base for Australian and United States forces. As a result, the island was bombed by the Japanese in 1942, which saw the evacuation of civilians from the island. They would not return until after the end of the war. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as...

The Melanesian background of the Thursday Islanders became an issue in the 1970s as Papua New Guinea sought to include the Torres Strait Islands within their borders. The Torres Strait Islanders insisted that they were Australians however and after considerable diplomatic discussions, all of the Torres Strait, including Thursday Island, remained as part of Australia.

The economy of the island is supported by pearling and fishing, as well as a fast developing tourism industry, with perhaps the most famous tourist being novelist Somerset Maugham. W. Somerset Maugham as photographed in 1934 by Carl Van Vechten. ...

English is the official language of Thursday Island, although Torres Strait Creole is predominant on a social level [1]. Torres Strait Creole (also Torres Strait Pidgin, Torres Strait Broken, Cape York Creole, Lockhart Creole) is a creole language spoken on several Torres Strait Islands (Queensland, Australia). ...

The Thursday Island township is also noteworthy for being the most northerly town in Australia.