The Top End is, Cape York Peninsula aside, the northernmost part of Australia. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres bounded by sea on three sides (the Indian Ocean on the west, the Arafura Sea to the north, and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the east), and by the almost waterless semi-arid interior of Australia to the south. 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. ... The Arafura Sea is the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea. ... The Gulf of Carpentaria viewed from orbit. ...

The Top End, though less frequently visited and less well-known overseas than the arid southern part of the Northern Territory (referred to by Australians as the Centre and the largest town of which is Alice Springs), contains nearly all of the Territory's major towns, including Darwin, Katherine, Pine Creek, Palmerston and Mataranka. Motto: None Nickname: ? Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Government Administrator Chief Minister Const. ... Alice Springs on a large scale map Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia located at 23°42′ S 133°52′ E. Its population of 28,178 (2001 Census) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of significant size... Darwin is the territorial capital and most populous city of the Northern Territory. ... Katherine, with a population of around 7,500 is a town situated 320 km south east of the city of Darwin in the federal Northern Territory of Australia. ... Pine Creek is a town in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, Australia. ... Palmerston is an Australian city. ... Mataranka is a community of approximately 400, in the Top End region of Australias Northern Territory. ...

The transition from the lush, steamy tropical environment of the north to the semi-arid mulga scrubs, mallee, and sand dunes of the centre is gradual, and the demarcation line that divides the Top End from the centre is arbitrary. Binominal name Acacia aneura In botany, a Mulga (Acacia aneura) is a shrub or small tree native to arid outback Australia. ... The term mallee has several separate but inter-related meanings. ... This article is about the sand formations, for other meanings see Dune (disambiguation) Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ...