The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They are part of Queensland, a constituent State of the Commonwealth of Australia, with a special status fitting the native (Melanesian) land rights, administered by the Torres Strait Regional Authority. 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. ... 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. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of November 2006)  - Population  4,164,590 (3rd)  - Density  2. ... Melanesia (from Greek black islands) is a region extending from the west Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. ...

History

It was at Possession Island that Captain James Cook first claimed British sovereignty over the eastern part of Australia in 1770. The (Anglican) London Missionary Society led by Rev. Samuel Macfarlane arrived on Erub (Darnley Island) on 1 July 1871. This is referred to by the Islanders as "The Coming of the Light" and is celebrated annually by all Island communities on 1 July. The Torres Strait Islands were annexed in 1879 by Queensland. They thus later became part of the British colony of Queensland, although some of them lie just off the coast of New Guinea. Possession Island ( ) is a small island and national park in the Torres Strait in far north Queensland, Australia. ... Captain James Cook may refer to: James Cook - British explorer, navigator, and map maker Captain James Cook (TV miniseries) - 1987 Australian television miniseries This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... Darnley Island (Erub Island) is a volcanic island situated in the eastern section of Torres Strait, near the Great Barrier Reef and just South of the Bligh entrance. ...

In 1888-1889 the Torres Strait Islands were visited by the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition.

In 1904, the Torres Strait Islanders become subject to the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act. 1897 (QLD)

The proximity to Papua New Guinea became an issue when it was moving towards independence from Australia, which it gained in 1975. The Torres Strait Islanders insisted that they were Australians, but the Papua New Guinea government objected to complete Australian control over the waters of the strait. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Eventually an agreement was struck whereby the islands and their inhabitants remain Australian, but the maritime frontier between Australia and Papua New Guinea runs through the centre of the strait. In practice the two countries co-operate closely in the management of the strait's resources.

In 1982, Eddie Mabo and four other Torres Strait Islanders from Mer (Murray Island) started legal proceedings to establish their traditional land ownership. Because Mabo was the first-named plaintiff, it became known as the Mabo Case. In 1992, after ten years of hearings before the Queensland Supreme Court and the High Court of Australia, the latter court found that Mer people had owned their land prior to annexation by Queensland. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. ... Eddie Mabo & Ors v The State of Queensland (No. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. ... High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. ...

This ruling overturned the century-old legal doctrine of terra nullius ("no-one's land"), which held that native title over Crown land in Australia had been extinguished at the time of annexation. The ruling was thus of far-reaching significance for the land claims of both Torres Strait Islanders and Australian Aborigines. Legal Doctrine is a framework, set of rules, or procedural steps, often established through precedence in the common law, through which judgments can be determined in a given legal case. ... Terra nullius (English pronunciation , Latin pronunciation [[IPA]])is a Latin expression deriving from Roman Law meaning no mans land or, literally, empty land. // Rationale As in Antiquity peace was considered an exceptional condition between states, only established by peace treaty, war being their natural rapport, any territory that was... Native title is a concept in the law of Australia that recognises the continued ownership of land by local Indigenous Australians. ... Australian Aborigines are the main indigenous people of Australia. ...

On 1 July 1994 the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) was created. Chairmen of the Torres Strait Islands Regional Authority: is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

• 1 July 1994 - March 1997 Getano Lui, Jr. (b. 1952)
• March 1997 - 19 April 2000 John Abednego
• 19 April 2000 - May 2004 Terry Waia
• May 2004 - 20. John Toshie Kris

April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ...

Geography

Torres Strait Islands

The islands are distributed across an area of some 48 000 km². The distance across the Strait from Cape York to New Guinea is approximately 150 km at the narrowest point; the islands lie scattered in between, extending some 200-300 km from furthest east to furthest west. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (929x922, 27 KB) A map of the Torres Strait Islands. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (929x922, 27 KB) A map of the Torres Strait Islands. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... km redirects here. ...

The Torres Strait itself was formerly a land bridge which connected the present-day Australian continent with New Guinea (in a single landmass called Sahul or Australia-New Guinea). This land bridge was most recently submerged by rising sea levels at the termination of the last ice age glaciation (approximately 12,000 years ago), forming the Strait which now connects the Arafura and Coral seas. Many of the western Torres Strait Islands are actually the remaining peaks of this land bridge which were not submerged when the ocean levels rose. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Australia-New Guinea, also called Sahul or Meganesia, is made up of the continent of Australia and the islands of New Guinea and Tasmania. ... Australia-New Guinea, also called Sahul or Meganesia, is made up of the continent of Australia and the islands of New Guinea and Tasmania. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... A glaciation (a created composite term meaning Glacial Period, referring to the Period or Era of, as well as the process of High Glacial Activity), often called an ice age, is a geological phenomenon in which massive ice sheets form in the Arctic and Antarctic and advance toward the equator. ... The Arafura Sea is the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea. ... Map of the Coral Sea Islands A political map of the South Pacific. ...

The islands and their surrounding waters and reefs provide a highly diverse set of land and marine ecosystems, with niches for many rare or unique species. Marine animals of the islands include dugongs (an endangered species of sea mammal mostly found in New Guinean waters), as well as Green, Hawksbill and Flatback Sea turtles. A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... Binomial name Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776) Natural range of . ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ... Families Dugongidae Trichechidae Hydrochichus (extinct) For information about the Gothic metal band, see Sirenia (band) The Sirenia are fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries and coastal marine waters. ... Binomial name Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) This page redirects from Chelonia, which is the genus name of this turtle, but has also been used for the order Testudines of all turtles and tortoises. ... Binomial name Eretmochelys imbricata Linnaeus, 1766 Range of the Hawksbill turtle subspecies Eretmochelys imbricata bissa (Rüppell, 1835) Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) Synonyms Eretmochelys imbricata squamata junior synonym The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. ... Binomial name Natator depressus (Garman, 1880) The Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus) is a sea turtle endemic to the continental shelf of Australia. ...

The Torres Strait Islands may be grouped into five distinct clusters, which exhibit differences of geology and formation as well as location. This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Top Western islands

The islands in this cluster lie very close to the southwestern coastline of New Guinea (the closest is less than 4 km offshore). Saibai (one of the largest of the Torres Strait Islands) and Boigu are low-lying islands which were formed by deposition of sediments and mud from New Guinean rivers into the Strait accumulating on decayed coral platforms. Vegetation on these islands mainly consists of mangrove swamps, and they are prone to flooding. km redirects here. ... Saibai Island () is one of the Torres Strait Islands in Australia, between the Australian mainland and the island of New Guinea. ... Boigu Island (9°16′S 142°13′E) is the most northerly inhabited island in Australian territory. ... Alluvium (from the Latin, alluvius, from alluere, to wash against) is soil or sediments deposited by a river or other running water. ... Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal. ... Picture of flooding in Amphoe Sena, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. ...

The other main island in this group, Dauan (Mt Cornwallis), is a smaller island with steep hills, composed largely of granite. This island actually represents the northernmost extent of the Great Dividing Range, the extensive series of mountain ranges which runs along almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia. This peak became an island as the ocean levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... The Great Divide runs around the entire eastern and south-eastern edge of Australia The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is Australias most substantial mountain range. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ...

See also: Birds of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan Islands (Torres Strait) The Birds of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan Islands (the Top Western group of Torres Strait), are of particular interest to Australian birders because the islands are home to, and visited by, birds which are essentially New Guinea species not found, or only occasionally seen as vagrants, elsewhere on Australian territory. ...

Near Western islands

The islands in this cluster lie south of the Strait's midway point, and are also largely high granite hills with mounds of basaltic outcrops, formed from old peaks of the now submerged land bridge. Moa (Banks Island) is the second-largest in the Torres Strait, and Badu (Mulgrave Island) is slightly smaller and fringed with extensive mangrove swamps. Other smaller islands include Mabuiag, Pulu and further to the east Naghir (Mt. Ernest). Basalt Basalt (IPA: ) is a common gray to black extrusive volcanic rock. ... Moa Island(Banks Island) is an island 90km North of Thursday Island Queensland, Australia in the Banks Channel Torres Strait. ... Badu Island (Mulgrave Island) is an island 60 km North of Thursday Island Queensland, Australia in the Torres Strait. ... Mabuiang Island is an Island on which Torres Straight Islanders live. ...

Inner islands

These islands, also known as the Thursday Island group, lie closest to Cape York Peninsula, and their topography and geological history is very similar. Muralag (Prince of Wales Island) is the largest of the Strait's islands, and forms the centre of this closely grouped cluster. The much smaller Waiben Thursday Island is the region's administrative centre and most heavily populated. Another small island is Dumaralug Island which is found a few hundred meters south of Muralag. Several of these islands have permanent freshwater springs, and some were also mined for gold in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of their proximity to the Australian mainland, they have also been centres of pearling and fishing industries. Nurupai Horn Island holds the region's airport, and as a result is something of an entrepôt with inhabitants drawn from many other communities. Kiriri (Hammond Island) is the other permanently settled island of this group; Tuined (Possession Island) is noted for Lt. James Cook's landing there in 1770. For discussion of land surfaces themselves, see Terrain. ... Prince of Wales Island (Muralug Island) is an island West of Muttee Heads which is adjacent to Bamaga at the tip of Cape York Peninsula within the Endeavour Strait Queensland, Australia in the Torres Strait and South of Thursday Island. ... Thursday Island is the administrative and commercial centre of the Torres Strait Islands. ... The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... Pearl diver in Japan Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a now largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from oysters. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering. ... Horn Island (10°36′ S 142°17′ E) is an island in the Torres Strait, in Queenslands north between the Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea. ... An entrepôt is a trading centre, or simply a warehouse, where merchandise can be imported and exported without paying import duties, often at a profit. ... James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ...

Central islands

This cluster is more widely distributed in the middle of Torres Strait, consisting of many small sandy cays surrounded by coral reefs, similar to those found in the nearby Great Barrier Reef. The more northerly islands in this group however, such as Gebar (Two Brothers) and Iama (Yam Island), are high basaltic outcrops, not cays. The low-lying inhabited coral cays, such as Poruma (Coconut Island), Warraber IslandWarraber (Sue Island) and Masig (Yorke Island) are mostly less than 2-3 km long, and no wider than 800 m. Several have had problems with saltwater intrusion. A cay (also spelled key, but both are pronounced alike as key [IPA: ]) is a small, low island consisting mostly of sand or coral. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef. ... The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the worlds largest coral reef system,[1][2] composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands that stretch for 2,600 kilometres (1,616 mi) and cover an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (132,974 sq mi). ... ... The metre or meter is a measure of length. ...

Eastern islands

The islands of this group (principally Mer (Murray Island), Dauar and Waier, with Erub (Darnley Island) and Ugar (Stephen Island) further north) are formed differently from the rest. They are volcanic in origin, the peaks of volcanoes which were formerly active in Pleistocene times. Consequently their hillsides have rich and fertile red volcanic soils, and are thickly vegetated. The easternmost of these are less than 20 km from the northern extension of the Great Barrier Reef. Murray Island (known by Torres Strait Islanders as Mer) is a small island of volcanic origin, populated by the Melanesian Meriam people and situated in the eastern section of Torres Strait, near the Great Barrier Reef. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) is part of the geologic timescale. ...

Administration

An Australian Commonwealth statutory authority called the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) is responsible for governance of the islands. The TSRA has an elected board comprising 20 representatives from the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities resident in the Torres Strait region. There is one representative per established local community. These board members are elected under the Queensland Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984 and Division 5 of the ATSIC Act 1989. The TSRA itself falls under the portfolio responsibilities of the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (previously under the Department of Immigration and Citizenship). The administrative centre of the islands is Thursday Island. The Queensland stautory authority the Island Coordinating Council (ICC), represents the local communities at the state level. Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. ... Aboriginal Flag Australian Aborigines is a name used to collectively describe most of the indigenous peoples of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. ... The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a federation, and a parliamentary democracy. ... The Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs is the Australian Government Department responsible for social policies and support affecting Australian society and the living standards of Australian families and from 27 January 2006 the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination (OIPC). ... The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) is an Australian Government department. ... Thursday Island is the administrative and commercial centre of the Torres Strait Islands. ...

At the local level there are 18 authorities, the Torres Shire Council which governs several islands and portions of Cape York Peninsula and operates as a Queensland Local Government Area. There are 17 Torres Strait Island Councils which are community governments, these areas have been relinquished by the Government of Queensland to specific Islander and Aboriginal Councils under the provisions of the Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984 and the Community Services (Aboriginal) Act 1984. Torres Shire Council is a Local Government Area in Far North Queensland, Australia. ... Local Government Area (abbreviated LGA) is a term used in Australia (and especially by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) to refer to areas controlled by each individual Local Government. ... Queensland Government Logo The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the Queensland Government. ...

Demographics

Torres Strait Islanders, the indigenous peoples of the islands, are Melanesians, culturally most akin to the coastal peoples of Papua New Guinea. Thus they are regarded as being distinct from other Aboriginal peoples of Australia, and are generally referred to separately. There are also two Torres Strait Islander communities on the nearby coast of the mainland, Bamaga and Seisia. The Torres Strait Islander Flag. ... The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition, but can be used about any ethnic group who inhabit the geographic region with which they have the earliest historical connection. ... Melanesia (from Greek black islands) is a region extending from the west Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. ... Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. ... Bamaga () is a town near the northern tip of Cape York in the north of Queensland, Australia. ... Seisia is an area north of New Mapoon and west of Bamaga at the tip of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. ...

According to the 2001 Australian census ABS figures, the population of the Torres Strait Islands was 8089 (up from an estimated 6700 in 2000), of whom 6214 were either of Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal origin. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Australian Bureau of Statistics logo The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the Australian government agency that collects and publishes statistical information about Australia. ... The Torres Strait Islander Flag. ...

There are three indigenous languages spoken on the islands: Kala Lagaw Ya, Meriam Mir, and Torres Strait Creole. Kala Lagaw Ya (several other names; see below) is a language spoken on several western and central Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia. ... Meriam (also Miriam, Meryam, Mer, Mir, Miriam-Mir, etc. ... 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). ...

See also

• List of Torres Strait Islands
• Halfway Island (Queensland)

The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

References and external links

• Torres Strait Regional Authority home page
• Torres Shire Council
• Torres Strait community government review
• Torres Strait Islands info page at abc.net
• Torres Strait Islands (article & pictures)
• Photograph album of Papua and Torres Strait (1921) taken by Frank Hurley. Held National Library of Australia, Canberra

Coordinates: 9°52′49″S, 142°35′26″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...