Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
The Northern Territory is a federal territory
of Australia
, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions. It shares borders with Western Australia
to the west (129th meridian east
), South Australia
to the south (26th parallel south
), and Queensland
to the east (138th meridian east
).
To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea
, the Arafura Sea
and the Gulf of Carpentaria
. Despite its large area—over 1349129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the third largest Australian federal division—it is sparsely populated. With a population of 229,675 it is the least populous of Australia's eight major states and territories.
The archeological history of the Northern Territory
begins over 40,000 years ago when Indigenous Australians
settled the region. Makassan
traders began trading with the indigenous people of the Northern Territory for trepang
from at least the 18th century onwards, and very likely for 300 years prior to that.
The coast of the territory was first seen by Europeans in the 17th century. The British were the first Europeans to attempt to settle the coastal regions in the 19th century; however no attempt was successful until the establishment of a settlement at Port Darwin
in 1869. Today the economy is based on tourism, especially Kakadu National Park
in the Top End
and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
(Ayers Rock) in central Australia, and mining
.
The capital city is Darwin
. The population is not concentrated in coastal regions but rather along the Stuart Highway
. The other major settlements are (in order of size) Alice Springs
, Katherine
, Nhulunbuy
, and Tennant Creek
.
Residents of the Northern Territory are often known simply as 'Territorians'.
have lived in the present area of the Northern Territory for an estimated 40,000 years, and extensive seasonal trade links existed between them and the peoples of what is now Indonesia
for at least five centuries.
With the coming of the British, there were four early attempts to settle the harsh environment of the northern coast, of which three failed in starvation and despair. The Northern Territory was part of New South Wales
from 1825 to 1863, except for a brief time from February to December 1846, when it was part of the short lived colony of North Australia
. It was part of South Australia
from 1863 to 1911. Under the administration of South Australia, the overland telegraph was constructed between 1870 and 1872.
A railway was also built between Palmerston
and Pine Creek
between 1883 and 1889. The economic pattern of cattle
raising and mining
was established so that by 1911 there were 513,000 cattle. Victoria River Downs was at one time the largest cattle station in the world. Gold
was found at Grove Hill in 1872 and at Pine Creek
, Brocks Creek, Burrundi, and copper
was found at Daly River.
On 1 January 1911, a decade after federation, the Northern Territory was separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control. Alfred Deakin
opined at this time "To me the question has been not so much commercial as national, first, second, third and last. Either we must accomplish the peopling of the northern territory or submit to its transfer to some other nation."
In late 1912 there was growing sentiment that the name "Northern Territory" was unsatisfactory. The names "Kingsland" (after King George V
and to correspond with Queensland
), "Centralia" and "Territoria" were proposed with Kingsland becoming the preferred choice in 1913. However, the name change never went ahead.
For a brief time between 1927 and 1931 the Northern Territory was divided into North Australia
and Central Australia
at the 20th parallel of South latitude. Soon after this time, parts of the Northern Territory were considered in the Kimberley Plan
as a possible site for the establishment of a Jewish Homeland, understandably considered the "Unpromised Land".
During World War II
, most of the Top End
was placed under military government. This is the only time since Federation that an Australian state or territory has been under military control. After the war, control for the entire area was handed back to the Commonwealth.
Indigenous Australians
had struggled for rights to fair wages and land. An important event in this struggle was the strike and walk off by the Gurindji people
at Wave Hill Cattle Station in 1966. The Commonwealth Government of Gough Whitlam set up the Woodward Royal Commission
in February 1973, which set to inquire into how land rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory. Justice Woodward's first report in July 1973 recommended that a Central Land Council
and a Northern Land Council
be established in order to present to him the views of Aboriginal people. In response to the report of the Royal Commission a Land Rights Bill was drafted, but the Whitlam Government was dismissed before it was passed.
The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 was eventually passed by the Fraser
Government on 16 December 1976 and began operation on the following Australia Day
(26 January 1977).
In 1978 the Territory was granted responsible government
, with a Legislative Assembly
headed by a Chief Minister
.
During 1996 the Northern Territory was briefly one of the few places in the world with legal voluntary euthanasia
, until the Federal Parliament overturned the legislation.
Before the overriding legislation was enacted, three people committed suicide through voluntary euthanasia, a practice orchestrated by Dr. Philip Nitschke
.
There are many very small settlements scattered across the territory, but the larger population centres are located on the single paved road that links Darwin to southern Australia, the Stuart Highway
, known to locals simply as "the track".
The Northern Territory is also home to two spectacular natural rock formations, Uluru
(Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta
(The Olgas), which are sacred to the local Aboriginal peoples and which have become major tourist attractions.
In the northern part of the territory lies Kakadu National Park
, which features breathtaking wetland
s and native wildlife. To the north of that lies the Arafura Sea
, and to the east lies Arnhem Land
, whose regional centre is Maningrida
on the Liverpool River delta.
There is an extensive series of river systems in the Northern Territory. These rivers include: the Alligator Rivers
, Daly River, Finke River
, McArthur River
, Roper River
, Todd River
and Victoria River.
The Northern Territory has two distinctive climate zones.
The northern end, including Darwin, has a tropical climate with high humidity and two seasons, the wet (November to April) and dry season (May to October). During the dry season nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14 °C (57.2 °F), but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded.
The wet season is associated with tropical cyclones and monsoon
rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70% during the wettest months. On average more than 1570 mm (61.8 in) of rain falls in the north. Rainfall is highest in north west coastal areas, where rainfall averages from 1,800–2,100mm.
The central region is the desert
centre of the country, which includes Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, and is semi-arid
with little rain usually falling during the hottest months from October to March. Central Australia receives less than 250 mm (9.8 in) of rain per year.
The highest temperature recorded in the territory was 48.3 °C (118.9 °F) at Finke on 1 and 2 January 1960. The lowest temperature was -7.5 °C at Alice Springs on 12 July 1976.
parliaments in the country. Based on the Westminster System
, it consists of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
which was created in 1974, replacing the Northern Territory Legislative Council
.
The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974. The total enrolment for the 1947 election was 4,443, all of whom were white. The Northern Territory was split into five electorates: Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Batchelor, and Stuart.
Whilst this assembly exercises similar powers as the governments of the states of Australia, it does so by legislated delegation of powers from the Commonwealth Government, rather than by any constitutional right. The Monarch is represented by the Administrator of the Northern Territory
which is similar to that of state governors.
Twenty-five members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates.
For several years there has been agitation for full statehood. A referendum
was held on the issue in 1998, which resulted in a 'no' vote. This was a shock to both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments, for opinion polls showed most Territorians supported statehood. However, under the Australian Constitution, the Federal Government may set the terms of entry to full statehood. The Northern Territory was offered three Senators, rather than the twelve guaranteed to original states. (Because of the difference in populations, equal numbers of Senate seats would mean a Territorian's vote for a Senator would have been worth more than 30 votes in New South Wales
or Victoria
.) Alongside what was cited as an arrogant approach adopted by then Chief Minister Shane Stone
, it is believed that most Territorians, regardless of their general views on statehood, were reluctant to adopt the particular offer that was made.
is the head of government of a self-governing territory, while the head of government of a state is a Premier
. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Administrator of the Northern Territory
, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. The current Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is Paul Henderson
.
Paul Henderson
replaced Clare Martin
on 26 November 2007. The Leader of the Opposition was Denis Burke, head of the Country Liberal Party
, until the Territory elections of June 2005, where Burke lost his seat. The party then chose Terry Mills
as the new Opposition Leader. Subsequently, Jodeen Carney
took over for a time. In January 2008, Terry Mills
again became the Opposition Leader.
. The Commonwealth government, not the Government of the Northern Territory, advises the governor-general on appointment of the Administrator, but by convention, consults first with the Territory Government. The current administrator, Tom Pauling, was sworn in on 9 November 2007.
by two Members in the House of Representatives, currently Warren Snowdon
from the Australian Labor Party
(ALP) and Natasha Griggs
from the Country Liberal Party
(CLP), and two members in the Senate, currently Trish Crossin
for the ALP and Nigel Scullion
for the CLP.
, including 11 shires and five municipalities. Shire, city and town councils are responsible for functions delegated by the Northern Territory parliament, such as city planning, road infrastructure and waste management. Council revenue comes mostly from property taxes and government grants.
s in the Northern Territory are areas of Aboriginal self-governance.
The population of the Northern Territory in late 2006 was estimated at 212,600 This was an 1.8% increase from the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics
report, and the population represents 1% of the total population of Australia.
The estimated population of the Northern Territory at the end of 2008 was 221,100. The population grew 2.2% which was the second largest growth in the country with Queensland
after Western Australia
which grew 2.4%.
The Northern Territory's population is the youngest in Australia and has the largest proportion under 15 years of age and the smallest proportion aged 65 and over. The median age of residents of the Northern Territory is 30.3 years, almost six years younger than the national median age.
More than 100 nationalities are represented in the Northern Territory's population, including more than 50 organisations representing different ethnic groups.
The 2006 Census revealed that of the Northern Territory's population, 68.4% is of European descent. 64,491 (30.6%) English
with 44,662 (20.2%), Irish
with 14,346 (6.8%), Scottish
with 11,759 (5.6%), German
with 7,729 (3.7%) and Italian
with 3,308 (1.5%). Indigenous Australian people make up 32.5% of the Northern Territory's population, while Chinese people
with 4,081 make up (1.9%).
Indigenous Australians own some 49% of the land. The life expectancy of Aboriginal Australians is well below that of non-Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory, a fact that is mirrored elsewhere in Australia. ABS statistics suggest that Indigenous Australians die about 11 years earlier than the average Australian.
There are Aboriginal communities in many parts of the territory, the largest ones being the Pitjantjatjara near Uluru
, the Arrernte
near Alice Springs, the Luritja
between those two, the Warlpiri
further north, and the Yolngu
in eastern Arnhem Land
.
In terms of birthplace, according to the 2006 census 13.8% of the population were born overseas. 2.6% of Territorians were born in England
, 1.7% in New Zealand
, 1.0% in Philippines
, 0.6% in the United States
and 0.5% in East Timor
.
More than 54% of Territorians live in Darwin, located in the territory's north (Top End
). Less than half of the territory's population live in the rural Northern Territory.
. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the territory with 20.3% of the Northern Territory's population, followed by Anglican (12.7%), Uniting Church (7.0%) and Lutheran (3.6%). Buddhism
is the territory's largest non-Christian religion (1.4%), followed by Islam
(0.5%) and Hinduism
(0.2%). Around 21.9% of Territorians do not profess any religion.
(NTCE). Students who successfully complete their secondary education also receive a tertiary entrance ranking, or ENTER score, to determine university admittance. An International Baccalaureate is offered at one school in the Territory – Kormilda College.
Northern Territory schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Department of Employment, Education and Training. Private fee-paying schools include schools run by the Catholic Church and independent schools, some elite ones similar to English public schools
. Some Northern Territory Independent schools are affiliated with Protestant, Lutheran, Anglican, Greek Orthodox or Seventh-day Adventist
churches, but include non church schools and an Indigenous school.
As of 2009, the Northern Territory had 151 public schools, 15 Catholic schools and 21 independent schools. 39,492 students were enrolled in schools around the Territory with 29,175 in public schools, and 9,882 in independent schools. The Northern Territory has about 4,000 full-time teachers.
had about 19,000 students enrolled: about 5500 higher education students and about 13500 students on vocational education and training (VET) courses. The first tertiary institution in the territory was the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
(established in mid 1960s).
is the Territory's research and reference library. It is responsible for collecting and preserving the Northern Territory documentary heritage and making it available through a range of programs and services. Material in the collection includes books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, pictures, objects, sound and video recordings and databases.
The Northern Territory's economy is largely driven by mining
, which is concentrated on energy producing minerals, petroleum
and energy
and contributes around $2.5 billion to the gross state product
and employs over 4,600 people. Mining accounts for 26 per cent of the gross state product in 2006–2007 compared to just 7 per cent nationally.
The economy has continued to grow during the 2005–2006 financial year from the past two financial years. Between 2003 and 2006 the gross state product had risen from $8,670 million to $11,476 million and increase of 32.4 per cent. During the three years to 2006–2007 the Northern Territory gross state product
grew by an average annual rate of 5.5 per cent. Gross state product
per capita in the Northern Territory ($72,496) is higher than any Australian state or territory, and is also higher than the gross domestic product
per capita for Australia ($54,606). This can be attributed to the recent mining and resources boom.
The Northern Territory's exports were up 19 per cent during 2005–2006. The largest contributor to the territory's exports was: oil
and gas
(33.4 per cent), iron-ore (20. per cent), other manufacturing (5.9 per cent) and agriculture (4.9 per cent). Imports to the Northern Territory totalled $2,887.8 million which consisted of mainly machinery and equipment manufacturing (58.4 per cent) and petroleum, coal, chemical and associated product manufacturing (17.0 per cent).
The principal mining operations are bauxite
at Gove Peninsula
where the production is estimated to increase 52.1 per cent to $254 million in 2007–08. Manganese
at Groote Eylandt
, production is estimated to increase 10.5 per cent to $1.1 billion which will be helped by the newly developed mines include Bootu Creek and Frances Creek. Gold is estimated to increase 21.7 per cent to $482 million at the Union Reefs plant. Uranium
at Ranger Uranium Mine
.
Tourism
is one of the major industries on the Northern Territory. Iconic destinations such as Uluru
and Kakadu
make the Northern Territory a popular destination for domestic and international travellers. Diverse landscape
s, spectacular waterfall
s, wide open spaces, aboriginal culture, wild and untamed wildlife
, all create a unique opportunity for the visitor to immerse themselves in the natural wonder that the Northern Territory offers. Images of Uluru (Ayers Rock) are recognised around the world ensuring that Tourism in the Northern Territory will remain a vital component of its future. In 2005–06, 1.38 million people visited the Northern Territory. They stayed for 9.2 million nights and spent over $1.5 billion.
The territory is well known for being promoted with the slogan "You'll Never Never Know if you Never Never Go". This was implemented as a result of the Kennedy Review in 1992.
The Northern Territory is the most sparsely populated state or territory in Australia. From its establishment in 1869 the Port of Darwin http://nt.gov.au/dpa/ was the major Territory supply for many decades. It was damaged in the 1942 Japanese air raids and subsequently restored. In the late 1960s improved roads in adjoining States linking with the Territory, port delays and rapid economic development led to uncertainty in port and regional infrastructure development. As a result of the Commission of Enquiry established by the Administrator, port working arrangements were changed, berth investment deferred and a port masterplan prepared. Extension of rail transport was then not considered because of low freight volumes.
Despite its sparse population there is a network of sealed roads, including two National Highways, linking with adjoining States and connecting the major Territory population centres,and some other centres such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kakadu
and Litchfield National Parks. The Stuart Highway, known as "The Track", runs north to south, connecting Darwin and Alice Springs to Adelaide
. Some of the sealed roads are single lane bitumen. Many unsealed (dirt) roads connect the more remote settlements.
The Adelaide-Darwin Railway
, a new standard gauge
railway, connects Adelaide via Alice Springs with Darwin, replacing earlier narrow gauge railways which had a gap between Alice Springs and Birdum
.
The Northern Territory was one of the few remaining places in the world with no speed restrictions on public roads. Since 1 January 2007 a default speed limit of 110 km/h applies on roads outside of urban areas (Inside urban areas of 40, 50 or 60 km/h). Speeds of up to 130 km/h are permitted on some major highways, such as the Stuart Highway.
Since the introduction of a universal 130 km/h speed limit in 2006, together with the introduction of demerit (penalty) points for speeding, the Territory's road toll has risen markedly. The road toll for 2009 to 7 November, however, is under half of that for the same period in 2008 and lower than for the same period in the previous four years.
Darwin International Airport
is the major domestic and international airport for the territory. Several smaller airports are also scattered throughout the Territory and are served by smaller airlines; including Alice Springs Airport
, Ayers Rock Airport
, Katherine Airport
and Tennant Creek Airport
.
Print
The Northern Territory has only one daily tabloid newspaper, News Corporation
's Northern Territory News
; the Centralian Advocate is circulated around the Alice Springs region twice a week. There is a Sunday tabloid newspaper, The Sunday Territorian. There are also five weekly Community Newspapers. The Northern Territory receives the national daily, The Australian
.
In addition, broadcasters operate digital multichannels:
Regional Northern Territory has a similar availability of stations.
Imparja Television
is produced from Alice Springs and is available throughout most of the Northern Territory.
(102.5FM), 105.7 ABC Darwin
(8DDD 105.7FM), ABC Radio National (657AM), ABC Classic FM
(107.3FM) and Triple J
(103.3FM). The 2 commercial stations are: Mix 104.9 (8MIX), Hot 100 (8HOT)
The leading community stations are 104.1 Territory FM
and Radio Larrakia
(8KNB).
The radio stations in Alice Springs are also broadcast on the AM and FM frequencies. ABC stations include Triple J (94.9FM), ABC Classic FM (97.9FM), 783 ABC Alice Springs
(783AM) and ABC Radio National (99.7FM). There are two community stations in the town--CAAMA (100.5FM) and 8CCC (102.1FM). The commercial stations, which are both owned by the same company are Sun 96.9
(96.9FM) and 8HA
(900AM). Two additional stations, Territory FM (98.7FM) and Radio TAB
(95.9FM) are syndicated from Darwin and Brisbane respectively.
Lists:
Towns in the Northern Territory
Cities in the Northern Territory
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions. It shares borders with Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
to the west (129th meridian east
129th meridian east
The meridian 129° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, Australia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
), South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
to the south (26th parallel south
26th parallel south
The 26th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 26 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
), and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to the east (138th meridian east
138th meridian east
The meridian 138° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Australasia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
).
To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea
Timor Sea
The Timor Sea is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, to the south by Australia and to the west by the Indian Ocean....
, the Arafura Sea
Arafura Sea
The Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea.-Geography:The Arafura Sea is bordered by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, the Timor Sea to the west and the Banda and Ceram...
and the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
. Despite its large area—over 1349129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the third largest Australian federal division—it is sparsely populated. With a population of 229,675 it is the least populous of Australia's eight major states and territories.
The archeological history of the Northern Territory
History of the Northern Territory
The history of the Northern Territory began over 40,000 years ago when Indigenous Australians settled the region. Makassan traders began trading with the indigenous people of the Northern Territory for trepang from at least the 18th century onwards , and possibly for 300 years prior to that.The...
begins over 40,000 years ago when Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
settled the region. Makassan
Makassar
Makassar, is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably...
traders began trading with the indigenous people of the Northern Territory for trepang
Sea cucumber (food)
Sea cucumbers are marine animals of the class Holothuroidea used in fresh or dried form in various cuisines.The creature and the food product is commonly known as bêche-de-mer in French, trepang in Indonesian, namako in Japanese and in the Philippines it is called balatan...
from at least the 18th century onwards, and very likely for 300 years prior to that.
The coast of the territory was first seen by Europeans in the 17th century. The British were the first Europeans to attempt to settle the coastal regions in the 19th century; however no attempt was successful until the establishment of a settlement at Port Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
in 1869. Today the economy is based on tourism, especially Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
in the Top End
Top End
The Top End of northern Australia is the second northernmost point on the continent. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the...
and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is UNESCO World Heritage-listed in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located 1431 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways...
(Ayers Rock) in central Australia, and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
.
The capital city is Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. The population is not concentrated in coastal regions but rather along the Stuart Highway
Stuart Highway
The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south—a distance of...
. The other major settlements are (in order of size) Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
, Katherine
Katherine, Northern Territory
Katherine is a town situated southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs...
, Nhulunbuy
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory
Nhulunbuy is the name of the township created on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia when a bauxite mine and deep water port were established nearby in the late 1960s...
, and Tennant Creek
Tennant Creek, Northern Territory
Tennant Creek is a town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the fifth largest town in the Northern Territory and it is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with the western terminus of the Barkly Highway....
.
Residents of the Northern Territory are often known simply as 'Territorians'.
History
Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
have lived in the present area of the Northern Territory for an estimated 40,000 years, and extensive seasonal trade links existed between them and the peoples of what is now Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
for at least five centuries.
With the coming of the British, there were four early attempts to settle the harsh environment of the northern coast, of which three failed in starvation and despair. The Northern Territory was part of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
from 1825 to 1863, except for a brief time from February to December 1846, when it was part of the short lived colony of North Australia
North Australia
North Australia can refer to a former territory, a former colony or a proposed state which would replace the current Northern Territory.-Colony :...
. It was part of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
from 1863 to 1911. Under the administration of South Australia, the overland telegraph was constructed between 1870 and 1872.
A railway was also built between Palmerston
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
and Pine Creek
Pine Creek, Northern Territory
Pine Creek is a small town in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, Australia. According to the 2001 Australian census 665 people live in Pine Creek, which is the fourth largest town between Darwin and Alice Springs....
between 1883 and 1889. The economic pattern of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
raising and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
was established so that by 1911 there were 513,000 cattle. Victoria River Downs was at one time the largest cattle station in the world. Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was found at Grove Hill in 1872 and at Pine Creek
Pine Creek, Northern Territory
Pine Creek is a small town in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, Australia. According to the 2001 Australian census 665 people live in Pine Creek, which is the fourth largest town between Darwin and Alice Springs....
, Brocks Creek, Burrundi, and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
was found at Daly River.
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
opined at this time "To me the question has been not so much commercial as national, first, second, third and last. Either we must accomplish the peopling of the northern territory or submit to its transfer to some other nation."
In late 1912 there was growing sentiment that the name "Northern Territory" was unsatisfactory. The names "Kingsland" (after King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and to correspond with Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
), "Centralia" and "Territoria" were proposed with Kingsland becoming the preferred choice in 1913. However, the name change never went ahead.
For a brief time between 1927 and 1931 the Northern Territory was divided into North Australia
North Australia
North Australia can refer to a former territory, a former colony or a proposed state which would replace the current Northern Territory.-Colony :...
and Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
at the 20th parallel of South latitude. Soon after this time, parts of the Northern Territory were considered in the Kimberley Plan
Kimberley Plan
The Kimberley Plan, or Kimberley Scheme, was a failed plan by the Freeland League to resettle Jewish refugees from Europe before and during the Holocaust....
as a possible site for the establishment of a Jewish Homeland, understandably considered the "Unpromised Land".
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, most of the Top End
Top End
The Top End of northern Australia is the second northernmost point on the continent. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the...
was placed under military government. This is the only time since Federation that an Australian state or territory has been under military control. After the war, control for the entire area was handed back to the Commonwealth.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
had struggled for rights to fair wages and land. An important event in this struggle was the strike and walk off by the Gurindji people
Gurindji people
Gurindji are a group of Indigenous Australians living in northern Australia, 460 km southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory's Victoria River region....
at Wave Hill Cattle Station in 1966. The Commonwealth Government of Gough Whitlam set up the Woodward Royal Commission
The Woodward Royal Commission
The full name of the Woodward Royal Commission is the Aboriginal Land Rights Commission.-History:In 1972 Gough Whitlam promised in his election campaign to investigate Aboriginal Land Rights in the Northern Territory of Australia....
in February 1973, which set to inquire into how land rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory. Justice Woodward's first report in July 1973 recommended that a Central Land Council
Central Land Council
The Central Land Council is an Indigenous Land Council that represents the indigenous people of the southern half of the Northern Territory of Australia, predominantly in land issues...
and a Northern Land Council
Northern Land Council
The Northern Land Council is in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. It has its origins in the struggle of Australian Aboriginal people for rights to fair wages and land. This included the strike and walk off by the Gurindji people at Wave Hill, cattle station in 1966. The head...
be established in order to present to him the views of Aboriginal people. In response to the report of the Royal Commission a Land Rights Bill was drafted, but the Whitlam Government was dismissed before it was passed.
The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 was eventually passed by the Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
Government on 16 December 1976 and began operation on the following Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
(26 January 1977).
In 1978 the Territory was granted responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
, with a Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
headed by a Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
.
During 1996 the Northern Territory was briefly one of the few places in the world with legal voluntary euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, until the Federal Parliament overturned the legislation.
Before the overriding legislation was enacted, three people committed suicide through voluntary euthanasia, a practice orchestrated by Dr. Philip Nitschke
Philip Nitschke
Dr. Philip Nitschke is an Australian medical doctor, humanist, author and founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International. He campaigned successfully to have a legal euthanasia law passed in Australia's Northern Territory and assisted four people in ending their lives before...
.
Geography
Stuart Highway
The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south—a distance of...
, known to locals simply as "the track".
The Northern Territory is also home to two spectacular natural rock formations, Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
(Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta
Kata Tjuta
Kata Tjuta, sometimes written Tjuṯa , and also known as Mount Olga , are a group of large domed rock formations or bornhardts located about southwest of Alice Springs, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia...
(The Olgas), which are sacred to the local Aboriginal peoples and which have become major tourist attractions.
In the northern part of the territory lies Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
, which features breathtaking wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s and native wildlife. To the north of that lies the Arafura Sea
Arafura Sea
The Arafura Sea lies west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea.-Geography:The Arafura Sea is bordered by Torres Strait and through that the Coral Sea to the east, the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south, the Timor Sea to the west and the Banda and Ceram...
, and to the east lies Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
, whose regional centre is Maningrida
Maningrida, Northern Territory
Maningrida is a self-governing indigenous community in the heart of the Arnhem Land region of Australia's Northern Territory. Maningrida is located 500 km east of Darwin and 300 km north east of Jabiru. It is on the North Central Arnhem Land coast of the Arafura Sea, on the estuary of the Liverpool...
on the Liverpool River delta.
There is an extensive series of river systems in the Northern Territory. These rivers include: the Alligator Rivers
Alligator Rivers
The Alligator Rivers is the name of a region in the Arnhem Land region of the Northern Territory of Australia, containing three rivers the East, West and South Alligator River...
, Daly River, Finke River
Finke River
The Finke River is one of the largest rivers in central Australia. Its source is in the Northern Territory's MacDonnell Ranges, and the name Finke River is first applied at the confluence of the Davenport and Ormiston Creeks, just north of Glen Helen. From here the river meanders for approximately...
, McArthur River
McArthur River
The McArthur River is a river in the Northern Territory of Australia which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria at Port McArthur, opposite the Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands. The river was named by Ludwig Leichhardt while he explored the area in 1845...
, Roper River
Roper River
The Roper River is one of the largest rivers in the Northern Territory, Australia, extending east for over 500 km to meet the sea in Limmen Bight on the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is navigable for about 145 km, until the tidal limit at Roper Bar, and forms the southern boundary of the region...
, Todd River
Todd River
The Todd River is an ephemeral river in the southern Northern Territory, central Australia. The origins of the Todd River begin in the MacDonnell Ranges, where it flows past the Telegraph Station, almost through the center of Alice Springs, through Heavitree Gap at the southern end of Alice Springs...
and Victoria River.
National parks
- Arnhem LandArnhem LandThe Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
(Restricted Area) - Barranyi Nth. Island National ParkBarranyi (North Island) National ParkBarranyi National Park is in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia, 737 km southeast of Darwin.See also: Protected areas of the Northern Territory...
- CasuarinaCasuarina, Northern TerritoryCasuarina is one of the northern suburbs of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.It is home to the largest shopping centre in the Northern Territory, called Casuarina Square...
Coastal Reserve - Daly River Nature Park
- Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve
- Djukbinj National ParkDjukbinj National ParkDjukbinj is a national park in the Northern Territory , 59 km east-northeast of Darwin.See also: Protected areas of the Northern Territory...
- Elsey National ParkElsey National ParkElsey is a national park in the Northern Territory , 378 km southeast of Darwin.See also: Protected areas of the Northern Territory...
- Finke Gorge National Park
- Gregory National ParkGregory National ParkGregory is a national park in the Northern Territory , 359 km south of Darwin.-Birds:The park has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it supports much of the eastern subspecies of the White-quilled Rock-Pigeon and small numbers of the endangered Gouldian...
- Gurig National Park-now Garig Gunak Barlu National ParkGarig Gunak Barlu National ParkGarig Gunak Barlu is a national park around the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, Australia, 216 km northeast of Darwin. It was established by joining the former Gurig National Park and the Cobourg Marine Park....
- Howard Springs Nature ParkHoward Springs Nature ParkHoward Springs is a 283ha nature park located 35km south of Darwin, Northern Territory. A suitable habitat for waterfowl of the Northern Territory, it also has swimming areas and walking trails....
Conservation Reserve - Kakadu National ParkKakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
- Keep River National ParkKeep River National ParkKeep River National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 418 km southwest of Darwin and 468 km west of Katherine. The nearest town is Kununurra in Western Australia.-Environment:...
- Litchfield National ParkLitchfield National ParkLitchfield National Park, covering approximately 1500 km2, is near the township of Batchelor, 100 km south-west of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia...
- Mary RiverMary River (Northern Territory)The Mary River flows in the Northern Territory of Australia and is a site of the Mary River National Park. Its lower reaches form part of the Adelaide and Mary River Floodplains Important Bird Area.-External links:**...
Crossing Conservation Reserve and proposed Mary River National ParkMary River National ParkMary River is a proposed national park in the Northern Territory . It will incorporate the following areas:* Alligator Lagoon Conservation Area* Annaburroo Delta Block Conservation Area* Boggy Springs Conservation Area... - Mataranka Thermal Springs
- Nitmiluk National ParkNitmiluk National ParkNitmiluk National Park which is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin, has been established around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls...
- Katherine Gorge
- Palm ValleyPalm Valley (Northern Territory)Palm Valley, within the Finke Gorge National Park, is an east-west running valley in the Krichauff Range 123 km southwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia. Palm Valley and the surrounding area is the only place in Central Australia where Livistona mariae palms survive...
- Tanami DesertTanami DesertThe Tanami Desert is a desert in northern Australia situated in the Northern Territory. It has a rocky terrain with small hills. The Tanami was the Northern Territory's final frontier and was not fully explored until well into the twentieth century...
- The Olgas
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National ParkUluru-Kata Tjuta National ParkUluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is UNESCO World Heritage-listed in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located 1431 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways...
- Watarrka National ParkWatarrka National ParkWatarrka is a national park in the Northern Territory , 1316 km south of Darwin and 323 km southwest of Alice Springs. It contains the much visited Kings Canyon at the western end of the George Gill Range and Kathleen Springs ....
(including Kings Canyon) - West MacDonnell National ParkWest MacDonnell National ParkWest MacDonnell is a national park in the Northern Territory , 1234 km south of Darwin. It extends along the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs....
Climate
| Average monthly maximum temperature in Northern Territory |
||||
| Month | Darwin | Alice Springs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31.8 °C | 36.3 °C | ||
| February | 31.4 °C | 35.1 °C | ||
| March | 31.9 °C | 32.7 °C | ||
| April | 32.7 °C | 28.2 °C | ||
| May | 32.0 °C | 23.0 °C | ||
| June | 30.6 °C | 19.8 °C | ||
| July | 30.5 °C | 19.7 °C | ||
| August | 31.3 °C | 22.6 °C | ||
| September | 32.5 °C | 27.1 °C | ||
| October | 33.2 °C | 30.9 °C | ||
| November | 33.2 °C | 33.7 °C | ||
| December | 33.6 °C | 35.4 °C | ||
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | ||||
The Northern Territory has two distinctive climate zones.
The northern end, including Darwin, has a tropical climate with high humidity and two seasons, the wet (November to April) and dry season (May to October). During the dry season nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14 °C (57.2 °F), but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded.
The wet season is associated with tropical cyclones and monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70% during the wettest months. On average more than 1570 mm (61.8 in) of rain falls in the north. Rainfall is highest in north west coastal areas, where rainfall averages from 1,800–2,100mm.
The central region is the desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
centre of the country, which includes Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, and is semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
with little rain usually falling during the hottest months from October to March. Central Australia receives less than 250 mm (9.8 in) of rain per year.
The highest temperature recorded in the territory was 48.3 °C (118.9 °F) at Finke on 1 and 2 January 1960. The lowest temperature was -7.5 °C at Alice Springs on 12 July 1976.
Governance
Parliament
The Northern Territory Parliament is one of the three unicameralUnicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
parliaments in the country. Based on the Westminster System
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, it consists of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
which was created in 1974, replacing the Northern Territory Legislative Council
Northern Territory Legislative Council
The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body of the Northern Territory of Australia from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974....
.
The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974. The total enrolment for the 1947 election was 4,443, all of whom were white. The Northern Territory was split into five electorates: Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Batchelor, and Stuart.
Whilst this assembly exercises similar powers as the governments of the states of Australia, it does so by legislated delegation of powers from the Commonwealth Government, rather than by any constitutional right. The Monarch is represented by the Administrator of the Northern Territory
Administrator of the Northern Territory
The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to exercise powers analogous to that of a state governor...
which is similar to that of state governors.
Twenty-five members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates.
For several years there has been agitation for full statehood. A referendum
Northern Territory referendum, 1998
A referendum was held in the Northern Territory on Saturday, 3 October 1998, to decide whether the Territory should become a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Country Liberal Party government, and its federal counterpart, supported the Yes case. The opposition Australian Labor Party...
was held on the issue in 1998, which resulted in a 'no' vote. This was a shock to both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments, for opinion polls showed most Territorians supported statehood. However, under the Australian Constitution, the Federal Government may set the terms of entry to full statehood. The Northern Territory was offered three Senators, rather than the twelve guaranteed to original states. (Because of the difference in populations, equal numbers of Senate seats would mean a Territorian's vote for a Senator would have been worth more than 30 votes in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
or Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.) Alongside what was cited as an arrogant approach adopted by then Chief Minister Shane Stone
Shane Stone
Shane Leslie Stone AC, QC is an Australian political figure. From 26 May 1995 to 8 February 1999 he was Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, representing the Country Liberal Party.-Biography:Stone was born in Bendigo, Victoria...
, it is believed that most Territorians, regardless of their general views on statehood, were reluctant to adopt the particular offer that was made.
Chief Minister and Cabinet
The Chief Minister of the Northern TerritoryChief Minister of the Northern Territory
The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is appointed by the Administrator, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory...
is the head of government of a self-governing territory, while the head of government of a state is a Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Administrator of the Northern Territory
Administrator of the Northern Territory
The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to exercise powers analogous to that of a state governor...
, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. The current Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson (Australian politician)
Paul Raymond Henderson is an Australian politician and the current Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.Henderson was born in Croix-Chapeau, France, where his father was serving with the United States military. He was educated in Great Britain to A-Levels and studied mechanical...
.
Paul Henderson
Paul Henderson (Australian politician)
Paul Raymond Henderson is an Australian politician and the current Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.Henderson was born in Croix-Chapeau, France, where his father was serving with the United States military. He was educated in Great Britain to A-Levels and studied mechanical...
replaced Clare Martin
Clare Martin
Clare Majella Martin is a former Australian politician. She is the current CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service . A former journalist, she was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in a shock by-election win in 1995...
on 26 November 2007. The Leader of the Opposition was Denis Burke, head of the Country Liberal Party
Country Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
, until the Territory elections of June 2005, where Burke lost his seat. The party then chose Terry Mills
Terry Mills
Terry Richard Mills is a retired American professional basketball player at the power forward position.After a standout career at Romulus High School, Mills was named 1986 Mr. Basketball of Michigan...
as the new Opposition Leader. Subsequently, Jodeen Carney
Jodeen Carney
Jodeen Terese Carney is an Australian politician. She was a Country Liberal Party member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from September 2001 to September 2010, representing the Alice Springs-based electorate of Araluen...
took over for a time. In January 2008, Terry Mills
Terry Mills
Terry Richard Mills is a retired American professional basketball player at the power forward position.After a standout career at Romulus High School, Mills was named 1986 Mr. Basketball of Michigan...
again became the Opposition Leader.
Administrator
The Northern Territory received self-government on 1 July 1978 under its own Administrator of the Northern Territory appointed by the Governor-General of AustraliaGovernor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. The Commonwealth government, not the Government of the Northern Territory, advises the governor-general on appointment of the Administrator, but by convention, consults first with the Territory Government. The current administrator, Tom Pauling, was sworn in on 9 November 2007.
Federal government
The Northern Territory is represented in the Commonwealth parliamentParliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
by two Members in the House of Representatives, currently Warren Snowdon
Warren Snowdon
Warren Edward Snowdon is an Australian politician. He is an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives. He represented the Division of Northern Territory from July 1987 to March 1996, and from October 1998 to November 2001.Since November 2001 he has represented the...
from the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
(ALP) and Natasha Griggs
Natasha Griggs
Natasha Louise Griggs is an Australian politician elected at the 2010 Australian Federal election to represent the division of Solomon for the Country Liberal Party....
from the Country Liberal Party
Country Liberal Party
The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party is a Northern Territory political party affiliated with both the National and Liberal parties...
(CLP), and two members in the Senate, currently Trish Crossin
Trish Crossin
Patricia Margaret "Trish" Crossin , Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian Senate for the Northern Territory since June 1998, representing the Australian Labor Party...
for the ALP and Nigel Scullion
Nigel Scullion
Nigel Gregory Scullion , Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian Senate for the Northern Territory since November 2001, representing the Country Liberal Party...
for the CLP.
Local government
The Northern Territory is incorporated into 17 Local Government AreasLocal Government Areas of the Northern Territory
The local government areas of the Northern Territory, Australia are the areas for which particular Local Government authorities, generally known as "Councils" have the responsibility to provide local government services...
, including 11 shires and five municipalities. Shire, city and town councils are responsible for functions delegated by the Northern Territory parliament, such as city planning, road infrastructure and waste management. Council revenue comes mostly from property taxes and government grants.
Aboriginal land councils
Aboriginal land councilLand council
Land councils, also known as land and sea councils, are Australian community organisations organised by region that represent the Indigenous Australians who occupied that region before the arrival of European settlers...
s in the Northern Territory are areas of Aboriginal self-governance.
Demographics
| Northern Territory population by year |
|
|---|---|
| 1901 | 4,765 |
| 1956 | 19,556 |
| 1961 | 44,481 |
| 1974 | 102,924 |
| 1975 | 92,869 |
| 1981 | 122,616 |
| 1991 | 165,493 |
| 2002 | 199,411 |
| 2006 | 210,600 |
| 2010 | 236,300 |
| 2021 | 296,300 |
| 2031 | 364,000 |
| 2056 | 573,000 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics |
|
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
report, and the population represents 1% of the total population of Australia.
The estimated population of the Northern Territory at the end of 2008 was 221,100. The population grew 2.2% which was the second largest growth in the country with Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
after Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
which grew 2.4%.
The Northern Territory's population is the youngest in Australia and has the largest proportion under 15 years of age and the smallest proportion aged 65 and over. The median age of residents of the Northern Territory is 30.3 years, almost six years younger than the national median age.
More than 100 nationalities are represented in the Northern Territory's population, including more than 50 organisations representing different ethnic groups.
The 2006 Census revealed that of the Northern Territory's population, 68.4% is of European descent. 64,491 (30.6%) English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with 44,662 (20.2%), Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
with 14,346 (6.8%), Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with 11,759 (5.6%), German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with 7,729 (3.7%) and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
with 3,308 (1.5%). Indigenous Australian people make up 32.5% of the Northern Territory's population, while Chinese people
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
with 4,081 make up (1.9%).
Indigenous Australians own some 49% of the land. The life expectancy of Aboriginal Australians is well below that of non-Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory, a fact that is mirrored elsewhere in Australia. ABS statistics suggest that Indigenous Australians die about 11 years earlier than the average Australian.
There are Aboriginal communities in many parts of the territory, the largest ones being the Pitjantjatjara near Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
, the Arrernte
Arrernte people
The Arrernte people , known in English as the Aranda or Arunta, are those Indigenous Australians who are the original custodians of Arrernte lands in the central area of Australia around Mparntwe or Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The Arrernte tribe has lived there for more than 20,000 years...
near Alice Springs, the Luritja
Luritja
Luritja is a name used to refer to several dialects of the Indigenous Australian Western Desert Language, and thereby also to the people who speak these varieties, and their traditional lands.-Origin and meaning of Luritja:...
between those two, the Warlpiri
Warlpiri
The Warlpiri are a group of Indigenous Australians, many of whom speak the Warlpiri language. There are 5,000–6,000 Warlpiri, living mostly in a few towns and settlements scattered through their traditional land in Australia's Northern Territory, north and west of Alice Springs...
further north, and the Yolngu
Yolngu
The Yolngu or Yolŋu are an Indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yolngu means “person” in the Yolŋu languages.-Yolŋu law:...
in eastern Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
.
In terms of birthplace, according to the 2006 census 13.8% of the population were born overseas. 2.6% of Territorians were born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 1.7% in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, 1.0% in Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, 0.6% in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and 0.5% in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
.
More than 54% of Territorians live in Darwin, located in the territory's north (Top End
Top End
The Top End of northern Australia is the second northernmost point on the continent. It covers a rather vaguely-defined area of perhaps 400,000 square kilometres behind the northern coast from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin across to Arnhem Land with the Indian Ocean on the west, the...
). Less than half of the territory's population live in the rural Northern Territory.
| Rank | Statistical Division/District | 2008–2009 Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darwin Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities... |
124,760 |
| 2 | Palmerston Palmerston, Northern Territory Palmerston is a planned satellite city of Darwin, the capital and largest city in Australia's Northern Territory. Palmerston is situated near Darwin Harbour and has an urban population of 23,614 on the 2006 Census night and making it the second largest city in the territory... |
30,005 |
| 3 | Alice Springs | 27,877 |
| 4 | Katherine Katherine, Northern Territory Katherine is a town situated southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs... |
10,095 |
| 5 | Nhulunbuy Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory Nhulunbuy is the name of the township created on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia when a bauxite mine and deep water port were established nearby in the late 1960s... |
5,001 |
| 6 | Tennant Creek | 3,558 |
| 7 | Wadeye Wadeye, Northern Territory Wadeye is a town in Australia's Northern Territory.Wadeye was formerly known as Port Keats. The town is remote, situated on the western edge of the Daly River Reserve more than 200 km south west of Darwin, with road access being cut off by flooding during the wet season. Year round access is via... |
2,394 |
| 8 | Jabiru Jabiru, Northern Territory Jabiru is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was originally built in 1982 as a closed town to house the community living at Jabiru East near the Ranger Uranium Mine eight kilometres away. Both the mine and the town are completely surrounded by Kakadu National Park.- Overview :Jabiru... |
1,327 |
| 9 | Yulara | 1,205 |
Religion
53.6% of Territorians describe themselves ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the territory with 20.3% of the Northern Territory's population, followed by Anglican (12.7%), Uniting Church (7.0%) and Lutheran (3.6%). Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
is the territory's largest non-Christian religion (1.4%), followed by Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
(0.5%) and Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
(0.2%). Around 21.9% of Territorians do not profess any religion.
Education
Primary and secondary
A Northern Territory school education consists of six years of primary schooling, including one transition year, three years of middle schooling, and three years of secondary schooling. In the beginning of 2007, the Northern Territory introduced Middle School for Years 7–9 and High School for Years 10–12. Northern Territory children generally begin school at age five. On completing secondary school, students earn the Northern Territory Certificate of EducationNorthern Territory Certificate of Education
The Northern Territory Certificate of Education is the credential awarded to High School students who successfully complete senior high school level studies in the Northern Territory, Australia.-The NTCE structure:...
(NTCE). Students who successfully complete their secondary education also receive a tertiary entrance ranking, or ENTER score, to determine university admittance. An International Baccalaureate is offered at one school in the Territory – Kormilda College.
Northern Territory schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Department of Employment, Education and Training. Private fee-paying schools include schools run by the Catholic Church and independent schools, some elite ones similar to English public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
. Some Northern Territory Independent schools are affiliated with Protestant, Lutheran, Anglican, Greek Orthodox or Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
churches, but include non church schools and an Indigenous school.
As of 2009, the Northern Territory had 151 public schools, 15 Catholic schools and 21 independent schools. 39,492 students were enrolled in schools around the Territory with 29,175 in public schools, and 9,882 in independent schools. The Northern Territory has about 4,000 full-time teachers.
Tertiary
The Northern Territory has one university. Northern Territory University (now called Charles Darwin University) enrolled its first student in 1987. Charles Darwin UniversityCharles Darwin University
Charles Darwin University is an Australian public university with about 20,000 students in 2007.The University offers a wide range of Higher Education degrees and Vocational Education and Training courses with flexible study options, including part-time, external and online.CDU has campuses in the...
had about 19,000 students enrolled: about 5500 higher education students and about 13500 students on vocational education and training (VET) courses. The first tertiary institution in the territory was the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education provides training and further education , and higher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is based in Batchelor, Northern Territory in Australia...
(established in mid 1960s).
Libraries
The Northern Territory LibraryNorthern Territory Library
The Northern Territory Library is the Northern Territory's major reference and research Library, responsible for collecting, preserving and providing access to the Territory’s documentary heritage and connecting people to the world of information. The library is located in Parliament House in the...
is the Territory's research and reference library. It is responsible for collecting and preserving the Northern Territory documentary heritage and making it available through a range of programs and services. Material in the collection includes books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, pictures, objects, sound and video recordings and databases.
Economy
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, which is concentrated on energy producing minerals, petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and contributes around $2.5 billion to the gross state product
Gross state product
Gross state product is a measurement of the economic output of a state or province...
and employs over 4,600 people. Mining accounts for 26 per cent of the gross state product in 2006–2007 compared to just 7 per cent nationally.
The economy has continued to grow during the 2005–2006 financial year from the past two financial years. Between 2003 and 2006 the gross state product had risen from $8,670 million to $11,476 million and increase of 32.4 per cent. During the three years to 2006–2007 the Northern Territory gross state product
Gross state product
Gross state product is a measurement of the economic output of a state or province...
grew by an average annual rate of 5.5 per cent. Gross state product
Gross state product
Gross state product is a measurement of the economic output of a state or province...
per capita in the Northern Territory ($72,496) is higher than any Australian state or territory, and is also higher than the gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
per capita for Australia ($54,606). This can be attributed to the recent mining and resources boom.
The Northern Territory's exports were up 19 per cent during 2005–2006. The largest contributor to the territory's exports was: oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
(33.4 per cent), iron-ore (20. per cent), other manufacturing (5.9 per cent) and agriculture (4.9 per cent). Imports to the Northern Territory totalled $2,887.8 million which consisted of mainly machinery and equipment manufacturing (58.4 per cent) and petroleum, coal, chemical and associated product manufacturing (17.0 per cent).
The principal mining operations are bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
at Gove Peninsula
Gove Peninsula
The Gove Peninsula is at the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when an airforce base was constructed at what is now Gove Airport. The peninsula was named after Pilot Officer William Gove, who...
where the production is estimated to increase 52.1 per cent to $254 million in 2007–08. Manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
at Groote Eylandt
Groote Eylandt
Groote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northeastern Australia. It is the homeland of, and is owned by, the Anindilyakwa people who speak the isolated Anindilyakwa language)....
, production is estimated to increase 10.5 per cent to $1.1 billion which will be helped by the newly developed mines include Bootu Creek and Frances Creek. Gold is estimated to increase 21.7 per cent to $482 million at the Union Reefs plant. Uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
at Ranger Uranium Mine
Ranger Uranium Mine
The Ranger uranium mine is surrounded by Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory of Australia, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981...
.
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is one of the major industries on the Northern Territory. Iconic destinations such as Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
and Kakadu
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
make the Northern Territory a popular destination for domestic and international travellers. Diverse landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s, spectacular waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s, wide open spaces, aboriginal culture, wild and untamed wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, all create a unique opportunity for the visitor to immerse themselves in the natural wonder that the Northern Territory offers. Images of Uluru (Ayers Rock) are recognised around the world ensuring that Tourism in the Northern Territory will remain a vital component of its future. In 2005–06, 1.38 million people visited the Northern Territory. They stayed for 9.2 million nights and spent over $1.5 billion.
The territory is well known for being promoted with the slogan "You'll Never Never Know if you Never Never Go". This was implemented as a result of the Kennedy Review in 1992.
Transport
Despite its sparse population there is a network of sealed roads, including two National Highways, linking with adjoining States and connecting the major Territory population centres,and some other centres such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kakadu
Kakadu Highway
The Kakadu Highway is 209 kilometres long and extends from Pine Creek to Jabiru, entering Kakadu National Park as the highway crosses the Mary River.The highway is signed and mapped as State Route 21....
and Litchfield National Parks. The Stuart Highway, known as "The Track", runs north to south, connecting Darwin and Alice Springs to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Some of the sealed roads are single lane bitumen. Many unsealed (dirt) roads connect the more remote settlements.
The Adelaide-Darwin Railway
Adelaide-Darwin railway
The Adelaide–Darwin railway is a north-south transcontinental railway in Australia, between the cities of Adelaide, South Australia and Darwin, Northern Territory...
, a new standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
railway, connects Adelaide via Alice Springs with Darwin, replacing earlier narrow gauge railways which had a gap between Alice Springs and Birdum
Birdum, Northern Territory
Birdum was a railway settlement in the Northern Territory and the terminus of the North Australia Railway from 1929 until the outbreak of World War II....
.
The Northern Territory was one of the few remaining places in the world with no speed restrictions on public roads. Since 1 January 2007 a default speed limit of 110 km/h applies on roads outside of urban areas (Inside urban areas of 40, 50 or 60 km/h). Speeds of up to 130 km/h are permitted on some major highways, such as the Stuart Highway.
Since the introduction of a universal 130 km/h speed limit in 2006, together with the introduction of demerit (penalty) points for speeding, the Territory's road toll has risen markedly. The road toll for 2009 to 7 November, however, is under half of that for the same period in 2008 and lower than for the same period in the previous four years.
Darwin International Airport
Darwin International Airport
Darwin International Airport is the busiest airport serving the Northern Territory and the tenth busiest airport in Australia. It is the only airport serving Darwin....
is the major domestic and international airport for the territory. Several smaller airports are also scattered throughout the Territory and are served by smaller airlines; including Alice Springs Airport
Alice Springs Airport
Alice Springs Airport is a small regional airport 14 kilometres south of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia.The airport has two runways, the largest of which can accommodate a Boeing 747 or 777 landing...
, Ayers Rock Airport
Ayers Rock Airport
Ayers Rock Airport is situated near Yulara, around away from Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and 20 minutes drive from Uluru itself. An average of 400,000 passenger movements per year pass through this airport in the middle of Australia.-History:Connellan Airport was originally started by...
, Katherine Airport
RAAF Base Tindal
RAAF Base Tindal is a Royal Australian Air Force air base located near the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory. The base is currently home to No...
and Tennant Creek Airport
Tennant Creek Airport
Tennant Creek Airport is a small regional airport located near Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia.Located one kilometre from the remote outback township of Tennant Creek, the airport caters to mining companies and small predominantly Aboriginal communities in the surrounding area,...
.
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
's Northern Territory News
Northern Territory News
The Northern Territory News is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Darwin, Australia. It is a subsidiary of News Limited, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It primarily serves Darwin and the rest of the Northern Territory...
; the Centralian Advocate is circulated around the Alice Springs region twice a week. There is a Sunday tabloid newspaper, The Sunday Territorian. There are also five weekly Community Newspapers. The Northern Territory receives the national daily, The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
.
Television
Metropolitan Darwin has had five broadcast television stations:- ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Northern Territory. Produces nightly local news at 7pm. (digital & analogue) (callsign: ABDABD (TV station)ABD is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. The station was the first to go to air in Darwin, on 13 August 1971. Its studios are located in the inner city of Darwin, with analog transmitter on Blake Street and digital transmitter on Deloraine...
– Channel 6 Analogue, Channel 30 Digital) - SBSSpecial Broadcasting ServiceThe Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
Northern Territory (digital & analogue) (callsign: SBS – Channel 28 Analogue, Channel 29 Digital) - Seven NetworkSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
/Southern Cross TelevisionSouthern Cross TelevisionSouthern Cross Television, or Southern Cross, is an Australian television network available in Tasmania, Darwin, Regional South Australia, and Central Australia. Although the programming varies from region to region, all areas are affiliated with the Seven Network and, in some areas, have a dual...
Darwin. Produces weeknightly local news updates . (digital & analogue) (callsign: TNDTNDTND can mean multiple things:* Tomorrow Never Dies, James Bond 007 movie* Tunisian dinar, the ISO 4217 code for the currency of Tunisia* Traditional Neighborhood Development , a form of development associated with New Urbanism...
– Channel 34 Analogue, Channel 32 Digital) - Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
Darwin. Produces weeknightly local news from 6pm – 6.30pm. (digital & analogue) (callsign: NTD – Channel 8 Analogue, Channel 31 Digital) - Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
/Darwin Digital TelevisionDTD (TV station)Darwin Digital Television is a digital television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is jointly owned by Nine Entertainment and the Macquarie Media Group .-History:...
Darwin. Receives Ten News At FiveTen NewsTen News is the national news service of Network Ten in Australia. The majority of its news bulletins are presented from the TEN-10 studios in Pyrmont...
from ATV-10ATV-10ATV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia, part of Network Ten - one of the three major Australian commercial television networks.-History:...
in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. (digital & analogue) (callsign: DTDDTD (TV station)Darwin Digital Television is a digital television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is jointly owned by Nine Entertainment and the Macquarie Media Group .-History:...
– Channel 33 Digital)
In addition, broadcasters operate digital multichannels:
- ABC2ABC2ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
(carried by ABD) - SBS World News ChannelSBS World News ChannelThe SBS World News Channel was an Australian television channel broadcast by SBS Television that launched on 12 June 2002. The channel, that used to be only available to digital television viewers in Australia, was the first digital-only multi-channel for the Special Broadcasting Service...
(carried by SBS) - Ten HDTen HDTen HD was an Australian free-to-air television channel that launched on 16 December 2007. The channel was available to high definition digital television viewers through owned-and-operated stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth...
(carried by DTDDTD (TV station)Darwin Digital Television is a digital television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is jointly owned by Nine Entertainment and the Macquarie Media Group .-History:...
) - Nine HDNine HDNine HD was an Australian television channel, owned by Nine Entertainment Co., that launched on 17 March 2008. The channel was available to high definition digital television viewers in metropolitan and regional areas through a number of owned-and-operated and affiliate stations...
(carried by NTD)
Regional Northern Territory has a similar availability of stations.
Imparja Television
Imparja Television
Imparja Television is an Australian television network servicing remote eastern and central Australia, that began broadcasting on 2 January 1988. It is based in Alice Springs, where it has a studio and satellite uplink facility. Notably, it is controlled by Australian Aborigines through ownership...
is produced from Alice Springs and is available throughout most of the Northern Territory.
Radio
Darwin has radio stations on both AM and FM frequencies. ABC stations include ABC NewsRadioABC NewsRadio
ABC NewsRadio is an Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio service devoted to delivering live and 24-hour news updates and information. The service is available on a number of broadcasts right around Australia, including AM/FM radio, some pay-TV platforms and online via the Internet.Originally...
(102.5FM), 105.7 ABC Darwin
105.7 ABC Darwin
105.7 ABC Darwin is an ABC radio station which is located in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is one of the stations in the ABC Local Radio network and broadcasts on 105.7MHz on the FM dial...
(8DDD 105.7FM), ABC Radio National (657AM), ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM
ABC Classic FM is a classical music radio station available in Australia, and internationally online. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established in 1976 as "ABC-FM", and later for a short time was known as "ABC Fine Music" , before adopting its current name...
(107.3FM) and Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
(103.3FM). The 2 commercial stations are: Mix 104.9 (8MIX), Hot 100 (8HOT)
The leading community stations are 104.1 Territory FM
104.1 Territory FM
104.1 Territory FM is a community radio station based in Darwin, Australia. Territory FM broadcasts a broad range of adult contemporary music from the Casuarina campus of Charles Darwin University...
and Radio Larrakia
Radio Larrakia
Radio Larrakia is an Aboriginal community radio station in Darwin, Northern Territory with a broadcast range that reaches Jabiru....
(8KNB).
The radio stations in Alice Springs are also broadcast on the AM and FM frequencies. ABC stations include Triple J (94.9FM), ABC Classic FM (97.9FM), 783 ABC Alice Springs
783 ABC Alice Springs
783 ABC Alice Springs is the ABC Local Radio station in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. It broadcasts on 783 kHz on the AM band.-External links:* ABC Alice Springs Online...
(783AM) and ABC Radio National (99.7FM). There are two community stations in the town--CAAMA (100.5FM) and 8CCC (102.1FM). The commercial stations, which are both owned by the same company are Sun 96.9
Sun 96.9
Sun 96.9 FM is Alice Springs only local commercial radio station on the FM frequency.The station broadcasts from its premises on the Stuart Highway just outside Alice Springs with nightly, syndicated broadcasts from a local pub, Bojangles....
(96.9FM) and 8HA
8HA
8HA is a radio station based in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. It broadcasts on the medium wave radio band, at a frequency of 900 kHz.It also broadcasts on radio channel 42 on the Optus Aurora satellite service on Optus C1....
(900AM). Two additional stations, Territory FM (98.7FM) and Radio TAB
Radio TAB
Radio TAB is operated by UNITAB Limited, which operates the Totalisator Agency Board's based in Queensland, South Australia and Northern Territory...
(95.9FM) are syndicated from Darwin and Brisbane respectively.
See also
- DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
- Crime in the Northern TerritoryCrime in the Northern TerritoryDarwin has per capita the highest crime rate of any Australian city, while Alice Springs has the second highest crime rate of any Australian city...
- Northern Territory PoliceNorthern Territory PoliceThe Northern Territory Police is the police body that has legal jurisdiction over the Northern Territory of Australia. This police service has 1302 gazetted police positions made up of 55 Senior Sergeants, 200 Sergeants, 741 Constables, 159 Auxiliaries, and 84 Aboriginal Community Police Officers...
Lists:
- Highways in the Northern Territory
- Australian Aboriginal Prehistoric SitesAustralian Aboriginal Prehistoric SitesThis is a list of Australian Aboriginal prehistoric sites.Key:* BGS = Below Ground Surface* C14 = Radiocarbon date* char. = charcoal* OSL = Optical Stimulated Thermoluminescence* AA = Australian Archaeology-References:...
Towns in the Northern Territory
Cities in the Northern Territory
- Local Government Areas of the Northern TerritoryLocal Government Areas of the Northern TerritoryThe local government areas of the Northern Territory, Australia are the areas for which particular Local Government authorities, generally known as "Councils" have the responsibility to provide local government services...
External links
- Northern Territory Government of Australia
- Northern Territory Visitor's Guide
- Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007
- Intervention Program in Indigenous communities and town camps
- Northern Territory Weather and Warnings Summary from the Bureau of Meteorology
- Northern-Territory Northern Territory Climate
- Northern Territory economy/mining
- Northern Territory Education
- Report on NT Education
- Northern Territory Universities
- Northern Territory Population estimates June 2007
- June 2007 NT population estimates