Overview
The widely scattered Coral Sea Islands were first charted in 1803, but they were too small to host permanent human habitation. The 1870s and 1880s saw attempts at guano mining, but these were soon abandoned. The islands became an Australian territory in 1969, and the boundaries were extended in 1997. A small meteorological staff has operated on the Willis Islets since 1921, and several other islands host unmanned weather stations, beacons, and lighthouses. Much of the territory lies within national marine nature reserves.
Geography
- Location
- Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia
- Total Area
- 3 sq km less than
- Climate
- tropical
- Terrain
- sand and coral reefs and islands (cays)
- Natural Resources
- fish
- Coastline
- 3,095 km
- Land Borders
- 0 km
People & Society
- Population
- no permanent inhabitants
Government
- Legal System
- the common law system of Australia applies