Coral Sea Islands
The Coral Sea Islands, officially known as the Australian Coral Sea Islands Territory, comprise a group of islands and reefs located in the South Pacific Ocean. This external territory of Australia extends east and south from the Great Barrier Reef, encompassing a total area of approximately seven square kilometers amidst a vast oceanic region. Most of the islands are uninhabited, with Willis Island being the sole exception, where a small team of meteorologists operates a weather station. The islands support a diverse range of wildlife, including significant populations of seabirds and sea turtles, and are protected under Australian wildlife regulations.
Governed by the Attorney-General's Department, the territory has a complex legal history, officially becoming part of Australia in 1969 through the Coral Sea Islands Act. The islands feature tropical climates and are susceptible to tropical cyclones, with Cyclone Yasi in 2011 notably impacting Willis Island. Although there is no permanent economic activity on the islands, recreational fishing and diving occur in the surrounding waters. The Coral Sea Islands serve as vital nesting sites for various marine species, highlighting their ecological importance in the region.
Coral Sea Islands
Officially known as the Australian Coral Sea Islands Territory, the Coral Sea Islands are a group of islands and reefs located in the South Pacific Ocean. They are an external territory of Australia made up of several small islands spread over a vast area that extends east and south from the Great Barrier Reef, which is located on the north-eastern shore of Queensland. While the number of islands in the territory is large, the total area of all the islands only amounts to roughly seven square kilometres. This land consists of coral reefs and sand cays. All of the islands besides one are uninhabited, but they are home to a significant array of seabirds and at least two types of sea turtles. The Coral Sea itself is home to an immense ecosystem.
The Coral Sea Islands became a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia through the Coral Sea Islands Act 1969. The Australian Attorney-General's Department governs the territory. All of the wildlife in the territory is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Regulations. Three nature reserves operate in the territory: the Lihou Reef, the Coringea-Herald Nature Reserve and the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve. Willis Island is the only inhabited island is the territory, with employees of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology working there to study the weather. Several other islands and reefs in the territory contain unmanned weather stations and beacons, as well as one lighthouse, which is also on Willis Island.
The federal judges of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island, a nearby Australian island, has criminal jurisdiction in the territory, whose laws are the same as in the Australian Capital Territory. Australian Commonwealth laws apply in the territory only when they are clearly expressed to extend there. The laws that do extend to the territory also apply to the twelve-mile territorial sea around each island. An appointed governor-general oversees the territory.
Historical Perspective
It was historically believed that the islands and reefs that make up the Coral Sea Islands Territory were British possessions since British explorer Captain James Cook's annexation of Australia's east coast and nearby islands on 22 August 1770. In 1803 the islands were surveyed for the first time. The islands were visited frequently in the late nineteenth century, when sailors ventured onto the land to harvest seabird guano. The manned weather station on Willis Island was established in 1921, making it the only inhabited island in the territory.
Interest in the territory grew significantly in the 1930s, along with its economic value, when Japanese fishermen increased their activity in the area. This drew interest from France and Germany and led to the development of a trans-oceanic air service. The UK and Australian governments were involved in several exchanges from 1930 to 1968 concerning ownership of the islands and reefs. In 1968, the UK government acknowledged Australia's administration and control over the region. The Coral Sea Islands Act 1969 made the Coral Sea Islands Territory an Australian external territory. This act was amended in 1997 to extend the boundaries of the territory to include the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs. The Coral Sea Islands Territory is Australia's only external territory that was neither transferred to the country by the United Kingdom nor administered by it under a mandate or trusteeship agreement.
Geography and Climate
The total territory of the Coral Sea Islands measures roughly 780,000 square kilometres, stretching east and south from Australia's Great Barrier Reef. While most of the territory is water, there are also some thirty separate reefs and atolls that vary in size and all have low elevations. The islands are very small, and their total area is only about seven square kilometres. Some islands' elevation is so low that they are completely submerged during high tide. The highest elevation on an island within the territory is six metres on Cato Island. Some other small islands and reefs include Heralds Beacon Island, Osprey Reef, the Willis Group and fifteen other groups. The unindustrialised and uninhabited condition of the islands that make up the Willis Islets makes them important nesting areas for various sea turtles and seabirds, including masked boobies.
The climate of the Coral Sea Islands is tropical. Tropical cyclones occur frequently, as do months of hot, still weather. A category 5 tropical cyclone named Cyclone Yasi struck the islands on 2 February 2011 and was so powerful it altered the shape of Willis Island. The weather station on Willis Island recorded wind speeds of 185 kilometres per hour.
Economy
There is no economic activity taking place in the Coral Sea Islands Territory. None of the islands or reefs is used for agriculture. There is a great deal of chartered fishing and diving in the territory, but the revenue brought in by these activities is incalculable for the territory.
Demographics
There are no permanently inhabited islands in the Coral Sea Islands Territory. Willis Island, where the manned weather station is located, is the only island that has people living on it at any time. The weather station has a staff of about three to four meteorologists, including an officer in charge and a technical officer who live on the island. These men and women also monitor the weather beacons spread around the islands. The information collected from these tools is then relayed to the Australian mainland.
Bibliography
"Coral Sea Islands." CIA, The World Factbook, 15 May 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/coral-sea-islands/. Accessed 12 June 2024.
"Coral Sea Islands." Geoscience Australia, Australian Government, www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/remote-offshore-territories/coral-sea-islands. Accessed 12 June 2024.
"Coral Sea Islands." Encyclopaedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2008, www.britannica.com/place/Coral-Sea-Islands. Accessed 12 June 2024.
McCalman, Iain. The Reef: A Passionate History: The Great Barrier Reef from Captain Cook to Climate Change. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.
Moran, Michael. Beyond the Coral Sea: Travels in the Old Empires of the South-West Pacific.Flamingo, 2004.