Northern Territory
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What is the Northern Territory?
The Northern Territory is a self-governing territory in the northern part of Australia. It is bounded by the Timor and Arafura seas to the north, Western Australia to the west, Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the east, and South Australia to the south.
The Northern Territory occupies more than one-sixth of the Australian landmass and is approximately 1,000 miles from north to south and 600 miles from east to west. The north is largely tropical, while the far south is semiarid. The population was 232,605 in 2021 and is one of the country's fastest-growing. Most residents are concentrated in and around the capital city, Darwin. Aboriginal people have lived in the Northern Territory for at least 40,000 years.
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Where is the Northern Territory located in Australia?
The Northern Territory is a self-governing territory in Australia, occupying the central section of the northern part of the continent. It is bounded to the north by the Timor and Arafura seas, to the west by Western Australia, to the east by Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria, and to the south by South Australia. The Northern Territory extends approximately 1,000 miles from north to south and 600 miles from east to west, covering more than one-sixth of the Australian landmass. The area is largely tropical in the north and semiarid in the far south.
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What is the capital city of the Northern Territory?
The capital of the Northern Territory (NT) is Darwin. Darwin is the Northern Territory's chief port, located on a peninsula at the entrance to Port Darwin. The city serves as a service center for the developing pastoral and mining hinterland and is economically dependent on government business, fruit growing, and the export of cattle and uranium ore. Darwin is one of the most modern cities in Australia, rebuilt after bombings in World War II and after being damaged by Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
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What is the climate like in the Northern Territory?
The Northern Territory has a monsoonal climate, marked by two distinct seasons: a wet summer from November to April and a dry winter from May to October. Precipitation is highly variable, with most rainfall occurring in the summer. The annual rainfall ranges from 60 inches (1,525 mm) in the north to only 5 inches (130 mm) in the southeast. The climate is hot, and the north experiences uncomfortable humidity for eight months of the year. Average temperatures in Darwin range from 84 °F (29 °C) in January to 77 °F (25 °C) in July, while Alice Springs sees temperatures from 83 °F (28 °C) in January to 53 °F (12 °C) in July. The northern region is frost-free, but tropical cyclones can occur during the wet season.
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Who are the traditional owners or Indigenous peoples of the Northern Territory?
The Northern Territory is home to many Aboriginal groups who have retained their traditional clan structure, languages, customs, and religious rituals, especially in rural areas.
Because the Aboriginal peoples had no common language, their songs, chants, legends, and stories constituted rich oral literature, and these creations were enormously diverse.
In January 1971, the federal government acknowledged Aboriginal people's rights to their own language and culture. Five years later, the government passed the Land Rights Act, intended to return up to half the Northern Territory to its original owners. Some national parks, such as Kakadu and Uluru–Kata Tjuta, are managed by the federal government’s Parks Australia North agency with the traditional Aboriginal owners.
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What are some unique natural features or landmarks in the Northern Territory?
The Northern Territory is home to several unique natural features and landmarks.
Kakadu National Park is known for its diverse landscapes, including the Arnhem Land plateau and escarpment, called "Stone Country," and the floodplains of the Alligator Rivers. The park is also home to thousands of Aboriginal rock art sites, some up to 20,000 years old.
Uluru/Ayers Rock is a red, ovoid monolith rising to an elevation of 2,844 feet. About 200 miles southwest of Alice Springs are the MacDonnell Ranges, where Mount Zeil, the territory's highest point, reaches 4,957 feet. Also nearby is Mount Olga, which is the peak of Kata Tjuta, a group of some 30 monoliths and domes.
The Simpson Desert, with its dunes and ridges of red sand, lies in the territory’s southeastern corner. To the north of the desert lies the Barkly Tableland, a grassy upland with an average elevation of 1,000 feet.
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News •
Northern Territory, self-governing territory of Australia, occupying the central section of the northern part of the continent.
The Northern Territory is bounded by the Timor and Arafura seas to the north and by Western Australia to the west, Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the east, and South Australia to the south. It is approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from north to south and 600 miles (970 km) from east to west and occupies more than one-sixth of the Australian landmass. It is largely tropical in the north and semiarid in the far south.
- Capital:
- Darwin
- Population:
- (2021) 232,605
- Date Of Admission:
- 1911
- Territorial Bird:
- wedge-tailed eagle
- Territorial Flower:
- Sturt’s desert rose
- Seats In Federal House Of Representatives:
- 2 (of 151)
- Time Zone:
- Australian Central Standard Time (GMT + 9:30)
- Total Area1 (Sq Km):
- 1,349,129
- Total Area1 (Sq Mi):
- 520,902
- Chief Minister:
- Lia Finocchiaro (Country Liberal Party)
- Mainland and island areas only; excludes coastal water.
Constitutionally, the territory was inferior in status to the states until 1978, and it had limited legislative powers until self-government was granted in that year. Its development since 1911, when it was transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia from South Australia, has been a major item of expenditure in terms of works, services, and inducements to producers to accept the risks of an uncertain physical and economic environment. The nature of the climate, the poor soils, distance from assured markets, and problems of recruiting labour have been considerable handicaps. Nevertheless, increased mining activity in the early 21st century significantly strengthened the economy. Moreover, since the end of the 20th century the population of the Northern Territory has become one of the fastest-growing in the country; most residents are concentrated in and around the capital city, Darwin. Area 520,902 square miles (1,349,129 square km). Population (2021) 232,605.
Land
Relief
The coastline is flat with low headlands and is mostly fringed with mangrove swamps. There are many offshore islands, of which Melville and Bathurst islands and Groote Eylandt (“Big Island”) are the largest. Inland from the coastal belt and the Arnhem Land plateau there is a gradual rise southward to the town of Tennant Creek on the vast plateau (1,000–2,000 feet [300–600 metres]) of ancient Precambrian rock that extends south and west into the neighbouring states. Farther south, Alice Springs is situated on an alluvial plain in the MacDonnell Ranges, where Mount Zeil reaches 4,957 feet (1,511 metres) above sea level, the highest point in the territory. There are remarkable tors (prominent rocky hills) 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Alice Springs, including Mount Olga (3,507 feet [1,069 metres]), which is the peak of Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), a group of some 30 monoliths and domes, and Uluru/Ayers Rock, a red, ovoid monolith rising to an elevation of 2,844 feet (867 metres). In the territory’s southeastern corner is the largely uninhabited Simpson Desert, which extends into the neighbouring states of Queensland and South Australia. To the north of the desert and also stretching into Queensland lies the Barkly Tableland, a grassy upland with an average elevation of 1,000 feet (300 metres).
Drainage and soils
A number of rivers, of which the Finke and the Todd are the largest, flow from the south-central ranges after rainstorms. Areas north of the Precambrian plateau are drained by some substantial rivers: the Victoria, 350 miles (565 km) long, and the Daly, 225 miles (360 km) long, flow to the Timor Sea; the Katherine flows southwest from Arnhem Land to join the Daly; the Adelaide, Mary, and South and East Alligator rivers enter Van Diemen Gulf; and the Roper and the McArthur flow east and northeast into the Gulf of Carpentaria.
More than one dozen soil types are found in the Northern Territory. Deep, earthy soils are especially common in the northern segment of the territory (a region known as the “Top End”), but they are also found in the Sturt Plateau south of the town of Katherine, in the central region near Tennant Creek, and in southern parts of the territory (i.e., central Australia—called the “Centre,” vis-à-vis the Top End). Iron-rich basaltic soils are found in the Victoria River basin, as are small tracts of soils with high concentrations of calcium carbonate. Cracking clays are prevalent in the alluvial plains of the Victoria, the coastal floodplains of the northern region, and the Barkly Tableland. The well-developed soils of the semiarid Katherine, Douglas, and Daly river regions are farmable and are considered to hold great potential for agricultural development. Highly saline soils and sands are found along the coastline. The Arnhem Land plateau and most of the southern part of the territory are too dry to cultivate, with shallow, gravelly, infertile soils. The Simpson Desert is remarkable for its dunes and ridges of red sand. Erosion is a major land-management issue in most areas of the Northern Territory.
Climate
The territory has a monsoonal climate regime with two seasons: a wet summer (November to April) and a dry winter (May to October). Precipitation is extremely variable and falls largely in summer. The change from the north, where the annual rainfall is 60 inches (1,525 mm), to the southeast, where it is only 5 inches (130 mm), reflects the diminishing influence of the northwestern monsoon and an increasing dependence on tropical thunderstorms. Only about one-third of the territory has an annual rainfall of between 15 and 40 inches (380 and 1,015 mm)—the effective limits of agricultural development. The climate is hot and, in the north, uncomfortably humid for eight months of the year. Mean temperatures at Darwin are 84 °F (29 °C) in January and 77 °F (25 °C) in July, and at Alice Springs 83 °F (28 °C) in January and 53 °F (12 °C) in July. The north is free from frosts, and tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may occur during the wet season.
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