Torres Strait Islands

Torres Strait Islands
Island group (pop., 1981: 6,000), in the Torres Strait.

They are inhabited by a mixture of Polynesians, Melanesians, and Aborigines. They comprise three clusters: Western (high, rocky, and barren), Central (coral), and Eastern (volcanic, with dense vegetation); each has its own local government. The islands may be remnants of a land bridge that once linked Asia and Australia. They were annexed by Queensland in the 1870s. Pearls, fishing, and tourism are the main sources of income.

* * *

▪ islands, Australia
      island group in the Torres Strait, north of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia, south of the island of New Guinea. They comprise dozens of islands scattered over some 18,500 square miles (48,000 square km) of water and organized into four clusters: Top Western (low and alluvial, near New Guinea); Western (high, rocky, and barren, the largest being Prince of Wales Island); Central (coral); and Eastern (volcanic, with dense vegetation). Generally rich in offshore coral growth and marine fauna, the islands may be remnants of a land bridge that once linked Asia and Australia. They have been inhabited for at least 2,500 years. The present-day inhabitants are primarily of Melanesian origin, with some mixture of Polynesians and Southeast Asians.

      Although the Spanish navigator Luis Vaez de Torres sailed through the islands in 1606, they did not become well known until the late 18th century, when fishermen came to hunt for mother-of-pearl shell and bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber). The islands were annexed by Queensland in 1879. At that time, the inhabitants were deprived of their landowning rights. They gained Australian citizenship in 1967. Efforts by islanders to regain their land rights resulted in a lawsuit (popularly called the Mabo case for Eddie Mabo, the first-named plaintiff) brought by several individuals that was won in the High Court of Australia in 1992; subsequent cases were also settled in favour of other groups of islanders. In 1994 the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) was established in response to the push for growing local autonomy.

      Each island cluster has its own local government and sends representatives to a central council of the TSRA on Thursday Island. Pearl shelling, pearl culture, fishing, and tourism are the main sources of income. With the decline in demand for pearl shell, some of the population has moved to mainland Australia. Pop. (2006) 8,576.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Torres Strait Islands — The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia s Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They are part of Queensland, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait Islands — Îles du Détroit de Torrès 9°52′49″S 142°35′26″E / 9.88028, 142.59056 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Torres Strait Islands Regional Council — Infobox Australian Place | type = lga name = Torres Strait Islands Region state = qld caption = pop = 4,298 (2006 census) area = 491.1 est = 2008 seat = Thursday Island mayor = Cr Fred Gela region = Far North Queensland logosize = url = stategov …   Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait Islands — Karte der Inseln. Thursday Island mit Ansiedlung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait Islands — plural noun a number of islands located in Torres Strait, inhabited by people of Melanesian origin. –Torres Strait Islander, noun, adjective …  

  • List of Torres Strait Islands — Map of all coordinates from Google Map of all coordinates from Bing Export all coordinates as KML …   Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait — The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately 150 km wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the …   Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait Islanders — Infobox Ethnic group group = Torres Strait Islanders flag caption =The Torres Strait Islander Flag population = 48,000 languages = see Torres Strait Island languages religions = see Christianity related = Indigenous Australians, Papuans footnotes …   Wikipedia

  • Torres-Strait — Satellitenbild der Meerenge zwischen der Kap York Halbinsel und Neuguinea Die Torres Straße (auch Straße von Torres) ist eine Meerenge zwischen der nordostaustralischen Halbinsel Cape York und der Südküste von Neuguinea, genauer der Western… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait — Satellitenbild der Meerenge zwischen der Kap York Halbinsel und Neuguinea Die Torres Straße (auch Straße von Torres) ist eine Meerenge zwischen der nordostaustralischen Halbinsel Cape York und der Südküste von Neuguinea, genauer der Western… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”