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Background:
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Scattered
over some 1 million square kilometers of ocean, the
Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia
in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small
meteorological staff on the Willis Islets. Automated
weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many
other islands and reefs. |
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Location:
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Oceania,
islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 00 S,
152 00 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania
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Area:
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total:
less than 3 sq km
land: less than 3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes numerous small islands and reefs
scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km, with
the Willis Islets the most important |
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Area - comparative:
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NA |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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3,095 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical
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Terrain:
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sand and
coral reefs and islands (or cays) |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6
m |
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Natural resources:
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NEGL |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km
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Natural hazards:
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occasional tropical cyclones |
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Environment - current issues:
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no
permanent fresh water resources |
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Geography - note:
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important
nesting area for birds and turtles |
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Population:
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no
indigenous inhabitants
note: there is a staff of three to four at the
meteorological station (2005 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands |
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Dependency status:
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territory
of Australia; administered from Canberra by the
Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories
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Legal system:
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the laws
of Australia, where applicable, apply |
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Executive branch:
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administered from Canberra by the Department of the
Environment, Sport, and Territories |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
(territory of Australia) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none
(territory of Australia) |
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Flag description:
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the flag
of Australia is used |
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Economy - overview:
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no
economic activity |
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Communications - note:
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there are
automatic weather stations on many of the isles and
reefs relaying data to the mainland |
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Ports and harbors:
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none;
offshore anchorage only |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by
the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over
the activities of visitors |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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