1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical
Coastline
3,095 km
Comparative area
undetermined
Disputes
none
Environment
subject to occasional tropical cyclones; no permanent fresh water; important nesting area for birds and turtles
Exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Land area
less than 3 km2; includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 1 million km2, with Willis Islets the most important
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other, mostly grass or scrub cover 100%; Lihou Reef Reserve and Coringa-Herald Reserve were declared National Nature Reserves on 3 August 1982
Natural resources
negligible
Note
the islands are located just off the northeast coast of Australia in the Coral Sea
Terrain
sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)
Territorial sea
3 nm
Total area
less than 3 km2
People and Society
Population
3 meteorologists (1992)
Government
Capital
none; administered from Canberra, Australia
Flag
the flag of Australia is used
Long-form name
Coral Sea Islands Territory
Type
territory of Australia administered by the Minister for Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism, and Territories Roslyn KELLY
Economy
Overview
no economic activity
Communications
Ports
none; offshore anchorages only
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors