Northern Territory
Territory of north-central Australia, bounded on the north by the
Timor and Arafura seas, on the east by Queensland, on the south
by South Australia, and on the west by Western Australia
Area:
1,346,200 sq km/519,770 sq mi
Capital:
Darwin
Towns and Cities:
Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Humpty Doo
Features:
Macdonnell Ranges (Mount Zeil 1,525 m/5,003 ft); Arnhem Land; Kakadu
National Park, with 50,000-60,000-year-old rock paintings of animals,
birds, and fish; Ayers Rock, the largest monolith in the world;
Northern Territory University
Products:
Beef, bauxite, gold, copper, uranium, manganese, tropical fruits, fish
Population:
(1996) 195,100
Physical
Northern Territory includes several offshore islands,
principally, Melville, Bathurst, Croker, Groote Eylandt, and Wessel.
The 1,675 km/1,041 mi long coastline is low and flat, seldom reaching
a height of 30 m/100 ft. The sandy beaches and mud flats are thickly
fringed with mangroves. The coastline is indented with bays and inlets
and the estuaries of numerous rivers, including the River Roper, Victoria
River, Daly River, and East Alligator River. Inland the terrain rises
gently southwards to the 18th parallel of latitude, where higher land
forms the watershed between the rivers flowing north towards the sea,
and those forming the scanty supply of the interior systems. Further
south, towards the centre of the continent, the land is higher and there
are several mountain ranges, generally running in an east-west direction,
principally the Macdonnell Ranges, whose highest peak is Mount Zeil
(1,510 m/4,956 ft). The Simpson Desert lies in the southeast corner
of the territory.
Climate
About four-fifths of Northern Territory lies within the tropics, and
has a monsoonal climate, with most rain falling in the period
December- March (the wet season). Average annual rainfall varies
from 1,650 mm/ 65 in Darwin to 430 mm/17 in at Tennant Creek.
The average minimum temperature in this part of the state is 16ºC/61ºF
and the average maximum is 35ºC/95ºF. The one-fifth of the state
which does not lie within the tropics has a minimum temperature
below freezing, and a maximum above 40ºC/104ºF, and the average
annual rainfall is 280 mm/ 11 in.
Economy
The main economic activities are cattle-raising, mining, and tourism.
The chief beef cattle areas are the Alice Springs, Barkly Tableland,
and Victoria River districts. The beef industry has grown in importance
since the 1960s because of better disease control, pasture management,
and export abattoirs at Darwin and Katherine. Buffalo, camel,
crocodile, pigs, poultry, deer, ostrich, and emu are also raised.
The sheep industry, however, is of minor importance and is confined
to the Alice Springs area. Tropical fruits (especially mangoes),
peanuts, pineapples, and bananas are grown, and there is a small
crop industry which produces legumes and tropical grains.
Tourism
Tourism makes a major contribution to the economy of Northern Territory.
Many visitors are attracted to the national parks, especially
Kakadu National Park, Litchfield National Park, Uluru National
Park (the site of Ayers Rock), and the West Macdonnell National
Park. Both on the mainland and on the Tiwi (Bathurst and Melville)
Islands, there are tourist ventures, owned and operated by Aboriginal
people, which focus on Aboriginal culture.
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