Murray Island, Torres Strait

Murray Island

Native name: Mer
A satellite image of Murray Island
A map of the Torres Strait Islands showing Mer in the northeastern waters of Torres Strait
Geography
Location	Northern Australia
Coordinates	9°55′S 144°3′E / 9.917°S 144.050°E / -9.917; 144.050Coordinates: 9°55′S 144°3′E / 9.917°S 144.050°E / -9.917; 144.050
Archipelago	Torres Strait Islands
Adjacent bodies of water	Torres Strait
Total islands	3
Major islands	1
Area	4.29 km2 (1.66 sq mi)
Highest elevation	234 m (768 ft)
Highest point	Gelam Paser
Administration
Australia
State	Queensland
Regional Authority	Torres Strait Regional Authority
Local Government Area	Torres Strait Island Region
Demographics
Population	485 (2006 census)

Murray Island, also called Mer in the native Meriam language, is a small island of volcanic origin, the most easterly inhabited island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, just north of the Great Barrier Reef. The island is populated by the Melanesian Meriam people, which has a population of around 485 as of 2006 census. The Murray Group comprises three islands: Mer, Dauar and Waier.

There are eight Meriam clans: Komet, Zagareb, Meuram, Magaram, Geuram, Peibre, Meriam-Samsep, Piadram, and Dauer Meriam. The organisation of the island is based on the traditional laws of boundary and ownership. Administrative control of the island rest with the Torres Strait Regional Authority.

Murray Island, located in the eastern section of Torres Strait, is a basaltic island formed from an extinct volcano, which was last active over a million years ago. It formed as a result when the Indo-Australian Plate slid over the East Australia hotspot. The island rises to a plateau 80 metres (260 ft) above mean sea level.

The highest point of the island is the 230-metre (750 ft) Gelam Paser, the western end of the volcano crater. The island has red fertile soil and is covered in dense vegetation. The island has a tropical climate with a wet and dry season.

Murray Island has been inhabited for around 2800 years, the first settlers being Papuo-Austronesians who brought agriculture and pot making with them. Regular contact between the inhabitants of Torres Strait (including Murray Island, known by the Meriam people as Mer Island), Europeans, Asians and other outsiders began once the Torres Strait became a means of passage between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in the 19th Century.