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Northern territory

Northern Territory
alt text for flag alt text for coat of arms
Flag Coat of arms
Slogan or nickname The Territory;
The Top End
Map of Australia with the Northern Territory highlighted
Other Australian states and territories
Coordinates 20°S 133°E / 20°S 133°E / -20; 133Coordinates: 20°S 133°E / 20°S 133°E / -20; 133
Capital city Darwin
Demonym Northern Territorian, Territorian
Government Constitutional monarchy
 • Administrator John Hardy
 • Chief Minister Michael Gunner (ALP)
Australian territory  
 • Established by NSW 1825
 • Transferred to South Australia 1862
 • Transferred to Commonwealth 1911
 • Dissolved 1927
 • Reformed 1931
 • Responsible
   government
1978
Area  
 • Total 1,420,970 km² (3rd)
548,640 sq mi
 • Land 1,349,129 km²
520,902 sq mi
 • Water 71,839 km² (5.06%)
27,737 sq mi
Population
(2016)
 
 • Population 244,000 (8th)
 • Density 0.18/km² (8th)
0.5 /sq mi
Elevation  
 • Highest point Mount Zeil
1,531 m (5,023 ft)
Gross territorial product
(2014–15)
 
 • Product ($m) $22,450 (8th)
 • Product per capita $92,107 (2nd)
Time zone(s) UTC+9:30 (ACST)
(does not observe DST)
Federal representation  
 • House seats 2/150
 • Senate seats 2/76
Abbreviations  
 • Postal NT
 • ISO 3166-2 AU-NT
Emblems  
 • Floral Sturt's desert rose
(Gossypium sturtianum)
 • Animal Red kangaroo
(Macropus rufus)
 • Bird Wedge-tailed eagle
(Aquila audax)
 • Colours Black, white, and ochre
Website www.nt.gov.au

The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT) is a federal Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. It shares borders with Western Australia to the west (129th meridian east), South Australia to the south (26th parallel south), and Queensland to the east (138th meridian east). To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Despite its large area—over 1,349,129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the third largest Australian federal division—it is sparsely populated. The Northern Territory's population of 244,000 (2016) makes it the least populous of Australia's eight major states and territories, having fewer than half as many people as Tasmania.

The archaeological history of the Northern Territory begins over 40,000 years ago when Indigenous Australians settled the region. Makassan traders began trading with the indigenous people of the Northern Territory for trepang from at least the 18th century onwards. The coast of the territory was first seen by Europeans in the 17th century. The British were the first Europeans to attempt to settle the coastal regions. After three failed attempts to establish a settlement (1824–1828, 1838–1849, and 1864–66), success was achieved in 1869 with the establishment of a settlement at Port Darwin. Today the economy is based on tourism, especially Kakadu National Park in the Top End and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock) in central Australia, and mining.


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