Ashmore and Cartier Islands

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Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Flag of Australia
flag
Official language English
Form of government Australian outskirts
Head of state , also head of government Elizabeth II
surface 235 km²
population 0
Time zone UTC +8
Internet TLD no own
Ashmore and Cartier Islands in its region.svg
Ashmore.png

The Ashmore and Cartier Islands [ æʃmɔːɹ- ] ( English Ashmore and Cartier Islands) are an Australian outer area and consist of a collection of small sand islands and reefs . They are located in the Indian Ocean about 320 kilometers from the northwest coast of Australia and 144 kilometers from the Indonesian island of Roti . The islands and reefs are uninhabited.

geography

The territory includes the Ashmore Islands (also called Ashmore Reef), consisting of three sand islets (West, Middle and East Iceland ), two lagoons (Inner Lagoon and Eastern Lagoon) and a reef, and the one 60 kilometers to the southeast Cartier Island . The total area of ​​the area (including the reefs and lagoons) is approximately 235 km²; less than 1 km² of this is dry land. The Hibernia Reef , 40 kilometers northeast of Ashmore, is not one of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands.

history

The Ashmore Islands were annexed to Great Britain in 1878 and Cartier Island in 1909. The uninhabited islands officially came under Australian control on July 23, 1931; however, the act was not implemented until May 10, 1934. In 1938 the Ashmore and Cartier Islands became part of the Northern Territory . In July 1978, the islands became independent as "Ashmore and Cartier Islands Territory", but under the state administration of the "Department of Home Affairs" based in the Australian capital Canberra.

The Ashmor Islands are within the Australia migration zone . This means that anlandende boat people on Flüchlingsbooten not apply for asylum in Australia you ask questions and they in immigration detention in Australia are set.

Wildlife and environmental protection

The Ashmore Reef is inhabited by large numbers of birds and fish. Due to the special biodiversity of the reef, it was declared a national nature reserve on August 16, 1983 . Indonesia has made claims over the Ashmore Reef area. Australia has closed the waters altogether for Indonesian fishermen and, according to a Memorandum of Understanding of November 1974, only allows partial access to the West Island in order to receive drinking water, to visit the graves of their ancestors or to find shelter. Australia has expanded the marine reserve there to the Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve and Cartier Island Marine Reserve .

raw materials

The latest geological investigations have shown promising indications of oil deposits .

Web links

Commons : Ashmore and Cartier Islands  - collection of images, videos, and audio files
Wikimedia Atlas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands  - geographical and historical maps

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Regional.gov.au : Ashmore and Cartier Islands , in English, accessed May 8, 2015
  2. ↑ Ashmore Reef & Cartier Island ( memento September 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) on oceandots.com (English), accessed May 8, 2015

Coordinates: 12 ° 20 ′  S , 123 ° 10 ′  E