Northern Territory

A territory of northern Australia west of Queensland. Colonized by the British after the 1830s, the Northern Territory remains very sparsely populated. Darwin is the capital and largest city.

Northern Territory

n (Placename) an administrative division of N central Australia, on the Timor and Arafura Seas: the Arunta Desert lies in the east, the Macdonnell Ranges in the south, and Arnhem Land in the north (containing Australia's largest Aboriginal reservation); the Ashmore and Cartier Islands constitute a separate Australian External Territory. Capital: Darwin. Pop: 233 300 (2012 est). Area: 1 347 525 sq km (520 280 sq miles)

North′ern Ter′ritory

n. a territory in N Australia. 173,878; 523,620 sq. mi. (1,356,175 sq. km). Cap.: Darwin.

Thesaurus

Noun

Northern Territory - a territory in north central AustraliaAustralia, Commonwealth of Australia - a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colonyDarwin - provincial capital of the Northern Territory of Australia

Northern Territory

Northern Territory,

territory (2016 pop. 228,833), 520,280 sq mi (1,347,525 sq km), N central Australia. It is bounded on the N by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea, and the Gulf of Carpentaria. DarwinDarwin,
city (2016 pop. 78,804), capital of the Northern Territory, N Australia, on Port Darwin, an inlet of the Timor Sea. Remotely situated on the sparsely settled north coast, Darwin had no rail connection with any of the major Australian cities until 2003, when the line to
..... Click the link for more information. is the territorial capital. In the north are lowlands, in the W central region is the Tanami Desert, in the southeast are low plains sloping toward the Kati Thandi–Lake Eyre depression, and in the southwest are the MacDonnell Ranges. The main rivers are the Victoria, Daly, Adelaide, and Roper, all of which drain into the northern seas. The climate in the north is tropical, with a monsoon season; the south becomes colder and drier as the elevation rises.

About three fourths of the population live in the Darwin and Alice Springs metropolitan areas. Australian aboriginesAustralian aborigines,
indigenous peoples of Australia. The first modern humans in Australia probably came from somewhere in Asia more than 40,000 years ago, most likely sometime between 55,000 and 100,000 years ago. Genetic evidence also suggests that c.
..... Click the link for more information. make up about a fourth of the Northern Territory's population and own the land of 15 reservations with a total area of 94,000 sq mi (243,460 sq km); the Arnhem LandArnhem Land,
37,100 sq mi (96,089 sq km), N Northern Territory, Australia, on a wide peninsula W of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The great majority of the region belongs to the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve, the largest aboriginal reservation in Australia.
..... Click the link for more information. preserve is the largest. Much of this land is important to the uranium mining and tourist industries.

The territory's economic development has been accelerating in recent years. Gold is worked to a small extent; uranium, bauxite, manganese, iron, lead, and zinc deposits are increasingly exploited. Stockbreeding, encouraged by government development projects, is the major rural activity. There is very little farming in the territory. Peanuts, pearl shell, and trepang are the principal exports.

Northern Territory's first settlement was established at Port Essington in 1824 in an attempt to forestall French colonization. The settlement failed, and permanent settlement did not resume until 1869. Northern Territory was part of New South Wales from 1825 to 1863 and of South Australia from 1863 to 1911. Transferred to direct rule by the commonwealth in 1911, it was divided into two territories in 1926 but was reunited in 1931.

In 1974 the commonwealth-appointed Legislative Council was replaced by a fully elected Legislative Assembly, and in 1978 full self-goverment was granted to the territory. In the 1990s statehood became a prominent political issue, but statehood was rejected in a 1998 referendum. Also politically important in recent years has been the issue of the treatment of and opportunities for the aboriginal population. Adam Giles, who became chief minister of the territory in 2013, was the first aborigine to head a state-level Australian government. The Northern Territory elects a member with full voting rights to the Australian House of Representatives.

Northern Territory

a territory in northern Australia, administered by the federal government. Area, 1.4 million sq km. Population, 97,000 (1973), approximately one-fourth of which consists of aborigines. The city of Darwin is the capital and principal seaport; it has an international airport.

Most of the Northern Territory consists of a tableland, composed chiefly of sandstone and limestone and with elevations of 200 to 300 m. The climate in the north is of the tropical monsoon type, and in the south, of the desert type. The territory is sparsely populated and largely undeveloped.

The Northern Territory’s economy is based on mining and stock raising. Manganese ore is mined on the island of Groote Eylandt (1.1 million tons in 1972), and the Northern Territory accounts for 92 percent of Australia’s total output. Copper is mined at Rum Jungle, and bauxites, on Gove Peninsula. Gold, copper and iron ores, tin, and silver are also mined. Cattle (1.2 million head in 1973) are the chief form of livestock raised; meat is produced (15,400 tons). Peanuts, sorghum, bananas, oranges, and vegetables are cultivated.

Northern Territory

an administrative division of N central Australia, on the Timor and Arafura Seas: includes Ashmore and Cartier Islands; the Arunta Desert lies in the east, the Macdonnell Ranges in the south, and Arnhem Land in the north (containing Australia's largest Aboriginal reservation). Capital: Darwin. Pop.: 198 700 (2003 est.). Area: 1 347 525 sq. km (520 280 sq. miles)

Northern Territory

Northern Territory

Northern Territory

North′ern Ter′ritory

Northern Territory

Northern Territory,

Northern Territory

Northern Territory

Northern Territory

Words related to Northern Territory

noun a territory in north central Australia

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