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Coordinates: 20°0′S, 133°0′E

Northern Territory

Flag Coat of Arms
Slogan or Nickname: The Territory, The NT, The Top End
Motto(s): none
Other Australian states and territories
Capital	Darwin
Government	Constitutional monarchy
Administrator	Ted Egan
Chief Minister	Paul Henderson (ALP)
Federal representation
- House seats	2
- Senate seats	2
Gross Territorial Product (2004-05)
- Product ($m)	$10,418 (8th)
- Product per capita	$51,634/person (2nd)
Population (End of June 2007)
- Population	215,000 (8th)
- Density	0.147/km² (8th) 0.4 /sq mi
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
Elevation
- Highest	Mount Zeil +1,531 m (5,023 ft)
- Lowest	Sea Level
Time zone	UTC+9:30 (No DST)
Abbreviations
- Postal	NT
- ISO 3166-2	AU-NT
Emblems
- Floral	Sturt's Desert Rose
- Colours	Black, white, and ochre
- Bird	Wedge-tailed Eagle
- Animal	Red Kangaroo
Web site	www.nt.gov.au

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia. The capital city is Darwin; the other two sizable settlements are Alice Springs (in the desert interior, 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) to the south) and Katherine (near the base of the Top End). As of the end of June 2007, the population of the Northern Territory was 215,000.

Residents of the Northern Territory are often known simply as 'Territorians'.

Contents 1 History 2 Government 2.1 Northern Territory Legislative Assembly 2.1.1 Northern Territory Legislative Council 2.2 Chief Minister 2.3 Administrator of the Northern Territory 2.4 Local Government 3 People 3.1 Religion 3.2 Land Rights 4 Education 4.1 Primary and secondary 4.2 Tertiary 5 Geography 6 Tourism 7 National Parks 8 Economy 9 Transport 10 Climate 11 Media Outlets 12 References 13 See also 14 External links

Main article: History of the Northern Territory

Indigenous Australians have lived in the present area of the Northern Territory for an estimated 40,000 years, and extensive seasonal trade links existed between them and the peoples of what is now Indonesia for at least five centuries.

With the coming of the British, there were four early attempts to settle the harsh environment of the northern coast, of which three failed in starvation and despair. The Northern Territory was part of New South Wales from 1825 to 1863, except for a brief time from February 1846 until December 1846 when it was part of the short lived colony of North Australia, and part of South Australia from 1863 to 1911. Under the administration of South Australia, the overland telegraph was constructed by Charles Todd between 1870 and 1872. A railway was also built between Palmerston and Pine Creek between 1883 and 1889. The economic pattern of cattle raising and mining was established so that by 1911 there were 513 000 cattle. Victoria River Downs was at one time the largest cattle station in the world. Gold was found at Grove Hill in 1872 and at Pine Creek, Brocks Creek, Burrundi and copper was found at Daly River. Many of the miners were Chinese and subsequently deported under the White Australia Policy.

On 1 January 1911, a decade after federation, the Northern Territory was separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control. Alfred Deakin opined at this time "To me the question has been not so much commercial as national, first, second, third and last. Either we must accomplish the peopling of the northern territory or submit to its transfer to some other nation."

For a brief time between 1927 and 1931 the Northern Territory was divided into North Australia and Central Australia at the 20th parallel of South latitude. Soon after this time, parts of the Northern Territory were considered in the "Kimberley Scheme" as a possible site for the establishment of a Jewish Homeland, understandably considered the "Unpromised Land".

During World War II, most of the Top End was placed under military government. This is the only time since Federation that an Australian state or territory has been under military control. After the war, control for the entire area was handed back to the Commonwealth.

Indigenous Australians had struggled for rights to fair wages and land. An important event in this struggle was the strike and walk off by the Gurindji people at Wave Hill Cattle Station in 1966. The Commonwealth Government of Gough Whitlam set up the Woodward Royal Commission in February 1973 set to inquire into how land rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory. Justice Woodward's first report in July 1973 recommended that a Central Land Council and a Northern Land Council be established in order to present to him the views of Aboriginal people. In response to the report of the Royal Commission a Land Rights Bill was drafted, but the Whitlam Government was dismissed before it was passed.

The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 was eventually passed by the Fraser Government on 16 December 1976 and began operation on the following Australia Day (26 January 1977).

In 1978 the Territory was granted responsible government, with a Legislative Assembly headed by a Chief Minister.

During 1996 the Northern Territory was briefly one of the few places in the world with legal voluntary euthanasia, until the Federal Parliament overturned the legislation [5]. Before the overriding legislation was enacted, three people committed suicide through voluntary euthanasia, a practice orchestrated by Dr Philip Nitschke.

Main article: Government of the Northern Territory

Main article: Northern Territory Legislative Assembly

The territory has a legislative assembly. Whilst this assembly exercises similar powers as the governments of the states of Australia, it does so by delegation of powers from the commonwealth government, rather than by any constitutional right.

For several years there has been agitation for full statehood. A referendum was held on the issue in 1998, which was resolved in the negative. This was a shock to both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments, for opinion polls showed most Territorians supported statehood. However, under the Australian Constitution, the Federal government may set the terms of entry to full statehood. The Northern Territory was offered three Senators, rather than the twelve guaranteed to original states. (Because of the difference in populations, equal numbers of Senate seats would mean a Territorian's vote for a Senator would have been worth more than 30 votes in New South Wales or Victoria.) Alongside what was cited as an arrogant approach adopted by then Chief Minister Shane Stone, it is believed that most Territorians, regardless of their general views on statehood, were reluctant to adopt the particular offer that was made.^[1]

The current head of government is Chief Minister Paul Henderson, who replaced Claire Martin on 26 November 2007. The leader of the opposition was Denis Burke, head of the Country Liberal Party, until the Territory elections of June 2005, where Burke lost his seat. The party then chose Jodeen Carney as the new Opposition Leader.

The territory is represented in the Commonwealth parliament by two members in the House of Representatives, currently Warren Snowdon for the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and David Tollner for the Country Liberal Party (CLP), and two members in the Senate, currently Trish Crossin for the ALP and Nigel Scullion for the CLP.

Main article: Northern Territory Legislative Council

The Northern Territory Legislative Council was the partly elected governing body of the Northern Territory, Australia from 1947 until its replacement by the fully elected Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974. The total enrolment for the 1947 election was 4443, all of whom were white. The Territory was split into five electorates: Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Batchelor and Stuart.

See also Chief Minister of the Northern Territory

The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of a self-governing territory, while the head of government of a state is a Premier. The Chief Minister is appointed by the Administrator of the Northern Territory, who in normal circumstances will appoint the head of whatever party holds the majority of seats in the legislature of the territory. The current Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is Paul Henderson.

Main article: Administrator of the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory received self-government in 1979 under its own Administrator of the Northern Territory appointed by the Governor-General of Australia. The Commonwealth government, not the Government of the Northern Territory, advises the governor-general on appointment of the Administrator.

Main article: Local Government Areas of the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has 63 Local Government Areas; though only 6 councils are considered municipalities which include 1 shire, 3 towns and 2 cities. There are other types of local bodies. It is expected that in 2008 rationalisation of the Local Government bodies will occur, with the proposed changes mentioned below.

Population growth estimates for Northern Territory
2006	212,600
2021	308,700[2]
2050	500,000[3]
Source: ABS

The population of the Northern Territory in late 2006 was estimated at 212,600^[4] This was an 1.8% increase from the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics report and the population represents 1% of the total population of Australia. The cities that make up these populations are, Darwin and nearby Palmerston with 111,000 and Alice Springs with 28,000. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that by 2021 the Territories population will increase to around 308,700 people, and by the year 2050 the population would reach 500,000 people. The Northern Territory's population is the youngest in Australia, and has the largest proportion under 15 years of age and the smallest proportion aged 65 and over. The median age of residents of the Northern Territory is 30.3 years, almost six years younger than the national median age. More than 100 nationalities are represented in the Northern Territory's population, including more than 50 organisations representing different ethnic groups.^[5] The Northern Territory's alcohol consumption rate is one of the highest in the world, and is the highest in Australia. In 2001 the alcohol consumption rate was estimated at 1120 standard drinks per person per year.^{[citation needed]}

Indigenous Australian people make up 29 per cent of the Northern Territory's population and own some 49% of the land. The life expectancy of Aboriginal Australians is well below that of non-Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory, a fact that is mirrored elsewhere in Australia. ABS statistics suggest that Indigenous Australians die about 20 years earlier than the average Australian. There are Aboriginal communities in many parts of the territory, the largest ones being the Pitjantjatjara near Uluru, the Arrernte near Alice Springs, the Luritja between those two, the Warlpiri further north, and the Yolngu in eastern Arnhem Land. See also: Australian Aboriginal Prehistoric Sites.

• Christian: 53.6%
  • Roman Catholic: 20.3%
  • Anglican: 12.7%
  • Uniting Church: 7.0%
  • Lutheran: 3.6%
  • Other: 0.09%
• Non-Christian:
  • Buddhism: 1.4%
  • Islam: 0.5%
  • Hinduism: 0.2%
  • Judaism: 0.08%
  • Other: 1.8%
• No Religion: 21.9%
• Not Stated: 16.7%

The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 established the basis upon which Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory could, for the first time, claim rights to land based on traditional occupation. In effect it allowed title to be transferred for most of the Aboriginal reserve lands and the opportunity to claim other land not owned, leased or being used by someone else.

The Land Councils are representative bodies with statutory authority under the Act. They also have responsibilities under the Native Title Act 1993 and the Pastoral Land Act 1992. There are four Land Councils in the Northern Territory, they are:

• the Anindilyakawa Land Council covering Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
• the Central Land Council is in the southern half of the Northern Territory. The region covers 771,747 square kilometres (297,973&nbps;sq mi) of remote, rugged and often inaccessible areas. There are 18,000 Aboriginal people from 15 different Aboriginal language groups in Central Australia.
• the Northern Land Council covering the Top End.
• the Tiwi Land Council covering Bathurst and Melville Islands north of Darwin.

a Northern Territory school education consists of six years of primary schooling, including one transition year, three years of middle schooling, and three years of secondary schooling. In the beginning in 2007 the Northern Territory has introduced Middle Schools for Years 7-9 and High School for Years 10-12. Northern Territory children generally begin school at age five. On completing secondary school, students earn the Northern Territory Certificate of Education. Students who successfully complete their secondary education also receive a tertiary entrance ranking, or ENTER score, to determine university admittance.

Northern Territory schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Department of Employment, Education and Training [6]. Private fee-paying schools include parish schools run by the Roman Catholic Church and elite independent schools similar to English public schools. Northern Territory Independent schools are usually affiliated with Protestant, Lutheran, Anglican, or Seventh-day Adventist churches.

As of 2007, the Northern Territory had 150 public schools, 15 Catholic schools and 20 independent schools. 33,000 students were enrolled in public schools, and 3,373 in private schools and 4,684 in catholic schools. The Northern Territory has about 4,000 full-time teachers.

The Northern Territory has one university. The Charles Darwin University enrolled its first student in 1987. Today Charles Darwin University has 19,000 students enrolled. The Northern Territory also has 2 government run TAFE institutes. The first tertiary institution in the territoy was the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (established in mid 1960's)

There are many very small settlements scattered across the Territory but the larger population centres are located on the single sealed road that links Darwin to southern Australia, the Stuart Highway, known to locals simply as "the track".

The Northern Territory is also home to two spectacular natural rock formations, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), which are sacred to the local Aboriginal peoples and which have become major tourist attractions.

In the northern part of the territory lies Kakadu National Park, which features breathtaking wetlands and native wildlife. To the north of that lies the Arafura Sea, and to the east lies Arnhem Land, whose regional centre is Maningrida on the Liverpool River delta. There is an extensive series of river systems in the Northern Territory these rivers include: Alligator River, Daly River, Finke River, McArthur River, Roper River, Todd River and Victoria River.

The Territories symbols include the Sturt's Desert Rose (state flower), Red Kangaroo (state animal) and the Wedge-tailed Eagle (state bird).

Tourism is one of the major industries on the Northern Territory. Iconic destinations such as Uluru and Kakadu make the Northern Territory a must see destination for domestic and international travellers. Diverse landscapes, spectacular waterfalls, wide open spaces, aboriginal culture, wild and untamed wildlife, all create a unique opportunity for the visitor to immerse themselves in the natural wonder that the Northern Territory offers. Images of Uluru (Ayers Rock) are recognised around the world ensuring that Tourism in the Northern Territory will remain a vital component of its future. In 2005/06, 1.38 million people visited the Northern Territory. They stayed for 9.2 million nights and spent over $1.5 billion.

Main article: protected areas of the Northern Territory (Australia)

• Arnhem Land (Restricted Area)
• Barranyi Nth. Island National Park
• Casuarina Coastal Reserve
• Daly River Nature Park
• Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve
• Djukbinj National Park
• Elsey National Park
• Finke Gorge National Park
• Gregory National Park
• Gurig National Park-now Garig Gunak Barlu National Park
• Howard Springs Nature Park Conservation Reserve
• Kakadu National Park
• Keep River National Park
• Watarrka National Park (including Kings Canyon)
• Litchfield National Park
• Mary River Crossing Conservation Reserve and proposed Mary River National Park
• Mataranka Thermal Springs
• Nitmiluk National Park
  • Katherine Gorge
• Palm Valley
• Tanami Desert
  • The Olgas
• Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
• Watarrka National Park
• West MacDonnell National Park

Mining in the Northern Territory contributes around $2.5 billion to the gross state product and employs 4,600 people. The Northern Territory mining industry is concentrated on energy producing minerals, petroleum and energy. The Northern Territory's economy comprises mostly primary extractive industries, together with a significant amount of tourism.

The principal mining operations are:

• Bauxite at Gove Peninsula
• Manganese at Groote Eylandt
• Uranium at Ranger

Proposed mines include:

• Manganese at Bootu Creek
• Iron ore at Frances Creek

Northern Territory is the most sparsely populated state or territory in Australia. Despite its sparse population, it has a network of sealed roads which connect Darwin and Alice Springs, the major population centres, the neighboring states, and some other centres such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. Some of the sealed roads are single lane bitumen. Many unsealed (dirt) roads connect the remoter settlements.

A new standard gauge railway connects Adelaide via Alice Springs with Darwin, replacing earlier narrow gauge railways which were never connected through.

The Northern Territory was one of the few remaining places in the world that had unlimited road speed limits. From 1 January 2007 there is a default speed limit of 110km/h on roads outside of urban areas (Inside urban areas of 40, 50 or 60km/h) - Otherwise signposted of 130km/h on some straight highways (e.g. The Stuart Highway)^[6]

As of June 2007 however road deaths are up 28.6 per cent on last year. The road toll has also increased, by 35.7 per cent. [7]

Darwin Airport is the major domestic and international airport for the Territory. A number of smaller airports are also scattered throughout the Territory served by smaller airlines including, Alice Springs Airport and Tennant Creek Airport.

Average monthly maximum temperature in Northern Territory
Month	Darwin	Alice Springs
January	31.8 °C	36.3 °C
February	31.4 °C	35.1 °C
March	31.9 °C	32.7 °C
April	32.7 °C	28.2 °C
May	32.0 °C	23.0 °C
June	30.6 °C	19.8 °C
July	30.5 °C	19.7 °C
August	31.3 °C	22.6 °C
September	32.5 °C	27.1 °C
October	33.2 °C	30.9 °C
November	33.2 °C	33.7 °C
December	33.6 °C	35.4 °C
Source: Bureau of Meteorology

The Northern Territory has two distinctive climate zones. The northern end, including Darwin has a tropical climate with high humidity and two seaosns, the wet (November to April) and dry season (May to October), and in Central Australia has a desert climate.

Darwin has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The dry season runs from May to September (the southern hemisphere winter), during which nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as 14°C, but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded.

The wet season is associated with tropical cyclones and monsoon rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when thunderstorms are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70% during the wettest months. On average more than 1570 mm falls in the North. While Central Australia receives less than 250mm a year.

The central region is the desert centre of the country, which includes Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, and is semi-arid with little rain usually falling during the hottest months from October to March.

Highest maximum temperature: 48.3 °C (118.9 °F), Finke, 2 January 1960

Lowest minimum temperature: -7.5 °C (18.5 °F), Alice Springs, 12 July 1976 [8]

• 104.1 Territory FM (radio station)
• NT News (newspaper)
• ABC Television
• ABC Radio

• Hill, Ernestine. 1951. The Territory: The classic saga of Australia's far north. Angus & Robertson. Reprint: 1995. ISBN 0-207-18821-1

• Crime in the Northern Territory

• Northern Territory Government of Australia
• Northern Territory Visitor's Guide
• Australian Bureau of Statistics (April 27, 2007). Northern Territory at a Glance, 2007 (PDF 855 kB).
• Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007
• Intervention Program in Indigenous communities and town camps
• Northern Territory Climate
• Northern-Territory Northern Territory Climate
• Northern Territory economy/mining
• Northern Territory Education
• Report on NT Education
• Northern Territory Universities
• Northern Territory Population estimates June 2007
• June 2007 NT population estimates

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States and mainland territories	Australian Capital Territory · New South Wales · Northern Territory · Queensland · South Australia · Tasmania · Victoria · Western Australia · Jervis Bay Territory
External territories	Ashmore and Cartier Islands · Australian Antarctic Territory · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Coral Sea Islands · Heard Island and McDonald Islands · Norfolk Island