Facts

Name: Northern Territory
Capital: Darwin (124,760 population) (2012)
Population: 241,800 (2014)
Population Density: 0.17/km2 (0.4 /sq mi)
Populations (all countries)
Currency: Australian Dollar

Northern Territory GSP (gross state product) per capita: A$16,281 (2011-2012)
Australian Ethnicity: (countrywide) English 32%, Australian 27%, Irish 7%, Italian 4%, indigenous 3%, Scottish 2%, German 2%, Chinese 2%
Australian Languages: (countrywide) English 78.5%, Chinese 2.5%, Italian 1.6%, Greek 1.3%, Arabic 1.2%, Vietnamese 1%, other 8.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2006 Census)
Australian Religion: (countrywide) Protestant 27.4% (Anglican 18.7%, Uniting Church 5.7%, Presbyterian and Reformed 3%), Catholic 25.8%, Eastern Orthodox 2.7%, other Christian 7.9%, Buddhist 2.1%, Muslim 1.7%, other 2.4%, unspecified 11.3%, none 18.7% (2006 Census)

Largest Cities: (by population) Darwin, Alice Springs, Palmerston, Katherine, McMinns Lagoon
Name: Self-descriptive
National Day: January 26
Time Zone UTC+9:30 (ACST) does not observe DST

Description

The rugged, natural beauty of the Northern Territory is rich in Aboriginal history, while the capital city of Darwin boasts a melting pot of food and culture.
Australian Aborigines settled the Northern Territory over 60,000 years ago, and began trade with the natives of Indonesia around the 15th century.
Europeans were late to the settlement game, having spotted the coast of the Northern Territory in the 17th century. It wasn’t until 1824 that British Captain James Gordon Bremer established Fort Dundas on Melville Island as part of New South Wales.

The region’s harsh environment proved to be a difficult spot for the Europeans, as they attempted to start additional colonies (of which three failed due to starvation). Despite these ever-increasing tragedies, explorers continued to remain ambitious in their appetite to discover new areas for agriculture and for answers to their scientific inquiries.
The Northern Territory was annexed in 1863 to South Australia, and another unsuccessful attempt was made at creating a colony in the unforgiving region. Finally, six years later, a settlement at Port Darwin was established known as Palmerston. In 1870 telegraph poles were erected connecting Australia to the rest of the world.
The Northern Territory was separated from South Australia on January 1, 1911, and transitioned into Commonwealth control.

Two world wars and a series of internal conflicts plagued the Northern Territory throughout the first half of the 20th century. In 1978, a Legislative Assembly was created following the changeover into a responsible self-government.
You can both lose and find yourself within the Northern Territory’s vast landscape.
The Aboriginal rock art of Kakadu National Park and the iconic Ayers Rock cannot be missed. And sitting in the heart of Australia, at the bottom of the territory, is the outback town of Alice Springs, where bike riding and bushwalking across the red sand dunes lure in the more adventurous tourists.

Geography

Located in the north central region of Australia, the Northern Territory covers an area of 520,902 sq. miles (1,349,129 sq. km).
Much of the region is flat, but a few disconnected ranges dot the landscape, including the MacDonnell Ranges, Petermann Ranges and Harts Range.
The best known landform in the Northern Territory is Ayers Rock (known as Uluru) in the southern part of the territory. Ayers Rock, a national symnol of Australia, is a large sandstone rock formation very sacred to the Aboriginal people of the area – the Anangu – and rises 1,142 feet (348 m).
Wetlands dominate Kakadu National Park, located in the northern part of the territory, wetlands running to the edges of the Arafura Sea.
The Northern Territory boasts an extensive series of small river systems in its northern reaches that include the Alligator, Daly, Finke, McArthur, Roper, Todd and Victoria Rivers.
The highest point of the territory is Mount Zeil at 5,023 ft (1,531 m); the lowest point is on the edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria (0m).

Landforms

Oceania contains a wide variety of landforms, with most of the significant ones located in the countries of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. And because most of the islands of Oceania are small in size (mere dots on the map), it’s impossible for us to show their individual landforms on a single and readable map.
Many of those small island are remnants of ancient volcanic activity, or coral atolls that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. Few have rivers of any size, and for that matter, lakes. So, here we show and describe Australia’s recognized landforms, and for the other countries, dependencies and territories.