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 NORTHERN TERRITORY
Northern Territory Facts
Facts: Northern Territory facts, Demographics, Geography, Government, History
Northern Territory facts
The Northern Territory covers about one sixth of the Australian continent with an area of 1.35 million km2 which is equal to the combined areas of France, Spain and Italy. About four- fifths of the Territory (1.09 million km2) lies within the tropics and the 6200 km coastline is generally flat and backed by swamps, mangroves and mudflats, rising to a plateau no higher than 450 m.
In central Australia, the Territory is crossed by the east-west ridges of the Macdonnell Ranges, which reach heights of more than 600 m. The well-known monolith, Uluru (Ayers Rock), 348 m high, is near the south-west corner of the Territory.
The northern quarter, known colloquially as the "Top End", is a distinct region of savannah woodlands and pockets of rainforest. In the north-east, the Arnhem Land plateau rises abruptly from the plain and continues to the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Much of the southern three-quarters of the Territory consists of desert or semi-arid plain.
Darwin, the capital is situated in the north-western corner of the Territory.
Northern Territory Demographics
Facts: Northern Territory facts, Demographics, Geography, Government, History
Northern Territory Demographics
The population of Northern Territory at the last national Census was 210,664 people (110,176 males and 100,488 females) with an average age of 30. There were 50,785 people of Indigenous origin living in the region.
Birthplace
Of the population, 78% were Australian-born with the remaining residents hailing from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Philippines. English was the only language spoken at home by 69% of the population, with Australian Indigenous languages, Greek and Chinese the next most common languages spoken.
IT
Of the population, 31% had recently used a personal computer at home with 9% under 20 years old, 15% between 20 and 44 and 7% aged 44 and over. The total number of people who had recently used the Internet was 62,493.
Labour force
During the week prior to Census 90,434 people in the Northern Territory (50,864 males and 39,570 females) were employed, representing 94% of the labour force. Of these 67% were working full-time. Within the total workforce 8% were employed as Managers and Administrators and 17% as Professionals.
Northern Territory Geography
Facts: Northern Territory facts, Demographics, Geography, Government, History
Northern Territory Geography
The Northern Territory is a geographer’s dream landscape. From the dry rugged terrain of the red centre to the lush wetlands in the Top End, the land is as beautiful as it is ancient.
There are several spectacular land formations in the Northern Territory, each of which are fascinating in their complete opposition to their surrounds. Uluru is by far the most amazing and the most famous. This vibrant red monolith juts out of the otherwise featureless plains to create a breathtaking profile against the blue skies.
Its sister rock, Kata Tjuta is smaller but equally fascinating, as are the unusual Devil’s Marbles in Tennant Creek.
Venture to the north of the state to find a scene that is vastly different. The wetlands of Katherine and Kakadu show a totally different geography including the grand Katherine Gorge through which the Katherine River flows amongst high canyons with beautiful colourful walls.
Lastly, massive areas of lush tropical rainforest make the Northern Territory seem like the most diverse landscape in the world.
Northern Territory History
Facts: Northern Territory facts, Demographics, Geography, Government, History
Northern Territory history
The Aboriginal people's history dates back an amazing 40,000 years and has been handed down from generation to generation in the form of rock art and stories. Alice Springs and much of Central Australia has been the homeland of the Arrernte Aboriginal people. Mparntwe (pronounced mbarn-twa) is the Arrernte word for Alice Springs and was created by the actions of several ancestral figures including the caterpillar beings Ayepe-arenye, Ntyarlke and Utnerrengatye, the MacDonnell Ranges being but one of their creations.
Creation stories also describe traditional links with areas as far afield as Urlatherrke (Mt Zeil) in the West MacDonnell Ranges and Port Augusta in South Australia. Arrernte people continue to live in Mparntwe, observe traditional Law, look after the country, and teach children the Arrernte language and the importance of their culture.
The first recorded sighting of the Northern Territory coastline was by William Jootszoon van Colster aboard the Dutch vessel Arnhem in 1623. Maccassan, and probably many other seamen, had visited the coast long before that time. The Dutch left a few names on the map such as Groote Eylandt, Vanderlin Island, Arnhem land, Cape Arnhem, Cape Keerweer, Van Diemen Gulf and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Explorer John McDouall Stuart became the first explorer to cross the country from south to north. This paved the way for the Overland Telegraph line, which linked Australia with the rest of the world and helped open the country for development. As arguably Australia’s pre-eminent explorer, the Stuart Highway honours his remarkable feats of exploration and leadership.
Following in Stuart’s footsteps, the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin was completed in 1872 and made it viable for pastoralists to take up leases in the Centre. However, it was the discovery of alluvial gold at Arltunga, some 100 kms east of Alice Springs, in 1887 that provided a population boom for the Centre.
Until the early 1930s, Alice Spring’s official name was Stuart. Alice Springs was the name given to the Telegraph Station, the site of original white settlement in Central Australia. However, this dual naming created such confusion for administrators in Adelaide that on 31 August 1933 the township of Stuart was officially gazetted Alice Springs.
Tennant Creek takes its name from the nearby watercourse named in 1860 by John McDouall Stuart in acknowledgement of the financial help he received from John Tennant, a pastoralist from Port Lincoln, South Australia. In 1872 a temporary telegraph repeater station was erected near the Tennant Creek watercourse. Popular local legend has it that in 1934 Joe Kilgariff built his stores where his beer wagon became bogged, and the town simply grew around it. While the story is not true, it is indicative of the type of people who established the town.
The city of Darwin was founded as Australia's most northerly harbour port in 1869, and its population rapidly expanded after the discovery of gold at nearby Pine Creek in 1871. World War II put the city on the map as a major allied military base for troops fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. Today travellers can see evidence of Darwin's World War II history at a variety of preserved sites including ammunition bunkers, airstrips and oil tunnels in and around the city. Darwin again made world news when the city was rebuilt in the wake of Cyclone Tracy in 1974 - an event well documented at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
As with many settlements in the Territory, the town of Katherine developed with the arrival of the Overland Telegraph Line and establishment of the Telegraph Station in 1872. In 1879, after good reports from Stuart and other explorers, Alfred Giles and Alfred Woods brought stock to Katherine and built a homestead they called 'Spring Vale', with a view to establishing a pastoral empire. Today, Springvale Homestead is the oldest homestead in the Northern Territory and is open to the public.
  
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