Northern Territory

The Northern Territory lies in the central northern region of Australia. It is bordered by Queensland on its east, Western Australia on its west and South Australia to the south. The north coast is lined by the Gulf of Carpentaria, Timor Sea and the Arafura Sea.

The Northern Territory is the least populated region in Australia.

Northern Territory is known as the Top End.

Geography

The Northern Territory is 1,349,129 square kilometres in size and covers about one sixth of the country’s land mass. The population lives mainly in Darwin, the territory’s capital and spreads along the Sturt Highway, which links Darwin to South Australia.

Kakadu National Park is located in the north of the Territory. It contains wetlands and native animals. It is a major tourist destination.

The Northern Territory also contains Uluru (Ayres Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) which are both major tourist attractions and have very special meaning to the Aborigines.

The territory is covered mainly with National parks and untouched areas due to its sparse population.

Climate

The Northern Territory, due to its size, covers two very different climate zones. The north provides us with Tropical weather while the Red Centre in the south is very dry.

The north has a tropical climate with high humidity during the west seasons which is normally from November through to March/April. During the dry season, May to October the days are very warm and sunny with very low humidity.

The south of the Territory, including Alice Springs, has a semi-arid climate. It is very hot during the summer months while the winter months can become quiet cool at night.

Economy

The Northern Territory has the smallest state economy in Australia. Contributors to the economy include mining, government administration, defence, and tourism. Darwin has also begun to export liquefied natural gas.

Tourism is a rapidly growing sector within the Northern Territory economy. This has been driven by the unique and interesting natural environment and the Aboriginal heritage.

Tourism

Tourism is a major industry in the Northern Territory and employs just under 10% of the population. There are a number of destinations that are a must visit when travelling to the Territory and they include:
- Uluru (Ayres Rock)
- Kakadu National Park
- Kings Canyon
- Palm Valley
- Alice Springs
- The Gahn Train (Darwin to Adelaide)

Transport

The main method of transport through the Northern Territory is on public roads by car. The sealed roads provide links to major population centres and other regions such as Uluru. The Sturt Highway runs from Darwin to Alice Springs. There is also the Darwin to Adelaide train line.

Darwin has an international and domestic airport. There are also a number of smaller airports scattered throughout the territory.

Education

- Charles Darwin University 
    - Casuarina (Darwin) 
    - Alice Springs 
    - Jabiru (Education Centre) 
    - Katherine 
    - Nhulunbuy (Gove) 
    - Palmerston (Darwin) 
    - Tennant Creek (Education centre) 
    - Yulara (near Uluru)