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Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Ashmore and Cartier Islands flag
ⓘ

2021 Factbook flag mirror; image identity has not been individually audited. Source.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Ashmore and Cartier Islands: CIA World Factbook map from 2021; original boundary notes preserved.
ⓘCIA World Factbook map, February 2021 media edition. Identity reviewed; current boundaries have not been audited. visual contact sheet or original identity check; does not verify current boundaries Boundaries, place names and designations may be dated or disputed; original annotations retained. SHA-256: fc65f8c67afaca003c6fbb17e755bd7f30492336cfc4b6c785c0eec1f052b884. Provenance and inspection record.

Introduction

Background:1

Indonesian fishermen have long fished in the area around Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. British explorers were the first Europeans to see Cartier Island and Ashmore Reef in 1800 and 1811, respectively. American whalers frequently sailed by the islands in the 1850s and later settled to mine the phosphate deposits on Ashmore Reef, which were exhausted by 1891. The UK disputed US access to Ashmore Reef and formally annexed it in 1878. Cartier Island was annexed in 1909. In 1931, the UK transferred the islands to Australia, which accepted them in 1934 as part of Western Australia. In 1938, Australia transferred governance to the Northern Territory. During World War II, Cartier Island was used as a bombing range. In 1978, governance of Ashmore and Cartier Islands was moved to the federal government. Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island became marine reserves in 1983 and 2000 respectively.

In 1974, Australia and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to allow Indonesian fishermen to continue fishing around the islands. The MOU also allows Indonesian fishermen to visit the graves of past fishermen, replenish their fresh water, and shelter in the West Island Lagoon of Ashmore Reef. In the 1990s, Indonesia challenged Australia’s claim to the islands, which was settled in a maritime boundary treaty in 1997. The islands were a popular first point of contact for migrants and refugees seeking to enter Australia, so in 2001, Australia declared the islands to be outside the Australian migration zone.

Geography

Location:2

Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island; Ashmore Reef is 840 km west of Darwin and 610 km north of Broome; Cartier Islet is 70 km east of Ashmore Reef

Geographic coordinates:3

12 25 S, 123 20 E

note:Ashmore Reef - 12 14 S, 123 05 E; Cartier Islet - 12 32 S, 123 32 E

Map references:4

Southeast Asia

Area:5

total:5 sq km
land:5 sq km
water:0 sq km
note:includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island

Area - comparative:6

about eight times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries:7

total:0 km

Coastline:8

74.1 km

Maritime claims:9

territorial sea:12 nm
contiguous zone:24 nm
continental shelf:200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:200 nm

Climate:10

tropical

Terrain:11

low with sand and coral

Elevation:12

highest point:Cartier Island 5 m
lowest point:Indian Ocean 0 m

Natural resources:13

fish

Land use:14

agricultural land:0% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards:15

surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards

Geography - note:16

Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in 1983; Cartier Island Marine Reserve established in 2000

People and Society

Population:17

total:no permanent inhabitants
note:Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island; access to East and Middle Islands is by permit only

Environment

Environmental issues:18

illegal killing of protected wildlife; overfishing; sea-level rise, changes in sea temperature, and ocean acidification; marine debris

Climate:19

tropical

Land use:20

agricultural land:0% (2018 est.)

Government

Country name:21

conventional long form:Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form:Ashmore and Cartier Islands
etymology:named after British Captain Samuel ASHMORE, who first sighted the island in 1811, and after the ship Cartier , from which the second island was discovered in 1800

Dependency status:22

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport

Legal system:23

the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply

Citizenship:24

see Australia

Diplomatic representation in the US:25

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:26

embassy:none (territory of Australia)

Flag:27

the flag of Australia is used

Military and Security

Military - note:28

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Historical observations

Notes & sources

  1. Background. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  2. Location. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  3. Geographic coordinates. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  4. Map references. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  5. Area. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  6. Area - comparative. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  7. Land boundaries. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  8. Coastline. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  9. Maritime claims. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  10. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  11. Terrain. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  12. Elevation. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  13. Natural resources. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  14. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  15. Natural hazards. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  16. Geography - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  17. Population. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  18. Environmental issues. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  19. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  20. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  21. Country name. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  22. Dependency status. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  23. Legal system. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  24. Citizenship. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  25. Diplomatic representation in the US. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  26. Diplomatic representation from the US. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  27. Flag. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  28. Military - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-09-25 14:42:15 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
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