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Australia and Oceania / CR

Coral Sea Islands

Coral Sea Islands flag
ⓘ

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

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Coral Sea 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: c847522c9522b44c5fde92034b6c2a497d25a6b185addbf2d382d01d9e2384e8. Provenance and inspection record.

Introduction

Background:1

The widely scattered Coral Sea Islands were first charted in 1803, but they were too small to host permanent human habitation. The 1870s and 1880s saw attempts at guano mining, but these were soon abandoned. The islands became an Australian territory in 1969, and the boundaries were extended in 1997. A small meteorological staff has operated on the Willis Islets since 1921, and several other islands host unmanned weather stations, beacons, and lighthouses. Much of the territory lies within national marine nature reserves.

Geography

Location:2

Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:3

18 00 S, 152 00 E

Map references:4

Oceania

Area:5

total:3 sq km less than
land:3 sq km less than
water:0 sq km
note:includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km (300,000 sq mi), with the Willis Islets the most important

Area - comparative:6

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

Land boundaries:7

total:0 km

Coastline:8

3,095 km

Maritime claims:9

territorial sea:3 nm
exclusive fishing zone:200 nm

Climate:10

tropical

Terrain:11

sand and coral reefs and islands (cays)

Elevation:12

highest point:unnamed location on Cato Island 9 m
lowest point:Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural resources:13

fish

Land use:14

agricultural land:0% (2018 est.)
other:100% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards:15

occasional tropical cyclones

Geography - note:16

important nesting area for birds and turtles

People and Society

Population:17

total:no permanent inhabitants
note:Willis Island is inhabited by meteorological staff

Environment

Environmental issues:18

no permanent freshwater resources; damaging activities include coral mining, fishing practices (overfishing, blast fishing)

Climate:19

tropical

Land use:20

agricultural land:0% (2018 est.)
other:100% (2018 est.)

Government

Country name:21

conventional long form:Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form:Coral Sea Islands
etymology:self-descriptive name to reflect the islands' position in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia

Dependency status:22

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

Legal system:23

the common law system of Australia applies

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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (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: 2025-11-20 20:57:05 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
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