Torres Strait

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Torres Strait and islands
The Torres Strait seen from space – Cape York Peninsula is at the bottom; several of the Torres Strait Islands can be seen strung out towards Papua New Guinea to the north. (NASA, STS-35)

The Torres Strait is a strait which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately 150 km (93 mi) wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland. To the north is the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.






Two indigenous languages are spoken on the Torres Strait Islands: Kala Lagaw Ya/Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kawalgau Ya/Muwalgau Ya/Kulkalgau Ya, and Meriam Mir, as well as Brokan [Broken], otherwise called Torres Strait Creole. In the 2001 Australian national census, the population of the islands was recorded as 8,089, though many more live outside of Torres Strait in Australia.


The islands of the Torres Strait have been inhabited for at least 2,500 years and possibly much longer.[1]

The first recorded European navigation of the strait was by Luís Vaz de Torres, a Spanish pilot who was second-in-command on the Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós who sailed from Peru to the South Pacific in 1605. After Queirós's ship returned to Mexico, Torres resumed the intended voyage to Manila via the Maluku Islands. He sailed along the south coast of New Guinea, and may also have sighted the northernmost extremity of the Australian mainland, however no specific records exist that indicate he did so.[2]

In 1769 the Scottish geographer Alexander Dalrymple, whilst translating some Spanish documents captured in the Philippines in 1762, had found Luis Váez de Torres' testimony proving a passage south of New Guinea now known as Torres Strait. This discovery led Dalrymple to publish the Historical Collection of the Several Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean in 1770–1771, which aroused widespread interest in his claim of the existence of an unknown continent. It was Dalrymple who named the strait after Torres. Dalrymple was bitterly disappointed that it was James Cook and not he who was appointed commander of the expedition that eventually led in 1770 to the British encounter and charting of the eastern coastline of Australia.




In 1978 an agreement between Australia and Papua New Guinea determined the maritime border in the Torres Strait.[4]


The people of the Torres Strait have a unique indigenous culture, which has been the centre for anthropological work completed by Cambridge University's Alfred Haddon in 1898 and Australia's Margaret Lawrie from 1960 to 1973.

Illegal immigration[edit]

Due to the proximity to the Papua New Guinea mainland, the northern Torres Strait islands have been experiencing significant numbers of illegal long-term residents from Papua New Guinea, putting significant strain on scarce local resources such as fresh water. In November 2007 community leaders held emergency talks with Australian immigration officials with a view to having illegal residents returned to Papua New Guinea.[5][6]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ John Burton. "History of Torres Strait to 1879 – a regional view". Torres Strait Regional Authority. Retrieved 2008-04-13. 
  2. ^ Brett Hilder (1980) The Voyage of Torres.University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia, Queensland. ISBN 0-7022-1275-X
  3. ^ Ganter, Regina. (1994). The Pearl-Shellers of Torres Strait: Resource Use, Development and Decline, 1860s–1960s. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84547-9.
  4. ^ for a detailed map see "Australia's Maritime Zones in the Torres Strait" (PDF). Australian Government – Geoscience Australia. Retrieved 2008-04-13. ,
  5. ^ "Illegal PNG immigrants to be deported". National Nine News. 2008-11-28. 
  6. ^ "Minister reduced to tears". Torres News. 2007-12-12. 


External links[edit]

Coordinates: 9°50′S 142°30′E﻿ / ﻿9.833°S 142.500°E﻿ / -9.833; 142.500