View source for Top End

{{use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Refimprove|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type                     = region
| name                     = Top End
| state                    = nt
| image                    ={{multiple image
  | total_width   = 280
  | border        = infobox
  | perrow        = 1/1
  | caption_align = center
  | image1        =  Kakadu 2411.jpg
  | caption1      = Sandstone outcrop and wetlands in Kakadu National Park
  | alt1 = Sandstone outcrop and wetlands in Kakadu National Park
  | image2        = Top End NASA image2.jpg
  | caption2      = A [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]] satellite image of the Top End
}}
| coordinates              = {{coords|-13.39|132.96|display=inline,title}}
| relief                   = yes
| pop                      = 
| pop_year                 = 
| pop_footnotes            = 
| density                  = 
| density_footnotes        = 
| area                     = 245000
| area_footnotes           = 
| timezone                 = ACST
| utc                      = +09:30
| maxtemp                  = 36
| maxtemp_footnotes        = 
| mintemp                  = 18
| mintemp_footnotes        = 
| rainfall                 = 1000
| rainfall_footnotes       = 
}}

The '''Top End''' of [[Australia]]'s [[Northern Territory]] is a geographical region encompassing the northernmost section of the Northern Territory, which aside from the [[Cape York Peninsula]] is the northernmost part of the Australian continent. It covers a rather vaguely defined area of about {{Convert|245,000|km2|sqmi}} behind the northern coast from the [[Northern Territory]] capital of [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] across to [[Arnhem Land]] with the [[Indian Ocean]] on the west, the [[Arafura Sea]] to the north, and the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]] to the east, and with the almost waterless semi-arid interior of Australia to the south, beyond the huge [[Kakadu National Park]].<ref name="TopEnd">{{cite journal |last1=Rosauer |first1=D.F. |last2=Blom |first2=M.P.K. |last3=Bourke |first3=G. |last4=Catalano |first4=S. |last5=Donnellan |first5=S. |last6=Gillespie |first6=G. |last7=Mulder |first7=E. |last8=Oliver |first8=P.M. |last9=Potter |first9=S. |last10=Pratt |first10=R.C. |last11=Rabosky |first11=D.L. |last12=Skipwith |first12=P.L. |last13=Moritz |first13=C. |title=Phylogeography, hotspots and conservation priorities: an example from the Top End of Australia |journal=Biological Conservation |date=December 2016 |volume=204 |pages=83–93 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2016.05.002 |bibcode=2016BCons.204...83R |url=http://moritzlab.anu.edu.au/DiversityWorkshop_Nov2016/Readings/Rosauer%20et%20al%202016%20Top%20End%20Lizards.pdf |access-date=12 August 2018 |archive-date=13 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813043809/http://moritzlab.anu.edu.au/DiversityWorkshop_Nov2016/Readings/Rosauer%20et%20al%202016%20Top%20End%20Lizards.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Top End contains the Territory's regional center and its capital city, [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], as well as major towns such as [[Palmerston, Northern Territory|Palmerston]] and [[Katherine, Northern Territory|Katherine]].  The well-known town of [[Alice Springs]] is located further south, in the arid southern part of the Northern Territory, sometimes referred to by Australians as the [[Red Centre]].

The landscape is relatively flat with river floodplains and grasslands with [[eucalyptus]] trees along with rocky areas and patches of rainforest, and in western Arnhem Land a high rugged [[sandstone]] plateau cut through with gorges, much of which is in Kakadu National Park. The rivers that form the wetlands include the South and East [[Alligator Rivers]], [[Mary River (Northern Territory)|Mary River]], and the [[Glyde River]]. The climate is tropical monsoon with a wet and dry season, bringing the highest rainfall in northern Australia (over {{convert|1200|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} per year). Temperatures do not fluctuate widely throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/147/|title=Kakadu National Park|website=[[UNESCO]]|publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|access-date=16 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/env/resources/4ba99a56-3df2-4e1c-8355-9dc6f9b38891/files/ssr116-chapters-4-6.pdf|title=Overview of the conservation status of wetlands of the Northern Territory|website=Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water|access-date=16 July 2025}}</ref>

There are a number of islands off the Top End coast including the [[Tiwi Islands]] ([[Bathurst Island (Northern Territory)|Bathurst Island]] and [[Melville Island (Northern Territory)|Melville Island]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ldm.nt.gov.au/regions/top-end |title=Top End Region |website=Local Decision Making, [[Northern Territory Government]] |access-date=14 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref> and [[Groote Eylandt]] as well as many smaller ones.

The region was a hub for Aboriginal trade from as early as 1700, particularly with [[Makassan contact with Australia|Makassan seafarers from Sulawesi]], which primarily focused on ''trepang'' (sea cucumbers).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/trade-makasar |title=Top end trade|website=Australia’s Defining Moments Digital Classroom |publisher=[[National Museum of Australia]] |access-date=July 14, 2025}}</ref>

==Flora==
Most [[savanna]] in Australia is used for grazing livestock, but in this far north, vast areas of grassland are in their original state and dotted with [[Eucalyptus tetrodonta|Darwin stringybark]] and [[Eucalyptus miniata|Darwin woollybutt]]  eucalyptus trees; these grasslands are a unique and highly important ecoregion.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Flannigan|first=Mike|date=2007|title=Editorial|journal=International Journal of Wildland Fire|volume=16|issue=1|pages=769|doi=10.1071/wfv16n1_ed|issn=1049-8001|doi-access=free}}</ref> The sandstone plateau area of the ecoregion is a particularly rich centre of biodiversity supporting a unique [[heathland]] flora. The northern Top End is within the [[Arnhem Land tropical savanna]] [[ecoregion]]. A belt of transitional tropical savannas and woodlands ([[Carpentaria tropical savanna|Carpentaria]], [[Kimberley tropical savanna|Kimberley]], and [[Victoria Plains tropical savanna|Victoria Plains]]) lies between the Top End and the semi-arid [[Acacia aneura|mulga]] [[scrubland]], [[mallee Woodlands and Shrublands|mallee]], and [[sand dune]]s of Australia's centre. The transition is gradual, and the demarcation line that divides the Top End from the centre is arbitrary.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=aa0701|name=Arnhem Land tropical savanna}}</ref>

==Fauna==
This area is home to unique wildlife. The rivers and estuaries are home to large populations of both [[saltwater crocodile|saltwater]] and [[freshwater crocodile]]s, as well as [[bull shark]]s, [[sawfish]], and [[dugong]]s. The wetlands are a rich habitat vital to bird migration and home to large populations of birds, including the world's largest breeding colony of [[Magpie goose|magpie geese]], as well as large numbers of rodents and snakes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Leseberg |first1=Nick |last2=Campbell |first2=Iain |title=Birds and Animals of Australia's Top End: Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine, and Kununurra |date=2005 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=9780691161464 |page=17 }}</ref> Endemic species of the Top End include the [[Woodward's wallaroo]], [[Morelia oenpelliensis|Oenpelli python]], [[chestnut-quilled rock-pigeon]], [[Arnhem Land rock rat]], and several species of [[skink]]s. Other reptiles include [[frill-necked lizard]]s and large [[monitor lizard]]s (known locally as [[goanna]]s). Snakes include the [[olive python]], [[Acanthophis|death adder (''Acanthophis'')]], [[Pseudechis australis|mulga]], water python (''[[Liasis fuscus]]''), and various others. The plateau is home to many of these endemics, especially invertebrates, fish, and frogs, including, for example, hundreds of species of ants. The offshore islands are home to unique subspecies of some of this wildlife.

==Threats and preservation==
The landscape is well preserved and most of the area is traditionally managed by [[Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976|Aboriginal land trusts]], including [[Kakadu National Park]], which is Australia's largest national park and a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="TopEnd" /> Although some populations have declined, there have been no major extinctions of wildlife in this area. Darwin, though, is a growing city and a base for agriculture and mining, both of which threaten habitats. Introduced plants and animals, such as the [[water buffalo]], are also changing natural habitats, and there has been criticism of the way the local population has changed the [[fire regime]]s used to control the bush foliage, in which large areas are burnt each year and allowed to renew.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{wikivoyage inline|Top End}}

{{Drainage basins of Australia |state=autocollapse}}

[[Category:Regions of the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]]
[[Category:Drainage basins of Australia]]
[[Category:Northern Australia]]