View source for Torres Strait

{{Short description|Navigable sea passage between Australia and New Guinea}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox body of water
 | name                 = Torres Strait
 | other_name           = Zenadh Kes
 | image                = 
 | pushpin_map          = Oceania
 | alt                  = 
 | caption              = 
 | image_bathymetry     = Torres Strait Islands map.svg
 | alt_bathymetry       = 
 | caption_bathymetry   = Torres Strait and Islands
 | location             = [[Indian Ocean]]<br/>[[Pacific Ocean]]
 | coords               = {{coord|9|50|S|142|30|E|type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}
 | type                 = [[Strait]]
 | inflow               = 
 | outflow              = 
 | catchment            = 
 | basin_countries      = [[Australia]] <br/> [[Papua New Guinea]]
 | agency               = 
 | date-built           = 
 | date-flooded         = 
 | length               = 
 | width                = 
 | area                 = 
 | depth                = 
 | max-depth            = 
 | volume               = 
 | residence_time       = 
 | shore                = 
 | elevation            = 
 | frozen               = 
 | islands              = 
 | cities               = 
 | reference            = 
}}
[[File:Torres Strait.jpg|thumb|right|250px|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.]]
[[File:TorresStraitIslands2022OSM.png|thumb|right|250px|Detailed map of the Torres Strait and its islands]]

The '''Torres Strait''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɒr|ɪ|s}}), also known as '''Zenadh Kes''' ({{small|pronounced}} [[Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2|[ˈzen̪ad̪ kes<nowiki>]</nowiki>]]<!-- listen 18 seconds in at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AizwsPvu1iI-->), is a [[strait]] between [[Australia]] and the [[Melanesia]]n island of [[New Guinea]]. It is  {{convert|150|km|abbr=on}} wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is [[Cape York Peninsula]], the northernmost extremity of the Australian mainland. To the north is the [[Western Province (Papua New Guinea)|Western Province]] of [[Papua New Guinea]]. It is named after the Spanish navigator [[Luís Vaz de Torres]], who sailed through the strait in 1606.

== History ==
=== Pre-colonisation ===
The islands of the Torres Strait have been inhabited by humans for at least 2,500 years and possibly much longer.<ref name="history TSRA">{{cite web|url=http://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/general-history.aspx|title=History of Torres Strait to 1879 – a regional view|author=John Burton|publisher=[[Torres Strait Regional Authority]]|access-date=2008-04-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090515015550/http://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/general-history.aspx|archive-date=2009-05-15}}</ref> The various [[Torres Strait Islanders|Torres Strait Islander communities]] have a unique culture and long-standing history with the islands and nearby coastlines. Their maritime-based trade and interactions with the Papuans to the north and the [[Australian Aborigines|Australian Aboriginal]] communities have maintained a steady [[cultural diffusion]] among the three societal groups, dating back thousands of years.

=== Era of European colonisation===
The first recorded European navigation of the strait was by [[Luís Vaz de Torres]], a pilot who was second-in-command on the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] expedition led by navigator [[Pedro Fernandes de Queirós]] who sailed from [[Peru]] to the [[Pacific Ocean|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 discovered the strait that still bears his name. This discovery recorded in Spanish maps of the [[Pacific]] would later make possible [[James Cook]]'s expedition to [[Australia]]. Torres and his crew are not known to have sighted the Australian mainland visited just [[Janszoon voyage of 1605–06|four months earlier]] by [[Willem Janszoon]] sailing {{ship||Duyfken||2}} without conversely becoming aware of the strait now known as Torres Strait. No specific records exists of Torres sighting the coast of a major land mass to his south,<ref name="hil80">{{cite book |first= Brett |last=Hilder |year=1980 |title=The voyage of Torres: the discovery of the southern coastline of New Guinea and Torres Strait by Captain Luis Baez de Torres in 1606 |publisher=University of Queensland Press |location=St. Lucia, Queensland |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_201231/G289_T6H5_1980.pdf |isbn=070221275X |oclc=911315041 |access-date=2021-01-31 }}</ref> and early Spanish maps show the coast of New Guinea correctly but omit Australia.

In 1769 the [[Scotland|Scottish]] geographer [[Alexander Dalrymple]], whilst translating some Spanish documents captured in the Philippines in 1762, had found Luís Vaz de Torres's  testimony proving a passage south of New Guinea now known as Torres Strait.<ref>In his 1853 book, ''The Three Colonies of Australia'', Samuel Sidney expressed it thus: "During our war with Spain we captured Manilla by storm, and in the archives of that city Mr. Alexander Dalrymple, the historiographer of the British Admiralty, discovered a copy of the letter to the King of Spain, which had been deposited there by Torres. Dalrymple, with that right feeling which should inspire all men of science, did justice to the discoverer by inscribing on the official maps issued from his department, against the intricate passage between Australia and New Guinea, 'Torres Straits.'" ([[s:The three colonies of Australia/Part 1#14|page 14]]). Britain held [[Manila#Spanish period]] briefly from 1762 to 1764 at the end of the [[Seven Years' War]].</ref> 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 1770 Lieutenant [[James Cook]] rounded Cape York, turned south-west and landed on [[Possession Island (Queensland)|Possession Island]]. From the top of a hill, he signalled down to the ship that he could see a navigable passage through the dangerous Strait. Later in [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]]. It has been postulated that when he learned that the French had preceded him across the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], that Cook re-wrote this signalling drill as a possession ceremony,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beaglehole |first1=J.C. |title=The Journals of Captain James Cook, Vol. I |orig-date=1st Pub. 1955 |publisher=Hakluyt Society |location=Cambridge |isbn=0851157440 |pages=387–388}}</ref> saying he had claimed Australia's east coast for the British Crown.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cameron-Ash |first1=M. |title=Lying for the Admiralty: Captain Cook's Endeavour Voyage |date=2018 |publisher=Rosenberg |location=Sydney |isbn=9780648043966 |pages=180–189, 190–197}}</ref>

In 1823 Captain John Lihou, Master of the 550-ton merchant ship ''{{ship||Zenobia|1815 ship|2}}'' of [[Calcutta]], was on passage from [[Manila]] to [[South America]] and chose a route through Torres Strait. Remarkably, this would become the first time for a ship to be navigated through the Torres Strait from west to east. According to the ''[[Sydney Gazette]]'' of April 1823: "This essay of nautical skill was accomplished after the loss of four anchors and the rudder". It was also the first occasion a ship was navigated through the [[Coral Sea]] from Torres Strait, south-eastward to the southward of [[New Caledonia]]. Lihou saw Sir James Saumarez' Shoal (now [[Saumarez Reefs]]) on 27 February and named the reef system after Vice-Admiral [[James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez|James Saumarez]]. On this same trip, Lihou discovered the [[Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve|Lihou Reef and Cays]] and Port Lihou (originally named Port Yarborough, on the southern shore of [[Prince of Wales Island (Queensland)|Prince of Wales Island]]).{{efn|Lihou's ship is different from the 385-ton {{HMS|Zenobia|1807}}, built at King's Lynn in 1807.}}

The [[London Missionary Society]] arrived on Erub (Darnley Island) in 1871. Although some of the Torres Strait islands lie just off the coast of New Guinea, they were annexed in 1879 by [[colony of Queensland]], then a British colony. There was an important [[Pearl hunting|pearling]] industry from the 1860s until about 1970 when it collapsed in the face of competition from the plastics industry. Pearl-shelling was responsible for the arrival of experienced divers from many countries, notably [[Japan]].<ref>Ganter, Regina. (1994). ''The Pearl-Shellers of Torres Strait: Resource Use, Development and Decline, 1860s–1960s''. Melbourne University Press. {{ISBN|0-522-84547-9}}.</ref>

In 1978 an agreement between Australia and [[Papua New Guinea]] determined the [[maritime boundary|maritime border]] in the Torres Strait.<ref>for a detailed map see {{cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/image_cache/GA3747.pdf|title=Australia's Maritime Zones in the Torres Strait|publisher=Australian Government – Geoscience Australia|access-date=2008-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022070241/http://www.ga.gov.au/image_cache/GA3747.pdf|archive-date=22 October 2014|url-status=dead}},<br /> for the agreement see {{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TREATIES/AUS-PNG1978TS.PDF|title=Treaty between Australia and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea concerning sovereignty and maritime boundaries in the area between the two countries, including the area known as Torres Strait, and related matters, 18 December 1978|publisher=[[United Nations]]|access-date=2008-04-13}}</ref>

In the 1980s, Torres Strait Island people wanted to create a name for the islands which related to their culture. Initially the name "Magani Malu Kes" was suggested for the region, but later adopting the [[acronym]] "Zenadh Kes", to refer to the Torres Strait.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mapping the Torres Strait: from TI to Magani Malu and Zenadh Kes|url=https://www.qhatlas.com.au/content/mapping-torres-strait-ti-magani-malu-and-zenadh-kes|access-date=6 December 2021|website=Queensland Historical Atlas}}</ref> The acronym "ZENADTH KES" was first derived from 'Zey' (south), 'Naygay' (north), 'Dagam' (place/side), 'Thawathaw' (coastline) and KES (passage/channel/waterway).<ref>{{cite web|title=Zenadth Kes|url=http://tsirc.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/Zenadth%20Kes%20Acronym.pdf|website=Torres Strait Islands RC|publisher=[[Queensland Government]]|access-date=6 December 2021|archive-date=10 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310164248/https://www.tsirc.qld.gov.au/sites/default/files/Zenadth%20Kes%20Acronym.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, this has become modified and it is now spelt Zenadh Kes.<ref>{{cite web|date=12 August 2020|title=Zenadh Kes Mai|url=https://www.canopyart.com.au/product/zenadh-kes-mai-torres-strait-pearling-story/|access-date=6 December 2021|website=Canopy}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2023|reason=The quoted source doesn't say anything about the spelling, and it may simply be a misspelling in that source}} 

Due to proximity to the [[Papua New Guinea]] mainland, the northern Torres Strait islands experience occasional [[asylum seeker]] arrivals from across the Strait. A total of ten asylum seekers from Papua New Guinea were detected in each of 2012 and 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wordsworth|first=Matt|title = Torres Strait looms as a new route for asylum seekers escaping PNG|work=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|url= http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-13/torres-strait-png-asylum-seekers-customs-border-patrol/4884640|date=13 August 2013|access-date=9 May 2015}}</ref>

== Geography ==
The strait links the [[Coral Sea]] to the east with the [[Arafura Sea]] and [[Gulf of Carpentaria]] in the west. Although it is an important international sea lane, it is very shallow (water depth of {{cvt|7|to|15|m|ft|disp=semicolon}}),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harris |first1=P. T. |title=Sediments, bedforms and bedload transport pathways on the continental shelf adjacent to Torres Strait, Australia—Papua New Guinea |journal=Continental Shelf Research |date=1988 |volume=8 |issue=8 |pages=979–1003 |doi=10.1016/0278-4343(88)90058-1|bibcode=1988CSR.....8..979H }}</ref> and the maze of reefs and islands can make it hazardous to navigate. In the south the [[Endeavour Strait]] is located between [[Prince of Wales Island (Queensland)|Prince of Wales Island]] (Muralug) and the mainland. Shipping enters Torres Strait via the [[Adolphus Channel]], which joins to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon to the southeast. Strong tidal currents occur in the narrow channels between islands and reefs, and large submarine sand dunes migrate across the seafloor.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hemer |first1=M. A. |last2=Harris |first2=P. T. |last3=Coleman |first3=R. |last4=Hunter |first4=J. |title=Sediment mobility due to currents and waves in the Torres Strait–Gulf of Papua region |journal=Continental Shelf Research |date=2004 |volume=24 |issue=19 |pages=2297–2316 |doi=10.1016/j.csr.2004.07.011|bibcode=2004CSR....24.2297H |url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/22849151 }}</ref> Some 580 coral reefs, including the Warrior Reefs and Eastern Patch Reefs, cover a total area of {{convert|2400|km2|abbr=on}} in the region, and the area also has some of the most extensive seagrass beds in the world.<ref>Coles, R.G., McKenzie, L.J. and Campbell, S.J. (2003). "The seagrasses of eastern Australia" In: Green EP; Short FT; and Spalding MD. (eds) ''The World Atlas of Seagrasses''</ref>

[[File:Torres Strait Islands air photo.jpg|thumb|Torres Strait Islands aerial photo]]
Several clusters of islands lie in the Strait, collectively called the [[Torres Strait Islands]]. There are at least 274 of these islands, of which 17 have present-day permanent settlements. These islands have a variety of [[topography|topographies]], [[ecosystem]]s and formation history. Several of those closest to the New Guinea coastline are low-lying, formed by [[alluvial]] sedimentary deposits borne by the outflow of the local rivers into the sea.<ref>Harris, P.T., 1995. "Muddy waters: the physical sedimentology of Torres Strait," in: Bellwood, O., Choat, H., Saxena, N. (Eds.), ''Recent Advances in Marine Science and Technology '94.'' James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Qld., pp. 149-160</ref> Many of the western islands are hilly and steep, formed mainly of [[granite]], and are peaks of the northernmost extension of the [[Great Dividing Range]]. They became islands as sea levels rose at the end of the last [[ice age]]. The central islands are predominantly [[coral]] [[cay]]s, and those of the east are of [[volcano|volcanic]] origins.

There are several major policy and institutional frameworks in the Torres Strait region that support the sustainable use and management of marine resources while also protecting habitats, biodiversity and the traditional islander way of life. Most important of these is the Torres Strait Treaty, entered into by Australia and Papua New Guinea in February 1985. The Treaty defines sovereignty and maritime boundaries in the area between the two countries. It guides decision makers on protecting the way of life and livelihood of traditional inhabitants, on managing the protection of habitats, and on sharing the commercial and traditional fisheries resources. The Treaty established a Torres Strait Protected Zone within which both nations manage access to fisheries resources. Each country exercises sovereign jurisdiction for resources on either side of the agreed jurisdiction lines.

Environmental issues facing the region include the risk of mining waste from the [[Fly River]] in southern Papua New Guinea and the sustainable management of natural resources.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harris |first1=P. T. |last2=Butler |first2=A. J. |last3=Coles |first3=R. G. |title=Marine resources, biophysical processes, and environmental management of a tropical shelf seaway: Torres Strait, Australia–Introduction to the special issue |journal=Continental Shelf Research |date=2008 |volume=28 |issue=16 |pages=2113–2116 |doi=10.1016/j.csr.2008.03.032|bibcode=2008CSR....28.2113H }}</ref>

==People, culture and languages==
{{further|Torres Strait Islanders}}
The islands' [[indigenous peoples|indigenous inhabitants]] are the [[Torres Strait Islanders]], one of two ethnically distinct groups of [[Indigenous Australian]] peoples. Torres Strait Islanders are distinct from both the Papuans of adjoining New Guinea and from [[Aboriginal Australian]] peoples of the nearby Australian mainland, but related to both.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=David |first1=B. |last2=McNiven |first2=I. |last3=Manas |first3=L. |last4=Manas |first4=J. |last5=Savage |first5=S. |last6=Crouch |first6=J. |last7=Neliman |first7=G. |last8=Brady |first8=L. |title=Goba of Mua: archaeology working with oral tradition |journal=Antiquity |date=2004 |volume=78 |issue=299 |pages=158–172 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00093005|s2cid=162548326 }}</ref>

The people of the Torres Strait have a unique indigenous culture which has drawn the interest of a range of anthropological, historical, archaeological and folklorist researchers. This includes an expedition from [[Cambridge University]] led by the early ethnographer [[Alfred Haddon]] in 1898, and the more contemporary regional work of Australian anthropologist Jeremy Beckett. Accounts of local Indigenous narrative traditions can be found in the work of Nonie Sharp and [[Margaret Lawrie]]. Lawrie developed strong relationships with the people of the Torres Strait from the 1950s to 1970s, and many approached her to record and write down their personal stories and family histories. This resulted in her conducting research into the cultural history of the Torres Strait and collecting transcripts, audio recordings, photographs, slides, works of art and [[oral tradition|oral stories]]. Collectively they formed the basis of the publication ''Myths and Legends of Torres Strait'' (1970) and ''Tales from Torres Strait'' (1972). Her collection is now held by the [[State Library of Queensland]] and in 2008 it was added to [[UNESCO]]'s Australian [[Memory of the World Register]].<ref>{{Cite SLQ-CC-BY|url=https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/margaret-lawrie-collection-torres-strait-islands-1964-1998-treasure-collection-john-oxley|title=Margaret Lawrie Collection of Torres Strait Islands 1964-1998: treasure collection of the John Oxley Library|author=Lynn Myers|date=21 May 2021|website=John Oxley Library Blog|access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref>

Two indigenous languages are spoken on the Torres Strait Islands: [[Kala Lagaw Ya]] (also known by variant names and spellings), and [[Meriam Mir]] (Meriam), as well as Brokan [Broken], otherwise called [[Torres Strait Creole]]. Kala Lagaw Ya is the traditional language owned by the Western and Central islands of the Torres Strait. The Kala Lagaw Ya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the [[Torres Shire Council]].<ref>{{Cite SLQ-CC-BY|url=https://maps.slq.qld.gov.au/iyil/view/kalaw-lagaw-ya-77|title=Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map|author=|date=|website=State Library of Queensland|access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref> Mabuiag is considered a dialect of Kala Lagaw Ya, one of the languages of the Torres Strait. Mabuiag (also written as Mabuyag) is a traditional language of [[Mabuiag Island|Mabuiag]], a Central Western island of the Torres Strait. The Mabuiag language region includes the island landscape of Mabuiag within the local government boundaries of the [[Shire of Torres|Torres Shire Council]] and Mabuiag Island Council.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maps.slq.qld.gov.au/iyil/view/97?embed=true|title=Mabuiag|website=State Library of Queensland|access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref>

In the [[2016 Australian census]], the population of the islands was recorded as 4,514 on the Islands, but many more Torres Strait Islander people live outside of Torres Strait in Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA36960|website= Australian Bureau of Statistics|title= 2016 Census QuickStats: Torres Strait Island (R)|access-date= 6 December 2021|archive-date= 6 December 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211206072054/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA36960|url-status= dead}}</ref>

== Shipping routes ==
[[File:Torres Strait Chart & Passages.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Navigation Routes through the Torres Strait]]
The two routes through the Strait are:
*[[Endeavour Strait]] (purple line on chart) – for small vessels.
*Prince of Wales Channel: Larger ships transiting Torres Strait enter the Prince of Wales Channel from the West just north of [[Booby Island (Queensland)|Booby Island]] by way of the Gannet or Varzin Passages. The minimum depths for deep draught shipping in the Great Barrier Reef pilotage area are found here  ({{cvt|10.3|m|ft|disp=or}}{{snd}}Nov 2011). Shipping with a {{cvt|12.2|m}} static draught or less are permitted to transit the area.<ref>[https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms-and-publications/Publications/AMSA125-QCPP_Booklet.pdf AMSA-QCPP P12]</ref>
**Channels to the East of Prince of Wales Channel
***Great North East Channel: East of Prince of Wales Channel at Wednesday Island the Route becomes The Great North East Channel (green line on chart). The Great North East Channel (GNEC) links the Prince of Wales Channel to the northernmost entrance to the Great Barrier Reef, 120 NM away at Bligh Entrance. The GNEC route runs North or South of Alert Patches and East to under Twin Island then Northeast to Dalrymple Island (the end of Pilotage requirement) then on to Bramble Quay, Bligh Entrance and the open sea. This passage routes shipping to the Coral Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the outside of the Great Barrier Reef. Another channel (brown line on chart) runs down towards Cape York.<ref>[https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms-and-publications/Publications/AMSA125-QCPP_Booklet.pdf AMSA-QCPP P12 & Planning chartlets P65]</ref>
***Inner Route Pilotage Area: The Inner Route Pilotage Area runs from near Cape York to near Cairns. This channel, named the 'Inner Route' runs between the Australian mainland and the Great Barrier Reef<ref>[https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms-and-publications/Publications/AMSA125-QCPP_Booklet.pdf AMSA-QCPP Planning Chartlets P31]</ref>

==In literature==
Torres Strait is mentioned in [[Jules Verne]]'s 1870 novel ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas]]'' as a dangerous strait where the submarine, the [[Nautilus (Verne)|''Nautilus'']], is briefly stranded.

==See also==
{{Portal|Queensland}}
* [[Birds of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan Islands (Torres Strait)]]
* [[Torres Strait Islands]]
* [[Torres Strait Treaty]] – Treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea that set the maritime boundary between the two nations in the Torres Strait

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* Singe, John. (2003). ''My Island Home: A Torres Strait Memoir''. University of Queensland Press. {{ISBN|0-7022-3305-6}}.

== Further reading ==

* {{Cite journal |last=McInnes |first=Allan |date=22 February 1979 |title=Dangers and difficulties of the Torres Strait and Inner Route |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:205094 |journal=Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=47-73 |via=[[University of Queensland]]}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Torres Strait}}
* [https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/margaret-lawrie-collection-torres-strait-islands-1964-1998-treasure-collection-john-oxley Margaret Lawrie Collection of Torres Strait Islands 1964-1998: treasure collection of the John Oxley Library]
* [https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/tqqf2h/alma99184075880802061 Brian Cassey Life in the Torres Strait photographs], [[State Library of Queensland]]

{{Torres Strait |state=autocollapse}}
{{List of Australian seas}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Torres Strait| ]]
[[Category:Arafura Sea]]
[[Category:Australia–Papua New Guinea border]]
[[Category:International straits]]
[[Category:Straits of Australia]]
[[Category:Straits of Papua New Guinea]]
[[Category:Culture of the Torres Strait Islands]]
[[Category:IMCRA meso-scale bioregions]]