View source for Torres Strait Islands

{{Short description|Group of islands in the Torres Strait between Australia and New Guinea}}
{{Distinguish|Torres Islands}}
{{Redirect|Torres Strait Island|the local government area|Torres Strait Island Region}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox islands
| name               = Torres Strait Islands
| image              = Flag of the Torres Strait Islanders.svg
| image_caption      = [[Torres Strait Islander Flag]]
| image_map          = TorresStraitIslandsMap.png
| map_caption        = Location of the Torres Strait Islands, between [[Cape York Peninsula]], [[Queensland]], [[Australia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]].
| coordinates        = {{coord|-10.579|142.220|region:AU_type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| location           = 
| languages          = [[English language|English]]; important local languages: [[Kalau Lagau Ya]], [[Meriam Mir]], [[Torres Strait Creole]]
| country            = Australia
| country_capital_and_largest_city = [[Thursday Island]]
| demonym            = {{nowrap|[[Torres Strait Islander]]}}
| country_admin_divisions = [[Torres Strait Regional Authority]]
| country_leader_title = Chairman<sup>a</sup><br />{{nowrap|Chief Executive Officer<sup>a</sup>}}
| country_leader_name = Napau Pedro Stephen<br />Leilani Bin-Juda
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_km2           = 566
| area_sq_mi         = 
| percent_water      = 
| population         = 4,514<ref name=Census2016Y />
| population_as_of   = 2016
| population_density_km2 = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| footnotes          = 
}}

The '''Torres Strait Islands''' are an [[archipelago]] of at least 274 small islands in the [[Torres Strait]], a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's [[Cape York Peninsula]] and the island of [[New Guinea]]. They span an area of {{Convert|48000|km2|abbr=on}}, but their total land area is {{Convert|566|km2|abbr=on}}.

The Islands are inhabited by the indigenous [[Torres Strait Islanders]]. Lieutenant [[James Cook]] first claimed British sovereignty over the eastern part of Australia at [[Possession Island, Queensland|Possession Island]] in 1770, but British administrative control only began in the Torres Strait Islands in 1862. The islands are now mostly part of [[Queensland]], a constituent State of the [[Australia|Commonwealth of Australia]], but are administered by the [[Torres Strait Regional Authority]], a [[statutory authority]] of the [[Australian federal government]]. A few islands very close to the coast of mainland New Guinea belong to the [[Western Province (Papua New Guinea)|Western Province]] of [[Papua New Guinea]], most importantly [[Daru Island]] and its provincial capital, [[Daru]].

Only 17 of the islands are inhabited.<ref name="cca">{{cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=Nina L. |last2=Barnes |first2=Samuel |last3=Canuto |first3=Condy |last4=Nona |first4=Francis |last5=Redmond |first5=Andrew M. |date=April 2021 |title=Climate change and infectious diseases in Australia's Torres Strait Islands |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1326020023004570#azph13073-bib-0014 |journal=Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=122–128 |doi=10.1111/1753-6405.13073 |access-date=6 October 2023|doi-access=free }}</ref> The Torres Strait Islands' population was recorded at 4,514 in the [[2016 Australian census]], with 91.8% of these identifying as [[Torres Strait Islanders|Indigenous Torres Strait Island peoples]]. Although counted as [[Indigenous Australians]], Torres Strait Islander peoples, being predominantly [[Melanesians|Melanesian]], are ethnically and culturally different from [[Aboriginal Australians]].

== History ==
The Spanish [[Kingdom of Galicia|Explorer]] [[Luís Vaz de Torres|Luís Vaez de Torres]] sailed the [[Torres Strait]] in 1606.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Estensen |first=Miriam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3hPC74hbvrQC&q=Terra+Australis+Incognita%3A+The+Spanish+Quest+for+the+mysterious+Great+South+Land%2C |title=Terra Australis Incognita: The Spanish Quest for the mysterious Great South Land |date=2006-10-01 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=978-1-74176-086-6 |language=en}}</ref> Torres had joined the expedition of [[Pedro Fernandes de Queirós]], which sailed west from [[Peru]] across the Pacific Ocean, in search of [[Terra Australis]].

[[File:Canoe of Darnley Island.jpg|thumb|Trading canoe at [[Darnley Island (Queensland)|Erub (Darnley Island)]], c. 1849]]
Lieutenant [[James Cook]] first claimed British sovereignty in 1770 over the eastern part of Australia at [[Possession Island, Queensland|Possession Island]], calling it [[New South Wales]] in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third.

British administrative control did not begin until 1862 in the Torres Strait Islands, marked by the appointment of John Jardine, police magistrate at [[Rockhampton]], as Government Resident in the Torres Straits. He originally established a small settlement on [[Albany Island]], but on 1 August 1864 he settled at Somerset Island.<ref name="The story of Cape York Peninsula">{{cite journal |last=Lack |first=Clem |title=The story of Cape York Peninsula : Part II : Torres Strait saga |journal=Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland |year=1963 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=132–153 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/15094896.pdf }}</ref> Although the Torres Strait Islanders had long dived for [[pearl shell]]s themselves, the international industry of pearl and [[Tectus niloticus|trochus]] shells, for using the [[mother of pearl]] as decoration, started in earnest in the 1860s. By the 1890s, the islands were supplying more than 50 per cent of the world's pearl shells.<ref name=monuments>{{cite web | title=Torres Strait Pearl Divers | website=Monument Australia | url=https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/technology/industry/display/100188-torres-strait-pearl-divers- | access-date=4 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Beckett | first=Jeremy | title=The Torres Strait Islanders and the pearling industry: A case of internal colonialism | journal=[[Aboriginal History]] | publisher=ANU Press | volume=1 | issue=1/2 | year=1977 | issn=0314-8769 | jstor=24045532 | pages=77–104 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24045532 | access-date=4 August 2021}}</ref>

The [[London Missionary Society]] (LMS) mission, led by Rev. Samuel Macfarlane, arrived on [[Darnley Island, Torres Strait|Erub (Darnley Island)]] on 1 July 1871. After the [[Anglican Church]] took over their mission in the 20th century, they referred to the events as "[[The Coming of the Light]]", and established an annual celebration on 1 July.<ref name="hots">{{cite web |url= http://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/general-history.aspx |archive-url= http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090515015550/http://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/general-history.aspx |url-status= dead |archive-date= 15 May 2009 |title= History of Torres Strait to 1879 – a regional view |author= John Burton |publisher= Torres Strait Regional Authority |access-date= 3 July 2011 }}</ref>

In 1872, the boundary of Queensland was extended to include [[Thursday Island]] and other islands in Torres Strait within 60 miles of the Queensland coast.<ref name="The story of Cape York Peninsula" />

In June 1875, a [[measles]] epidemic killed about 25% of the population, with some islands suffering losses of up to 80%, as the islanders had no natural immunity to European diseases.<ref>{{cite web | last=Korff | first=Jens  | title=Aboriginal timeline: Health | website=Creative Spirits | date=4 August 2021 | url=https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/australian-aboriginal-history-timeline/health | access-date=4 August 2021}}</ref>

In 1879, Queensland [[Annexation|annexed]] the other Torres Strait Islands. They were classified as part of the British [[colony of Queensland]] and, after 1901, of the Australian state of Queensland. But some of them lie just off the coast of New Guinea.

In 1885, John Douglas was appointed as Government Resident Magistrate residing on Thursday Island. He made periodic tours of all the islands and was known to all the natives. He established the system under which the hereditary native chief of each island was installed as chief magistrate, supporting the local traditional system. He also established Native Police, but the only island on which the Native Police were armed was [[Saibai Island|Saibai]]. There they were provided with [[Snider–Enfield|Snider carbines]] to repel the attacks of the [[Marind-anim]] (formerly known as Tugeri), the headhunters who raided the islands from their territory on the New Guinea coast.<ref name="The story of Cape York Peninsula" />

In 1898–1899, the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition led by [[Alfred Cort Haddon]] visited the Torres Strait Islands. Among its members was [[W. H. R. Rivers]], who later gained notability for his work in psychology and treating officers in the Great War.<ref>''The Recordings of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits'', National Film and Sound Archive: at [http://nfsa.gov.au/collection/sound/sounds-australia/ Sounds of Australia registry]</ref> They collected and took about 2000 cultural artefacts, ostensibly to save them from destruction by missionaries. But all of the artefacts collected by Samuel Macfarlane were sold in London, mostly to European museums.<ref name=artnetwork/>

===20th century to present===
In 1904, the peoples of the Torres Strait Islands were made subject to the ''[[Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897]]'',<ref>[http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=54 Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 (Qld)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209110717/http://foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=54 |date=9 December 2007 }}. Documenting Democracy. 24 May 2011. Retrieved on 3 July 2011.</ref> which gave substantial powers to the Queensland government in placing legal restrictions on natives and on their land use.<ref name=artnetwork/>

In 1899, John Douglas had initiated a process of electing island councils, intended to loosen the power of missionaries in the islands. They had become powerful by default because the government did not have resources to administer the territory. In the Western islands, where the traditional lifestyle was semi-[[nomad]]ic, the council system continued to thrive.<ref name=artnetwork/>

During [[World War II]], many Torres Strait Islanders served in the [[Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion]] of the [[Australian Army]].<ref>{{Cite web | title=The Battle for Australia - Island defenders | url=http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww2/bfa/island_defenders.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317204151/http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww2/bfa/island_defenders.html | archive-date=2015-03-17 | access-date=2025-08-07}}</ref> It is the only Australian Army unit to have been formed out of indigenous Australians. 

From 1960 to 1973, [[Margaret Lawrie]] captured some of the Torres Strait Islander people's culture by recording their recounting of local myths and legends. Her anthropological work, stored at the [[State Library of Queensland]], has recently been recognised and registered with the Australian UNESCO [[Memory of the World Programme]].<ref name=artnetwork/>

The proximity of the islands to [[Papua New Guinea]] became an issue when the territory started moving to gain [[independence]] from Australia, which it gained in 1975. The Papua New Guinea government objected to the position of the border close to the New Guinean mainland, and the subsequent complete control that Australia exercised over the waters of the strait. The Torres Strait Islanders opposed being separated from Australia and insisted on no change to the border.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfsa.gov.au/digitallearning/mabo/info/border.htm |title=The Border Problem |publisher=National Film and Sound Archive |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref> The Australian Federal government wished to cede the northern islands to appease Papua New Guinea, but were opposed by the Queensland government and [[Premier of Queensland|Queensland Premier]] Sir [[Joh Bjelke-Petersen]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-15/wordsworth-patrolling-the-short-hop-from-png-to-australia/4886290 |title=Patrolling the short hop from PNG to Australia |author=Matt Wordsworth |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=14 August 2013 |access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>

Under the [[Torres Strait Treaty]] of 1978 the islands and their inhabitants remained Australian, but the [[maritime boundary]] between Australia and Papua New Guinea was defined as running through the centre of the strait. In practice the two countries co-operate closely in the management of the strait's resources.<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|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080627114831/http://www.ga.gov.au/image_cache/GA3747.pdf|archive-date= 27 June 2008}},<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 1982, [[Eddie Mabo]] and four other Torres Strait Islander people from Mer (Murray Island) started legal proceedings to establish their traditional land ownership. Because Mabo was the first-named plaintiff, it became known as the [[Mabo v Queensland (No 2)|Mabo Case]]. In 1992, after ten years of hearings before the [[Queensland Supreme Court]] and the [[High Court of Australia]], the latter court found that the Mer people had owned their land prior to annexation by Queensland.<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1941005.htm|title= Indigenous people still battle for land rights: activist|access-date= 3 July 2011|date= 3 June 2007|work= ABC News Online|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> This ruling overturned the long-established [[legal doctrine]] of ''[[terra nullius]]'' ("no-one's land"), which held that [[Native title in Australia|native title]] over Crown land in Australia had been extinguished at the time of annexation. The ruling thus has had far-reaching significance for the land claims of both Torres Strait Islanders and [[Australian Aboriginal]] people. Its effects are still being felt in the 21st century, as indigenous communities establish claims to their traditional lands under the [https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00054 Native Title Act of 1993].

On 1 July 1994, the [[Torres Strait Regional Authority]] (TSRA) was created.<!-- Describe its authority and make-up --> In March 2008, fifteen Torres Strait Islander Councils were amalgamated into a single body to form a Torres Strait Island Regional Council, or [[Torres Strait Island Region]], created by the [[Queensland Government]] in the interest of financial viability, and accountability and transparency of local governments throughout the State.<ref name=artnetwork>{{cite web|url=https://australianartnetwork.com.au/regions/torres-strait-islands/ |website=Australian Art Network|title= Torres Strait Islands|access-date=8 January 2020}}</ref> It is administered from [[Thursday Island]], but Thursday, [[Horn Island, Queensland|Horn Island]], [[Prince of Wales Island (Queensland)|Prince of Wales Island]] and many others are under the [[Shire of Torres]] council.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/documents/2009/Nov/Senate%20Inquiry%20into%20Torres%20Strait/Attachments/Queensland%20Government%20submission.pdf|date=16 November 2009|title=Submission by the Queensland Government to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee Inquiry into Matters Relating to the Torres Strait Region|access-date=8 January 2020 }}</ref>

In the {{CensusAU|2016}}, the population of the Torres Strait Islands was 4,514, of whom 4,144 (91.8%) were [[Torres Strait Islanders]].<ref name="Census2016Y">{{Census 2016 AUS|id=315011402|name=Torres Strait Islands|accessdate=3 April 2018|quick=on}}</ref> These inhabitants live on only 14 of the 274 islands.<ref name="mts">{{Cite news |author=Suellen Hinde |date=31 January 2011 |title=Monster tides smother Torres Strait islands |newspaper=The Sunday Mail |publisher=News Queensland |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/monster-tides-smother-torres-strait-islands/story-e6freoof-1225825028712 |access-date=3 July 2011}}</ref> For comparison, people identifying themselves as of Torres Strait Islander descent living in the whole of Australia numbered 32,345, while those of both Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal descent numbered a further 26,767.<ref>{{cite web |date=31 October 2017 |title=2071.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population, 2016 |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20islander%20Population%20Article~12 |access-date=5 January 2020 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistices}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Torres Strait Islands map.svg|thumb|300px|Torres Strait Islands]]

The islands span an area of some {{Convert|48000|km2|abbr=on}}. The strait from Cape York to New Guinea has a width of approximately {{convert|150|km|mi}} at its narrowest point; the islands lie scattered in between, extending some {{Convert|200|to|300|km}} from furthest east to furthest west. The total land area of the islands comprises {{Convert|566|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="soilsanra">{{cite web |url= http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/soils/erosion/qld/basin-torres-strait-islands-ln.html |title= Soils – Torres Strait Islands |date= 6 May 2009 |work= Australian Natural Resources Atlas |publisher= Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities |access-date= 4 July 2011 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110602145521/http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/soils/erosion/qld/basin-torres-strait-islands-ln.html |archive-date= 2 June 2011}}</ref> {{Convert|21784|ha}} of land are used for agricultural purposes.<ref name="econanra">
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/economics/costs-returns/qld/basin-torres-strait-islands.html
 |title       = Economics – Torres Strait Islands
 |date        = 6 November 2007
 |work        = Australian Natural Resources Atlas
 |publisher   = Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
 |access-date  = 4 July 2011
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110602125032/http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/economics/costs-returns/qld/basin-torres-strait-islands.html
 |archive-date = 2 June 2011}}
</ref>

The [[Torres Strait]] itself was previously part of a [[land bridge]] known as the Arafura Plain which connected the present-day Australian continent with New Guinea (in a single landmass called [[Sahul continent|Sahul]], [[Meganesia]], [[Australia-New Guinea]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Allen |first=J. |editor1=J. Golson |editor2=R. Jones |title=Sunda and Sahul: Prehistorical studies in Southeast Asia, Melanesia and Australia |year=1977 |publisher=Academic Press |location=London |isbn=0-12-051250-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sundasahulprehis0000unse }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |first=W. |last=Filewood |title=The Torres connection: Zoogeography of New Guinea |book-title=Vertebrate zoogeography in Australasia |pages=1124–1125 |publisher=Hesperian Press | location=Carlisle, W.A. |year=1984 |isbn=0-85905-036-X }}</ref> This land bridge was most recently submerged by [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]] at the end of the [[last glacial period|last ice-age glaciation]] approximately 12,000 years ago, forming the Strait which now connects the [[Arafura Sea|Arafura]] and [[Coral Sea|Coral]] seas. Many of the western Torres Strait Islands are the remaining peaks of this land bridge which were not completely submerged when the ocean levels rose.

The islands and their surrounding waters and reefs provide a highly diverse set of land and marine [[ecosystem]]s, with niches for many rare or unique species. [[Saltwater crocodile]]s inhabit the islands along with neighbouring areas of [[Queensland]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]. Marine animals of the islands include [[dugong]]s (an [[endangered species]] of [[Sirenia|sea mammal]] widely found throughout the Indian Ocean and tropical Western Pacific, including Papua-New Guinean and Australian waters), as well as [[green sea turtle|green]], [[Olive ridley sea turtle|ridley]], [[hawksbill turtle|hawksbill]] and [[flatback turtle|flatback]] sea turtles.

The Torres Strait Islands may be grouped{{by whom|date=June 2016}} into five distinct clusters, which exhibit differences of [[geology]] and formation as well as location. The Torres Strait provides a habitat for [[Birds of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan Islands (Torres Strait)|numerous birds]], including the [[Torresian imperial-pigeon]], which is seen{{by whom|date=June 2016}} as the iconic national emblem to the islanders.{{citation needed|date=July 2011}}

These islands are also a distinct physiographic section of the larger [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York Platform]] [[physiographic province|province]], which in turn is part of the larger [[Great Dividing Range|East Australian Cordillera]] [[physiographic region]].

=== Top Western islands (Gudaw Maluligal Nation) ===
The islands in this cluster lie very close to the southwestern coastline of New Guinea (the closest is less than {{convert|4|km|mi}} offshore). [[Saibai Island|Saibai]] (one of the largest of the Torres Strait Islands) and [[Boigu Island|Boigu]] (one of the [[Talbot Islands]]) are low-lying islands which were formed by deposition of [[alluvium|sediments]] and mud from New Guinean rivers into the Strait accumulating on decayed coral platforms. Vegetation on these islands mainly consists of [[mangrove]] swamps, and they are prone to flooding.

The other main island in this group, [[Dauan Island, Queensland|Dauan]] (Mt Cornwallis), is a smaller island with steep hills, composed largely of [[granite]]. This island actually represents the northernmost extent of the [[Great Dividing Range]], the extensive series of [[mountain range]]s which runs along almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia. This peak became an island as the ocean levels rose at the end of the last ice age.

The isolated and uninhabited [[Warul Kawa Indigenous Protected Area|Deliverance Island]] is {{convert|67|km|mi}} west of Boigu, the nearest of the Top Western islands.

{{See also|Birds of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan Islands (Torres Strait)}}

=== Near Western islands (Maluligal Nation) ===
The islands in this cluster lie south of the Strait's midway point, and are also largely high granite hills with mounds of [[basalt]]ic outcrops, formed from old peaks of the now submerged land bridge. [[Moa Island, Torres Strait|Moa]] (Banks Island) is the second-largest in the Torres Strait, and [[Badu Island, Torres Strait|Badu]] (Mulgrave Island) is slightly smaller and fringed with extensive mangrove swamps. Other smaller islands include [[Mabuiag Island|Mabuiag]], Pulu and further to the east Naghir (correct form '''Nagi''', aka Mount Ernest Island). Culturally this was the most complex part of Torres Strait, containing three of the four groupings/dialects of the Western-central Islanders, Nagi being culturally/linguistically a Central Island (Kulkalaig territory, specifically part of Waraber tribal waters), Moa is part of the Muwalaig-Italaig-Kaiwalaig [Kauraraig/Kaurareg] tribal areas, with two groups, the Italaig of the south, and the Muwalaig of the north. Many Kauraraig also live there, having been forcibly moved there in 1922–1923. Badu and Mabuiag are the '''Maluigal''' ''Deep Sea People''.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

=== Inner islands (Kaiwalagal Kawrareg Aboriginal Nation) ===
[[File:Thursday Island, Torres Strait.jpg|thumb|250px|The township of Thursday Island]]

These islands, also known as the Thursday Island group, lie closest to Cape York Peninsula, and their [[topography]] and geological history is very similar. [[Prince of Wales Island, Torres Strait|Muralag (Prince of Wales Island)]] is the largest of the Strait's islands, and forms the centre of this closely grouped cluster. The much smaller Waiben [[Thursday Island]] is the region's administrative centre and most heavily populated. Several of these islands have permanent freshwater springs, and some were also mined for [[gold]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of their proximity to the Australian mainland, they have also been centres of [[pearl hunting|pearling]] and [[fishing]] industries. Nurupai [[Horn Island, Queensland|Horn Island]] holds the region's airport, and as a result is something of an [[entrepôt]] with inhabitants drawn from many other communities. [[Hammond Island, Queensland|Kiriri]] (Hammond Island) is the other permanently settled island of this group; Tuined (Possession Island) is noted for [[James Cook|Lt. James Cook's]] landing there in 1770. Moa in the Near Western group is culturally and linguistically speaking part of this group.

=== Central islands (Kulkalgal Nation) ===
This cluster is more widely distributed in the middle of Torres Strait, consisting of many small sandy [[cay]]s surrounded by [[coral reef]]s, similar to those found in the nearby [[Great Barrier Reef]]. The more northerly islands in this group however, such as [[Gabba Island|Gerbar]] (Two Brothers) and [[Iama Island|Iama (Yam Island)]], are high basaltic outcrops, not cays. Nagi is a culturo-linguistic part of this group, and also has high basaltic outcropping. The low-lying inhabited coral cays, such as [[Poruma Island|Poruma (Coconut Island)]], [[Warraber Island]] and [[Masig Island|Masig (Yorke Island)]] are mostly less than {{convert|2|to(-)|3|km|mi|abbr=off}} long, and no wider than {{convert|800|m|ft|abbr=off}}. Several have had problems with [[saltwater intrusion]].

=== Eastern islands (Kemer Kemer Meriam Nation) ===
The islands of this group (principally [[Murray Island, Queensland|Mer (Murray Island)]], Dauar and Waier, with [[Darnley Island (Queensland)|Erub Island]] and [[Stephens Island (Torres Strait)|Stephen Island (Ugar)]] further north) are formed differently from the rest. They are [[volcano|volcanic]] in origin, the peaks of volcanoes which were active in [[Pleistocene]] times. Consequently, their hillsides have rich and fertile red volcanic soils, and are thickly vegetated. The easternmost of these are less than {{convert|20|km|mi}} from the northern extension of the Great Barrier Reef.

== Administration ==
[[File:Hammond-island-torres-strait.JPG|thumb|250px|Hammond Island, Torres Strait]]

===Regional Authority===
{{Main|Torres Strait Regional Authority}}
The [[Torres Strait Regional Authority]] (TSRA), an Australian Commonwealth statutory authority created in 1994, exercises governance over the islands. The TSRA has an elected board comprising 20 representatives from the [[Torres Strait Islander]] and [[Australian Aborigines|Aboriginal]] communities resident in the Torres Strait region.

One representative per established local community wins election to the board under the ''Queensland Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984'' and Division 5 of the ''ATSIC Act 1989''. The TSRA itself falls under the portfolio responsibilities of the [[Government of Australia|Australian Government]] [[Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet]] (previously under the [[Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Australia)|Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs]]). [[Thursday Island]] functions as the administrative centre of the islands.

The TSRA now represents the local communities at both Commonwealth and [[States of Australia|State]] levels; previously, State representation operated via a Queensland statutory authority called the Island Coordinating Council (ICC). The [[Torres Strait Island Region]] local government area superseded the ICC in March 2008.

In March 2008, fifteen Torres Strait Islander Councils were amalgamated into a single body to form a Torres Strait Island Regional Council, or [[Torres Strait Island Region]], created by the [[Queensland Government]] in the interest of financial viability, and accountability and transparency of local Governments throughout the State.<ref name=artnetwork/> It is administered from [[Thursday Island]], but Thursday, [[Horn Island, Queensland|Horn Island]], [[Prince of Wales Island (Queensland)|Prince of Wales Island]] and many others are under the [[Shire of Torres]] council.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/documents/2009/Nov/Senate%20Inquiry%20into%20Torres%20Strait/Attachments/Queensland%20Government%20submission.pdf|date=16 November 2009|title=Submission by the Queensland Government to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee Inquiry into Matters Relating to the Torres Strait Region|access-date=8 January 2020 }}</ref>

===Local government===

At the local level, there are two authorities. One is the [[Shire of Torres]], which governs several islands and portions of Cape York Peninsula and operates as a Queensland [[Local government in Australia|local government area]].

The other is the [[Torres Strait Island Region]], created in 2008, which embodies 15 former island councils. These former councils had been previously relinquished by the [[Queensland Government]] to specific Islander and Aboriginal Councils under the provisions of the ''Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984'' and the ''Community Services (Aboriginal) Act 1984''), consisting of:

{{div col}}
* Badu Island Council
* Bamaga Island Council
* Boigu Island Council
* Dauan Island Council
* Erub Island Council
* Hammond Island Council
* Iama Island Council
* Kubin Island Council
* Mabuiag Island Council
* Mer Island Council
* Poruma Island Council
* Saibai Island Council
* Seisia Island Council
* St Pauls Island Council
* St Patrick Island council
* Ugar Island Council
* Warraber Island Council
* Yorke Island Council
{{div col end}}

== Localities ==
This shows the localities of the Torres Strait Islands in alphabetical order.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Locality
!Type
!Population
(2016 Census)
!Population Density
km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Badu Island]]
|Locality
|813
|8.50/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Boigu Island (Queensland)|Boigu Island]]    
|Town
|271
|3.0/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Coconut Island (Queensland)|Coconut Island]]
|Town
|167
| -
|-
|[[Darnley Island (Queensland)|Darnley Island]]
|Town
|328
|57.5/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Dauan Island]]
|Town
|191
|56.2/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[List of Torres Strait Islands|Friday Island]]
|Locality
|20
| -
|-
|[[Horn Island, Queensland|Horn Island]]
|Town
|531
| 10/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Keriri Island, Queensland|Keriri Island]]
|Locality
|268
|16.96/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Mabuiag Island]]
|Town
|210
|33.3/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Masig Island, Queensland|Masig Island]]
|Locality
|270
|180/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Moa Island (Queensland)|Moa Island]]
|Locality
|448
|2.632/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Murray Island, Queensland|Murray Island]]
|Town
|453
| -
|-
|[[List of Torres Strait Islands|Packe Island]]
|Locality
|10
| -
|-
|[[Prince Of Wales, Queensland|Prince of Wales]]
|Locality
|109
|0.2128/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Saibai Island]]
|Town
|465
|4.3/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Stephen Island (Torres Strait)|Stephen Island]]
|Locality
|72
| -
|-
|[[Thursday Island]]
|Town
|2,938
|839/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Warraber Islet, Queensland|Warraber Islet]]
|Locality
|245
|350/km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|[[Yam Island]]
|Locality
|319
|168/km<sup>2</sup>
|}

==Independence movement==
Politicians who have declared support for independence, include [[Bob Katter]] and former Queensland Premier [[Anna Bligh]], who in August 2011 wrote to [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Julia Gillard]] in support of Torres Strait Islands independence from [[Australia]]; Prime Minister Gillard said in October 2011 "her government will respectfully consider the Torres Strait's request for self-government". Other figures who have supported independence include Australian Indigenous rights campaigner [[Eddie Mabo]].<ref>Sarah Elks (15 October 2011). [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/for-mabos-sake-let-my-island-home-go-torres-strait-elder-george-mye/story-fn9hm1pm-1226167158932 For Mabo's sake, let my island home go: Torres Strait elder George Mye]. ''The Australian''. News Limited. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.</ref><ref>Larine Statham (17 October 2011). [http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/progress-for-torres-strait-independence/story-fn6ck2c6-1226168521353 Progress for Torres Strait independence]. ''Courier Mail''. Queensland Newspapers. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.</ref><ref>(5 August 2009). [http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/mp-supports-torres-strait-independence/story-e6frfku0-1225758260046 MP supports Torres Strait independence]. news.com.au. News Limited. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.</ref>

==Languages==
[[File:Torres Strait Islander Languages used at home.jpg|thumb|Languages used at home by Torres Strait Islanders in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population.<ref name="Australian 2021 Census dataset “2021 Census - Cultural Diversity, 2021">{{cite web|url= https://tablebuilder.abs.gov.au/|title="2021 Census - Cultural Diversity, 2021, TableBuilder"|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)}}</ref>]]
{{Main|Torres Strait Islanders|Torres Strait Island languages}}

Torres Strait Islander peoples, the indigenous peoples of the islands, are predominantly Melanesians, culturally most akin to the coastal peoples of [[Papua New Guinea]]. Thus, they are regarded as being distinct from Aboriginal peoples of Australia and are generally referred to separately, despite ongoing historical trade and inter-marriage with mainland Aboriginal people. There are also two Torres Strait Islander communities on the nearby coast of the mainland, [[Bamaga, Queensland|Bamaga]] and [[Seisia, Queensland|Seisia]].{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

According to the Torres Strait Treaty, residents of Papua New Guinea are permitted to visit the Torres Strait Islands for traditional purposes.<ref name="atoswr">{{Cite news |url=http://www.torresnews.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1764:access-to-outer-islands-water-restricted&catid=3:news |title=Access to Outer Islands' water restricted |access-date=3 July 2011 |date=17 June 2011 |work=Torres News Online }}</ref>

There are three languages spoken on the islands. The two indigenous languages are the [[Western-Central Torres Strait Language]] (called by various names, including Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kalaw Kawaw Ya, Kulkalgau Ya and Kaiwaligau Ya), and the Eastern Torres Language [[Meriam Mir]].{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

[[Yumplatok]] (also known as Torres Strait Creole and Broken) is a contemporary [[Torres Strait Island languages|Torres Strait Island language]] spoken in the [[Torres Strait]]. The contact with missionaries, traders and other English speakers since the 19th century led to the development of a [[pidgin language]]. It developed more fully as a [[creole language]], with its own distinctive sound system, grammar, vocabulary, usage and meaning. Torres Strait Creole is spoken by most Torres Strait Islanders and is a mixture of [[Standard Australian English]] and traditional indigenous languages. It is an English-based creole; however, each island has its own version of creole. Torres Strait Creole is also spoken on the [[Australian mainland]], including in the [[Northern Peninsula Area Region]] and coastal communities such as [[Cairns]], [[Townsville]], [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]], [[Rockhampton]] and [[Brisbane]].<ref>{{Cite SLQ-CC-BY|url=https://maps.slq.qld.gov.au/iyil/view/173?embed=true|title=Yupanguthi|website=Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages map|access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref>

==Climate change==
<!---Torres Strait 8 redirects here--->
The Torres Strait Islands are threatened by rising sea levels, especially those islands which do not rise more than {{convert|1|m|ft|spell=in|abbr=off}} [[above sea level]].<ref name="rst">{{Cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/features/rising-seas-threaten-isles/story-e6freowx-1111114089466 |title=Rising seas threat to Torres Strait islands |author=Peter Michael |access-date=3 July 2011 |date=2 August 2007 |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |publisher=News Queensland }}</ref> [[Storm surge]]s and high tides pose the greatest danger. Other developing problems include erosion, property damage, drinking water contamination and the unearthing of the dead. As of June 2010, there were no relocation strategies in place for Torres Strait Islanders.<ref name="ccbw">{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2010/06/28//2939097.htm |title=Climate change: not all black and white |author=Sofia Levin |access-date=3 July 2011 |date=28 June 2010 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation }}</ref> By 2021, at least one freshwater well had turned to salt water.<ref name=park2021/>

In early 2020, it was reported that [[Sue Islet|Warraber]] is particularly threatened by rising sea levels, and coastal defences have been built on many of the beaches on the island. The [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC) has predicted that by 2100, tides will rise {{cvt|30.|–|110.|cm}}, depending on the timing and level of cuts to [[carbon emissions]]. Several of the smaller islands in the group are also under threat.<ref>{{cite web|website =[[The Guardian]] |title ='It's our right to be here': the Torres Strait Islanders fighting to save their homes from a rising sea|url =https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/01/its-our-right-to-be-here-the-torres-strait-islanders-fighting-to-save-their-homes-from-a-rising-sea|date =1 March 2020 |access-date =1 March 2020|first=Jack |last =Banister }}</ref> Construction of [[sea wall]]s has begun on [[Boigu Island]], and [[Masig Island]] is next in line.<ref name=park2021>{{cite web | last=Park | first=Andy | title=For these Torres Strait Islanders, climate change is already here - and they're urging the government to do more | website=ABC News| publisher =Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=18 April 2021 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-19/torres-strait-islanders-climate-change-impacts-uninhabitable/100069596 | access-date=19 April 2021}}</ref>

===Torres Strait 8===
A group of eight people from the small, low-lying islands of Boigu, Poruma, Warraber and Masig,<ref name="Faa 2022"/> who became known as the '''Torres Strait 8''', lodged a complaint against the [[Australian Government]] with the [[UN Human Rights Committee]] in May 2019, based on the claim that their [[human rights]] were being violated by the government's lack of efforts to protect the people of the Strait from the effects of climate change. Their complaint has been supported by the current and previous [[United Nations special rapporteur|UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment]], David Boyd and [[John H. Knox|John Knox]] respectively. The group is also seeking an opinion from the [[International Court of Justice]] as to whether they would be eligible to seek compensation from countries or large companies for losses brought about by climate change.<ref>{{cite web | last=Faa | first=Marian | title=Torres Strait Islander complaint against climate change inaction wins backing of UN legal experts | website=ABC News ([[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]) | date=10 December 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-11/torres-strait-islander-complaint-against-climate-change-inaction/12972926 | access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref><ref name=park2021/>

In 2020 the Torres Strait 8 were recognised as one of ten "Human Rights Heroes" in the [[Human Rights Awards (Australia)|Human Rights Awards]], in a special category replacing the usual awards.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/celebrating-2020-human-rights-heroes| website= Australian Human Rights Commission |title=Celebrating the 2020 Human Rights Heroes |access-date=28 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | website=Australian Human Rights Commission | title=Human Rights Heroes Campaign Finalists | date=7 December 2020 | url=https://humanrights.gov.au/human-rights-heroes/human-rights-hreroes-campaign-finalists | access-date=28 November 2021}}</ref>

In September 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee gave its response to the Torres Strait 8. It concluded that Australia had violated two of three human rights described in the [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]], a treaty signed in 1966 by 173 member states of the UN, including Australia. The violated rights are "the right to enjoy their culture" and "[to] be free from arbitrary interferences with their private life, family and home". The committee did not find that their right to life had been violated. There is no means by which to enforce the finding, but states generally comply. While the [[Morrison government]] had called for dismissal of the complaint, the [[Albanese government]] (since early 2022) was committed to working with Torres Strait Islanders on climate change.<ref name="Faa 2022">{{cite web | last=Faa | first=Marian | title=UN Human Rights Committee finds Australia violated Torres Strait Islanders' rights by failing to protect them from climate change  | website=ABC News| date=23 September 2022 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-23/un-finds-australia-violated-torres-strait-islanders-rights/101470524 | access-date=24 September 2022}}</ref> The committee called on the government to compensate the islanders for the harm already inflicted, "consult the community on their needs and take action to secure their safety".<ref>{{cite web | title=Australia violated Torres Strait Islanders' rights by failing to protect them from climate change, UN says | website=[[SBS News]] | date=23 September 2022 | url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australias-climate-change-inaction-violated-torres-strait-islanders-rights-un-finds/dwi5vyzcc | access-date=24 September 2022}}</ref>

==Disease control==
The [[banana]] plant leaf disease [[black sigatoka]], the major banana disease worldwide, is endemic to Papua New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands. Occasional infections have been discovered on [[Cape York Peninsula]] but they have been successfully halted with [[Eradication of infectious diseases|eradication]] programs. The disease most likely appeared on the mainland via plant material from the Torres Strait Islands.<ref name="eblst">{{Cite journal |last=Peterson |first=R. |author2=K. Grice |author3=R. Goebel   |date=December 2005 |title=Eradication of black leaf streak disease from Banana-growing regions in Australia |journal=InfoMusa |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=7–10 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MRtZ3aEvlgQC |access-date=3 July 2011 }}</ref>

== Music ==
The music of the Torres Strait is principally vocal accompanied by instruments. The introduction of Christianity through the London Missionary Society, beginning in 1871, had a profound influence, but before that time the musical culture reflected the cultural and geographic diversity of the Strait.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Oxford Companion to Australian Music|last=Bebbington|first=Warren|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1997|isbn=0195534328|location=Melbourne|pages=556}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Queensland|Islands}}
* [[List of Torres Strait Islands]]
* {{format link|Pearl hunting#Australia}}
* [[Torres Strait Islanders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|url=http://www.tsirc.qld.gov.au/changing-region/governance-history|website=Torres Strait Island Regional Council|title=Governance History}} (Timeline)
* {{cite web|url=https://www.naidoc.org.au/about/indigenous-australian-flags|website=NAIDOC|title=Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags|date=2019}}
* {{cite web | last= Hegarty | first=Siobhan | title=To everybody else this place is sinking. It will never sink | website=ABC News (Radio National) | publisher =Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-06/faith-on-a-sinking-ship-torres-strait-climate-change/11837360|date=6 February 2020 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060504064529/http://www.lgp.qld.gov.au/?id=2696 Torres Strait community government review] – 2006 "consultation with the people of Torres Strait is reviewing how local government in the 17 Torres Strait Island Councils should operate.
* [http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacific/places/country/torres_strait_islands.htm Charting the Pacific: Torres Strait Islands] (ABC, 2005)
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3201344 Untitled photo] from: Photograph album of Papua and Torres Strait (1921) taken by [[Frank Hurley]] at the National Library of Australia.
* [https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=atsia/tsi/tsi.pdf Torres Strait Islanders: A New Deal], A Report on Greater Autonomy for Torres Strait Islanders, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Affairs August 1997
* {{cite book |last1=Babbage |first1=Ross |title=The strategic significance of the Torres Strait |date=1990 |publisher=Australian National University |isbn=0731508416 |issn=0069-0104 |url=https://sdsc.bellschool.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/publications/attachments/2016-03/061_the_strategic_significance_of_torres_strait_canberra_papers_on_strategy_and_defence_ross_babbage_445p_0731508416.pdf}}

==External links==
{{sister project auto}}
* [http://www.tsra.gov.au/ Torres Strait Regional Authority]
* [https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/tqqf2h/alma99198843402061 Torres Strait Islands Photograph Album 1935], [[State Library of Queensland]]. Photograph album showcasing [[Attorney-General of Queensland|Queensland Attorney-General]] [[John Mullan (Australian politician)|Hon. John Mullan's]] 1935 official visit to the Torres Strait Islands and the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]].
* [https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/1dejkfd/alma99260973402061 Torres Strait Islands Photographs 1908-1920], State Library of Queensland

{{Torres Strait |state=autocollapse}}
{{Far North Queensland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Torres Strait Islands| ]]
[[Category:Islands of Far North Queensland]]
[[Category:Geography of Melanesia]]
[[Category:Aboriginal communities in Queensland]]
[[Category:Populated places in Queensland]]
[[Category:Culture of the Torres Strait Islands]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]
[[Category:Separatism in Australia]]
[[Category:Fishing communities in Australia]]