Coral Sea Islands Introduction - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Background

The widely scattered islands were first charted in 1803, but they were too small to host any 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 its 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 marine national nature reserves.

 

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Definitions and Notes

NOTE: The information regarding Coral Sea Islands on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Coral Sea Islands 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Coral Sea Islands 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.