One of the most sparsely populated environments on the planet is the Northern Territory. It is a federally governed territory of Australia. It occupies most of the central mainland continent, as also the central northern regions. The state’s residents are generally referred to as ‘Territorians.’
Northern Territory’s capital city is Darwin. It shares its borders with Western Australia to the west, South Australia to the south and Queensland to the east. It is also surrounded by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria on its northern side. Despite spanning a large area of over 520,902 sq miles and being the third largest Australian federal division; it is thinly populated. It is inhabited by just about 227,025 residents, according to a June 2009 census.
Climatically, Northern Territory has two unique zones. The northern zone, including Darwin, has a tropical climate with high humidity and two seasons viz., wet & dry season. During the dry season May to October, nearly every day is warm and sunny, with very little rainfall between May and September. June and July are the coolest months. Majority of rainfall takes place during December and March, and this wet season is characterized by tropical cyclones, thunderstorms and monsoon rains.
Economy
Mining: The backbone of Northern Territory‘s economy is mining, which is largely concentrated on energy-producing minerals; petroleum and energy. It contributes roughly $2.5 billion to the Gross State Product (GSP). In-fact the state GSP per capita is higher than any Australian state or territory, and is also higher than the GSP per capita for Australia. This has been attributed, largely to its booming mining and resources sector.
The main sectors contributing to Northern Territory’s exports consist of oil & gas, iron ore, manufacturing and agriculture sector. Imports to the state comprise mainly of machinery and equipment manufacturing; and petroleum, coal, chemical and associated product manufacturing. The chief mining operations running into billions of AU$ in Northern Territory are those of bauxite at Gove Peninsula, Uranium at Ranger Mine and Manganese, at Groote Eylandt. Gold is also mined at the Union Reefs plant here.
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing: A smaller constituent of the state’s overall economy comprises of agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Nearly half of the territory’s area is used as grazing land for livestock, chiefly beef cattle, with rest of the land used for traditional indigenous purpose. Cattle are raised on widely extensive cattle stations. In addition to meat, the cattle industry exports live cattle, mostly to customers in Asia. Buffalo and buffalo meat too are exported albeit in limited quantities. Marine fishing also forms an important component of the broader agricultural sector.
Tourism: Another vital component of Northern Territory’s economy is tourism. The territory’s unique natural environment and Aboriginal heritage have been the focal point of an ever growing tourism sector. Among the popular tourist destinations for both domestic and international travelers here are Uluru and Kakadu. Besides, NT is known for its natural scenic beauty, particularly its varied landscapes, impressive waterfalls, wide open spaces, aboriginal culture, wild and natural wildlife.