What territories are in Australia?

Australia has two self-governing internal territories on the mainland, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). They sit alongside the six states and are governed differently in important ways.

The Australian Capital Territory was carved from southern New South Wales in 1911 to host the new federal capital, Canberra, after Federation. The ACT covers about 2,358 square kilometres, has a population of around 470,000, and has had its own Legislative Assembly since 1989. Its laws can be overridden by the Commonwealth Parliament because the territory falls under section 122 of the Constitution, which gives the federal Parliament plenary power over territories. Jervis Bay Territory on the south coast of New South Wales is administered as part of the ACT for some federal purposes.

The Northern Territory was originally part of South Australia and was transferred to Commonwealth control in 1911. It became self-governing in 1978 with its own Legislative Assembly. The NT covers about 1.35 million square kilometres (one-sixth of Australia) but has a population of only about 250,000, the smallest of any Australian jurisdiction. About a third of NT residents identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, the highest proportion of any state or territory. Darwin is the capital and Alice Springs the largest inland town. The NT is famous for Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu national parks.

Australia also has several external territories administered by the federal government, including Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, the Australian Antarctic Territory, the Heard and McDonald Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, and Ashmore and Cartier Islands. These external territories sit outside the six-state federation and have varying levels of self-administration.