Arnhemland

- 12.994134.462Koordinaten: 12 ° 59 ' 38.4 "S, 134 ° 27' 43.2 " E

Arnhem Land (English: Arnhem Land ) in Australia's Northern Territory is a settlement area of ​​the Aborigines and 97,000 sq km slightly larger than Portugal.

Geography

Arnhem Land is located on the northern coast of the continent, about 200 kilometers east of the city of Darwin. It extends from Port Roper on the Gulf of Carpentaria to the East Alligator River, where it is adjacent to the Kakadu National Park. The land is managed by the Northern Land Council and is very sparsely populated with about 20,000 people.

Alligator River at Cahills Crossing

Goyder River Crossing on the Central Arnhem Road

Bauxite refinery on the Gove Peninsula

Culture

The Aborigines in Arnhem Land look back on a rich cultural history and traditions. They have strong spiritual references to their country, which is shown on their rocks and tree bark paintings. The musical culture in Arnhem Land, especially on the Gove Peninsula, is strongly influenced by the didgeridoo. Worldwide notoriety have the musical performances of the band Yothu Yindi from Yirrkala. Also famous is the didgeridoo maker and musician Djalu Gurruwiwi.

Status

The Australian Government in 1976, the Aborigines recognized as the owners of the country. Since the Arnhem Land one of the few areas in Australia, has traditionally live in the Aboriginal and are closely related to their culture, visitors require a special permit from the Aboriginal Yolngu tribe, which must be applied for up to one year in advance. Up to Gunbalanya and the mining town of Nhulunbuy, the Garig - Gunak - Barlu National Park, the area for open access of tourists is locked. There are now relaxations thereof, for example participation in festivals, for example at the Stone Country Festival at the Garma Festival in Gunbalanya and Nhulunby, as well as tourist offers in eastern Arnhem Land, led by Aboriginal people.

Name

The country is named after the ship Arnhem, named after the city of Arnhem, on the 1623 the Dutch explorer Walliam van Colster the area "discovered".

The name Arnhem Land gave the English explorer and cartographer Matthew Flinders.