Coconut Island (Queensland)

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Called Coconut Iceland by the locals Poruma, is a small island in the middle of the Torres Strait, a strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea in the south to the north. The island is one of the Torres Strait Islands.

Administratively Coconut Iceland belongs to the Central Islands, an island region in the municipality of Torres Shire of the Australian state of Queensland.

The only about 37 hectares, barely above sea level, towering island lies to the north of a 7.26 km ² large Riffplattform that serves many sea turtles to lay their eggs. 800 meters east Moian Reef is with an area of 1.68 km ² and 6.7 km to the east Newman Reef is with an area of 1.55 km ². On Moian Reef is the 1.6 -hectare, vegetation-free island Moian Cay. Newman Reef also has a small island with no vegetation.

The island has a decreasing population. The 2006 census found only 166 residents, according to 180 five years earlier. The inhabitants are Melanesians, whose current main source of income is tourism.

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