Gulf of Carpentaria

The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow bay, the concise cuts into the coast of northern Australia and is bounded to the east of the Torres Strait. North of the bay lies the Arafura Sea, the strait between Australia and New Guinea, which by an imaginary, around 590 km long line between Cape Arnhem, the easternmost point of Arnhem Land ( just south of Bremen Iceland ), and Slade Point, a headland in the north Cape York Peninsula, about 50 kilometers south-west of Cape York is deferred. The Gulf is one of the Australasian Mediterranean Sea and thus to the Pacific Ocean.

Geography

At the widest point of the Gulf of Carpentaria is 675 km wide. The extension in north-south direction is about 700 kilometers. The area of the Gulf is about 300,000 km ². On average, the Golf 55-66 meters deep. Its deepest point is only 82 meters below the sea surface. The coastal waters are usually very flat and dominated by shallows. The currents in the Gulf are mainly influenced by the tides and the prevailing winds. In geological time dimensions of golf is still young, because during the last ice age it was still dry land.

The land surrounding the Gulf is generally located low and flat. In particular, the east coast of Cape York Peninsula is flat and fairly straight forward. The west coast of Arnhem Land in the Top End of the Northern Territorys and further south is somewhat hilly and has several bays and islands. With an area of ​​2260 km ² located in front of the Groote Eylandt Arnhem Land is the largest island in the Gulf. Between Groote Eylandt and Arnhem Land are several small islets. At the southern end of the gulf lie the 22 Wellesley Islands. Mornington Iceland is 1002 km ², the largest island in this group. The islands of the Sir Edward Pellew Group are the south-western shore. To her, declared a National Park North Iceland belongs.

The Gulf of Carpentaria is barely tapped along its entire coast. The largest resort on the Bay is Weipa. The mining town with about 3,000 inhabitants, is located about 250 kilometers south of Cape York. The port is hub for the bauxite mines in the area and home to a small fishing fleet that catches especially shrimp. On Mornington Iceland is home to around 1,000 residents. The region south of the Gulf - ie the north-west Queensland and the adjacent areas in the Northern Territory - commonly referred to as Gulf Country. The southern tip of the bay is hardly accessible because of swamps and mangroves. Settlements such as Burketown Normanton or are located around 30 kilometers from the coast on rivers. Karumba located with approximately 500 inhabitants at the mouth of the Norman River is the only place in this area is right on the coast. Major rivers in this region are Nicholson River, its tributary Gregory River, Leichhardt River, Flinders River, Norman River Gilbert River. Big mouth of rivers on the eastern shore are the Mitchell River, Holroyd Rier, River States, Wenlock River and Archer River. In Arnhem Land the Roper River is one of the larger tributaries.

Climate

The climate is subtropical, hot and humid. There are two seasons, the dry season from April to November and the rainy season from December to March. Both are influenced by the monsoon, dry, often strong southeast wind in winter, rain -bringing westerly winds in the summer. Most precipitation focuses on two to three months. Cyclones occur regularly. During the rainy season, many areas are flooded. In the entire surroundings of the Gulf, there are no mountains. Therefore, the precipitation is not concentrated in the coastal areas, but decreases slowly to go from inland.

During the months of August to November Morning Glory Clouds are a common weather phenomenon over the south of the Gulf. This rolling clouds are hundreds of kilometers long, but only one to two miles wide and high. They move forward with a speed of up to 60 km / h and arise over the Cape York Peninsula.

Fauna and Flora

The waters and shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria are still often natural and hardly influenced by humans. Fauna and flora in and out of the water are dominated by the subtropical climate. With around 17,000 animals of the Gulf is home to one of the largest populations of dugongs. One of the Whites seahorses similar species is still undescribed.

History

Mornington Iceland is inhabited by Aborigines for about 10,000 years. Other stretches of the coast and islands have been shown to have long inhabited by tribes of the Aborigines. Many tribes of Aborigines still exist today, even though they often consist of only less than 100 people.

The first European explorers, who visited this region, the Dutch captain Willem Janszoon was in the year 1606., He should with his ship Duyfken explore new trading centers in Southeast Asia on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. He was following the coast of New Guinea, had to dodge to the south and ended up in Australia without his discovery to be aware of. His compatriot husband Jan Carstensz followed in 1623 and named the eastern shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria, by Pieter de Carpentier, the then Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. 1644 Abel Tasman explored the coast of northern Australia.

Mapped and further explored the region of Matthew Flinders was in the years 1802 and 1803. Followed in 1844 Captain John Lort Stokes on HMS Beagle Flinders ' route. He drove the Albert River up over dozens of kilometers and was impressed by the large prairie in the hinterland. 1845 Ludwig Leichhardt explored the southern coast of the Gulf. Edmund Kennedy, who was to find a land route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria 1845-1848, the Gulf never reached, and died like so many other explorers in Australia during an expedition.

Robert O'Hara Burke, William John Wills, John King and Charley Gray reached on February 9, 1861 Country of Melbourne, take the mangroves on the estuary of the Flinders River. The water was salty and they were able to establish tides. The mangrove swamps along the coast prevented, however, that they got the sea to face. Nevertheless, the expedition of Burke and Wills is considered the first south-north crossing of Australia - the men should not return with the exception of King, however. Frederick Walker opened up on his search for Burke and Wills wide areas around the Gulf.

In the 1860s, several cattle farms were established on Gulf Country. The first settlement in 1865 Burketown was at the Albert River. The small town was almost completely destroyed on 5 March 1887 by a cyclone and floods and evolved as a result despite successful export of beef to Batavia and Singapore only very hesitantly. Around the Gulf and on the inhabited islands of Aboriginal emerged various missionary stations.