Islands Ashmore and Cartier

The Territory off Ashmore and Cartier Islands (in French, territory of the Ashmore islands and Cartier) is located in the Indian Ocean at 320 km of the north-western coast of the Australia and at 170 km at the south of the island of Roast (Indonesia), with. It add up a surface of five square kilometers and 74,1 km coasts.

Ashmore is a vast reef with structure lagunaire. It is composed of three islands: West (32 ha), Middle (13 ha) and East (16 ha) and is to 67 km in the North-West of the Cartier island and to 42 km of the Hibernia reef.

History

One found evidence of the frequentation of the islands by fishermen coming in particular from the south from the island Indonésien from Célèbes tonic at one period ranging between 1725 and 1750. The first Europeans to have described them are the Nash captain in 1800 for the Cartier island and the captain Samuel Ashmore for the reef which bears its name in 1811. This last discovered also the Hibernia reef. At the end of the 19th century the Phosphate and the Guano were exploited and resold towards the the United States. This trade involved the annexation by the England in 1878 (Ashmore) and 1909 (Cartier). In 1931, the islands were placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Policy

This territory is attached to the Australia since 1933. It belongs to the Territoire of North and is managed by Canberra since 1978 (federal department of the environment, the sports and the territories).

Uninhabited, these islands represent an strategic issue because of oil reserves located in the band of the 12 marine miles surrounding them.

Ashmore was declared Natural reserve national in 1983 ( Ashmore Reef Marine National Natural Reserve ). Cartier was declared Réserve marine ( Cartier Island Marine Reserve ) the June 21st 2000. This policy of protection of fauna poses serious problems of subsistence to the fishermen indonésiens of the Île of Roast, traditionally authorized to attend water of the islands Ashmore and Cartier. These difficulties involve a strong progression of clandestine immigration coming from this island.

See too

http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/externalterr/ashmore.htm (in English)
http://www.deh.gov.au/coasts/mpa/ashmore/strategy/description.html (in English)

Simple: Ashmore and Cartier Islands Zh-classical: 阿什莫爾島與卡捷島

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