World · permanent entity record · XC
Coral Sea Islands
Thirty-second orientation
Coral Sea Islands at a glance
- Population
- total: no permanent inhabitants note: Willis Island is inhabited by meteorological staff
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of 2026-01-08
- Area
- total : 3 sq km less than land: 3 sq km less than water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km (300,000 sq mi), with the Willis Islets the most important
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of 2026-01-08
Claims are attributed · classifications are dated
Claims and contested status
Maintained classification
Dependency or area of special sovereignty
Australia
U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · as of 2026-03-31A claim’s appearance records that the cited source reports it. It does not constitute an Almanac ruling on sovereignty.
Maintained profile
- Classification
- Dependency or area of special sovereignty
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · Federal classification and wording follow the current State Department register.
- Sovereignty or administration
- Australia
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty ·
- Administrative center
- Administered from Canberra
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty ·
Preserved public-domain record · not maintained current data
Final CIA World Factbook profile
This is the preserved historical baseline from the Factbook’s final public snapshot. It is presented as the CIA stated it, not as a current Standard American Almanac finding. Current, independently maintained facts appear above when available.
CIA World Factbook historical record · final public snapshot · profile updated · pinned source record · commit d81154954b8b
Introduction1 fields
- Background
- The widely scattered Coral Sea Islands were first charted in 1803, but they were too small to host permanent human habitation. The 1870s and 1880s saw attempts at guano mining, but these were soon abandoned. The islands became an Australian territory in 1969, and the boundaries were extended in 1997. A small meteorological staff has operated on the Willis Islets since 1921, and several other islands host unmanned weather stations, beacons, and lighthouses. Much of the territory lies within national marine nature reserves.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Geography15 fields
- Location
- Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area
- total : 3 sq km less than land: 3 sq km less than water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km (300,000 sq mi), with the Willis Islets the most important
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area - comparative
- about four times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Elevation
- highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 9 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Geography - note
- important nesting area for birds and turtles
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
People and Society1 fields
- Population
- total: no permanent inhabitants note: Willis Island is inhabited by meteorological staff
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Environment3 fields
- Environmental issues
- no permanent freshwater resources; damaging activities include coral mining, fishing practices (overfishing, blast fishing)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Government7 fields
- Country name
- conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands etymology: self-descriptive name to reflect the islands' position in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Dependency status
- territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Legal system
- the common law system of Australia applies
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none (territory of Australia)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- embassy: none (territory of Australia)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Military and Security1 fields
- Military - note
- defense is the responsibility of Australia
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
The underlying United States government material is public domain. The Almanac’s reuse terms do not change the legal status of this preserved source layer.