Coral Sea Islands

The islands and reefs in the Coral Sea Islands Territory were first charted during the early 1800s. Middleton Reef was sighted in 1788 and was named after the admiral Charles Middleton, while Elizabeth Reef was likely discovered in 1820. The micronation declared that it had dissolved in 2017 after Australia legalised same-sex marriage. In 2012 the Coral Sea Marine Park was established, covering an area that included the former Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve and Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve. The Lord Howe Island Marine Park also replaced the former Lord Howe Island Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) and the Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve. ==Geography==

The Coral Sea Islands Territory covers an area of approximately 780,000 square kilometres off the coast of Queensland in the Coral Sea adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef. It is bounded by the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, the longitude 159 10 E and the latitudes 12S and 30 3S. It consists of a number of reefs and island groups; the islands have a total land area of around . The islands are mostly composed of coral and sand, with limited vegetation. They are all low-lying; the highest point in the territory, located on Cato Island, sits just 9 metres above sea level. The islands form two groups: one, in the north-west, includes (among others) Willis Island, Herald and Lihou Cays, and Holmes, Moore, Osprey, and Bougainville Reefs. The second, in the south-east, includes Cato Island and the Frederick, Kenn, and Saumarez Reefs. The territory also includes Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, located further south in the Tasman Sea to the north of Lord Howe Island. The islands have a tropical climate are sometimes affected by tropical cyclones between November and April. Climate ==Governance and human activity==

The territory is governed by the laws of the Australian Capital Territory and is under the criminal jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island. Under the Coral Sea Islands Act 1969, the Governor-General of Australia is empowered to make ordinances for the governance of the territory. A parliamentary secretary appointed by the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government, and Territories is responsible for the administration of the territory. It is regularly patrolled by the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Border Force. The islands are largely uninhabited, apart from a small contingent of Bureau of Meteorology staff on Willis Island. Other islands and reefs in the territory are home to man-made structures, including weather stations and a lighthouse. Unmanned weather stations are located on Bougainville Reef, Cato Island, Flinders Reef, Frederick Reef, Holmes Reef, Lihou Reef, Creal Reef, Marion Reef and Gannet Cay. The territory is visited for fishing, snorkelling, and diving, mostly by visitors on live-aboard tour boats that pass through the Great Barrier Reef. ==Biodiversity==

'' coral garden with giant clam. Raging Horn, Coral Sea Islands The Coral Sea Islands Territory is covered by two Australian Marine Parks: the Lord Howe Island Marine Park, which contains Elizabeth Reef and Middleton Reef, and the Coral Sea Marine Park, which covers the remainder of the territory. The territory also serves as a migratory corridor for black marlins, loggerhead turtles, freshwater eels, and other species. Humpback whales migrate through the Coral Sea Islands between June and November of each year, and the territory is home to dwarf minke whales and a variety of species of toothed whale. Some of the reefs in the territory also contain large shark populations, including many species of deep-water shark. The southern part of the territory is known for its large populations of predatory fish such as sharks, tuna, and billfish. The islands of the Coral Sea are also an important breeding area for seabirds. There are 36 seabird species known to live on the islands and reefs that make up the former Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve and Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve. These include populations of red-footed boobies, lesser frigatebirds, great frigatebirds, and red-tailed tropicbirds. ==See also==