Background: Scattered over some 1 million square kilometers of ocean the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on Willis Island. Automated weather stations beacons and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs.
Area Total: less than 3 km²; Land area: less than 3 km²; includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 1 million km², with Willis Islets the most important; Comparative area: undetermined
Land use: arable land: 0%; permanent crops: 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other, mostly grass or scrub cover 100%; Lihou Reef; Reserve and Coringa-Herald Reserve were declared National Nature Reserves on 3 August 1982
Environment Current issues: subject to occasional tropical cyclones; no permanent fresh water; important nesting area for birds and turtles; Note: the islands are located just off the northeast coast of Australia in the Coral Sea