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: total: less than 3 km²; land: 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