@Aruba, Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Header Affiliation: (territory of Australia)
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, in the Indian Ocean, 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia, between Australia and Indonesia Map references: Oceania, Southeast Asia Area: total area: 5 sq km land area: 5 sq km comparative area: about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 74.1 km Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploration exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm International disputes: none Climate: tropical Terrain: low with sand and coral Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: surrounded by shoals and reefs international agreements: NA Note: Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands, People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are only seasonal caretakers
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form:
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Digraph:
AT
Type:
territory of Australia administered by the Australian Ministry for the
Environment, Sport, and Territories
Capital:
none; administered from Canberra, Australia
Administrative divisions:
none (territory of Australia)
Independence:
none (territory of Australia)
Legal system:
relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia
Diplomatic representation in US:
none (territory of Australia)
US diplomatic representation:
none (territory of Australia)
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Economy
Overview: no economic activity
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
@Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the
Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
@Atlantic Ocean, Geography
Location:
body of water between the Western Hemisphere and Europe/Africa
Map references:
Africa, Antarctic Region, Arctic Region, Central America and the
Caribbean, Europe, North America, South America, Standard Time Zones
of the World
Area:
total area:
82.217 million sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than nine times the size of the US; second-largest of
the world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than
Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean)
note:
includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark
Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea,
Norwegian Sea, Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water
bodies
Coastline:
111,866 km
International disputes:
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Climate:
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near
Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can
occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to
November
Terrain:
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait,
and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad,
circular system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise
warm water gyre in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire
Atlantic basin; maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico
Trench
Natural resources:
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and
gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious
stones
Environment:
current issues:
endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions,
turtles, and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US,
southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean
Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea;
industrial waste
