 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 11°16′40.72″S136°37′20.26″E / 11.2779778°S 136.6222944°E |
| Area | 245.52 km2 (94.80 sq mi) |
| Length | 55.87 km (34.716 mi) |
| Width | 0.25–8.01 km (0.16–4.98 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 138 m (453 ft) |
Marchinbar Island is the largest island in the Wessel Islands in the Northern Territory of Australia in the Arafura Sea.
It is separated from Rimbija Island, the most northeasterly of the Wessel Islands, by a narrow channel, which is less than 364 meters (1,194 ft) meters across at its narrowest point. In the southeast, it is separated from Guluwuru Island by Cumberland Strait, which is 1,664 meters (5,459 ft) meters wide at its narrowest point.
The island is long and narrow, 57.4 kilometres (35.7 mi) long and maximally 8 kilometres (5 mi) wide. It measures 210.9 square kilometres (81.4 sq mi) in area. [1] The most northerly point of the island is called Low Point. Sphinx Head is a site of conspicuous cliffs up to 67 metres (220 ft) high, about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) SSW of Low Point. Two flat-topped hills south of Sphinx Head rise to a maximum height of 79 metres (259 ft). The entire east coast of the island is cliffy and high. [2]
Administratively, Marchinbar Island is part of Gumurr Marthakal Ward of East Arnhem Region.
The only settlement is Martjanba, a small family outstation on Jensen Bay in the northern part of the island.[ citation needed ]
Marchinbar Island was until recently[ when? ] the last habitat still containing a population of the golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), which was once found throughout northern, central and western Australia, and as far south as New South Wales. As part of a salvage operation to ensure diversification, numbers of the Marchinbar Island bandicoots have been translocated to the islands of Raragala and Guluwuru. [3]
In 1944, nine coins were discovered at Djinjan creek immediately south of Jensen Bay. [4] Four of the coins were later identified as Dutch duits dating from 1690 to the 1780s while five with Arabic inscriptions were identified as being from the Kilwa Sultanate of east Africa. Only one such Kilwan coin had ever previously been found outside east Africa (unearthed during an excavation in Oman).[ citation needed ] The inscriptions on the Jensen Bay coins identify a ruling Sultan of Kilwa, but it is unclear whether the ruler was from the 10th century or the 14th century. This discovery has been of interest to those historians who believe it likely that seafaring people made landfall in Australia or its offshore islands after Aboriginal settlement and before the first generally accepted such sighting, by the Dutch sailor Willem Janszoon in 1606. [5] [6] A similar coin, also thought to be from the Medieval Kilwa sultanate, was found in 2018 on Elcho Island, also in the Wessel Islands group. [7]
Islands of the Northern Territory | |
|---|---|
Lake Mweru is a freshwater lake on the longest arm of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. Located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it makes up 110 kilometres (68 mi) of the total length of the Congo, lying between its Luapula River (upstream) and Luvua River (downstream) segments.
Melville Island is an island in the eastern Timor Sea, off the coast of the Northern Territory, Australia. Along with Bathurst Island and nine smaller uninhabited islands, it forms part of the group known as the Tiwi Islands, which are under the jurisdiction of the Northern Territory in association with the Tiwi Land Council as the regional authority.
This is a timeline of Australian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Australia and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see history of Australia.
Kilwa Kisiwani is an island, national historic site, and hamlet community located in the township of Kilwa Masoko, the district seat of Kilwa District in the Tanzanian region of Lindi in southern Tanzania. Kilwa Kisiwani is the largest of the nine hamlets in the town of Kilwa Masoko and is also the least populated hamlet in the township with fewer than 1,000 residents.
Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in 1944.
The theory of Portuguese discovery of Australia claims that early Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to sight Australia between 1521 and 1524, well before the arrival of Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606 on board the Duyfken who is generally considered to be the first European discoverer. While lacking generally accepted evidence, this theory is based on the following:
The Wessel Islands is a group of uninhabited islands in the Northern Territory of Australia. They extend in a more or less straight line from Buckingham Bay and the Napier Peninsula of Arnhem Land, and Elcho Island, to the northeast. Marchinbar Island is the largest of the group. Other islands include Elcho Island, Rimbija Island, Guluwuru, Raragala, Stevens Island, Burgunngura, Djeergaree, Yargara, Drysdale Island, Jirrgari Island, Graham Island, Alger Island, Abbott Island, and Howard Island.
The prehistory of Australia is the period between the first human habitation of the Australian continent and the colonisation of Australia in 1788, which marks the start of consistent written documentation of Australia. This period has been variously estimated, with most evidence suggesting that it goes back between 50,000 and 65,000 years. This era is referred as prehistory rather than history because knowledge of this time period does not derive from written documentation. However, some argue that Indigenous oral tradition should be accorded an equal status.
HMAS Patricia Cam was an auxiliary vessel operated by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. She was sunk by a Japanese aircraft in 1943.
Elcho Island, known to its traditional owners as Galiwin'ku (Galiwinku) is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhem Region. Galiwin'ku is also the name of the settlement where the island's largest community lives. Elcho Island formed part of the traditional lands of the Yan-nhaŋu, according to Norman Tindale. According to J. C. Jennison, the Aboriginal inhabitants were the Dhuwal, who called themselves the Kokalango Mala
Rimbija Island is the northernmost island of the Wessel Islands group in the Northern Territory of Australia. The most northerly point of the small island is called Cape Wessel. It is separated from Marchinbar Island to the south by a narrow strait, and Emu Islet a little further to the southwest.
Drysdale Island is a large but low-lying island in the Wessel Islands group in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is 12.4 kilometres (7.7 mi) long and up to 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) wide. It measures 49.5 square kilometres (19.1 sq mi) in area.
The golden bandicoot is a short-nosed bandicoot found in northern Australia. It is the smallest of its genus, and is distinguished from the brown bandicoots by its golden colouring and much smaller size.
The Western barred bandicoot, also known as the Shark Bay bandicoot or the Marl, is a small species of bandicoot; now extinct across most of its former range, the western barred bandicoot only survives on offshore islands and in fenced sanctuaries on the mainland.
The Great Mosque of Kilwa is a congregational mosque on the island of Kilwa Kisiwani, in Kilwa Masoko in Kilwa District in Lindi Region of Tanzania. It was likely founded in the tenth century, but the two major stages of construction date to the eleventh or twelfth and thirteenth century, respectively. It is one of the earliest surviving mosques on the Swahili coast and is one of the first mosques built without a courtyard.
Sultan al-Hasan ibn Sulaiman, often referred to as "Abu al-Muwahib", was a ruler of the Kilwa Sultanate, in present-day Tanzania, from 1310 until 1333. His full name was Abu al-Muzaffar Hasan Abu al-Muwahib ibn Sulaiman al-Mat'un ibn Hasan ibn Talut al-Mahdal. He was one of the most prosperous rulers of Kilwa before Portuguese contact, having been known for his generosity in addition to his military, economic, and architectural programs.
The Kilwa Sultanate was a sultanate, centered at Kilwa, whose authority, at its height, stretched over the entire length of the Swahili Coast. According to the legend, it was founded in the 10th century by Ali ibn al-Hassan Shirazi, a Persian prince of Shiraz.
The Swahili coast is a coastal area of East Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean and inhabited by the Swahili people. It includes Sofala ; Mombasa, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, and Malindi ; and Dar es Salaam and Kilwa. In addition, several coastal islands are included in the Swahili coast, such as Zanzibar and Comoros.
The Sultanate of Mogadishu, also known as Kingdom of Magadazo, was a medieval Muslim sultanate centered in southern Somalia. It rose as one of the pre-eminent powers in the Horn of Africa under the rule of Fakhr al-Din before becoming part of the powerful and expanding Ajuran Sultanate in the 13th century. The Mogadishu Sultanate maintained a vast trading network, dominated the regional gold trade, minted its own currency, and left an extensive architectural legacy in present-day southern Somalia.
Mafia District Council is one of eight administrative districts of Pwani Region in Tanzania. It administers not only the main Mafia Island but the entire Mafia Archipelago. The District covers an area of 642.6 km2 (248.1 sq mi). The Sea of Zanj completely encircles the District. Rufiji District is located on the other side of the Mafia Channel to the west. The district is comparable in size to the land area of Saint Lucia. The town of Kilindoni serves as its administrative capital. The District is home to the largest concentration of Whale Sharks in Africa, Mafia Island Marine Park, Historic Chole Island Ruins, Kisimani Mafia and Kua Ruins; and Mlola Forest Reserve. According to the 2012 Tanzania National Census, the population of the District was 46,438.
