The '''Northern Territory''' is a federal territory on the [[Australia|Australian]] mainland. It lies to the north of the state of [[South Australia]], with the states of [[Western Australia]] and [[Queensland]] to the west and east, respectively. The [[Timor Sea]] lies to the north of the territory. The capital is [[Darwin]], where about half of the territory's 200,000 residents live.
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==Government==
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Unlike the Australian states, the Northern Territory has no constitutional right to self-government. However, in 1978 the federal government delegated many of its powers to a territory government, headed by a chief minister. In 1998, a referendum on whether the territory ought to become a full state failed.
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==Geography==
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The north of the territory (where Darwin is located) is a tropical region of vast wetlands. The interior, where the major settlement is [[Alice Springs]], is desert.