Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory on the 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.

Government

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 chied minister. In 1998, a referendum on whether the territory ought to become a full state failed.

Geography

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.