Coral Sea Islands

Updated August 11, 2026

Area

3.00 km²

CIA World Factbook archive

CIA World Factbook map of Coral Sea Islands, showing major cities, rivers and neighbouring countries — Map from The World Factbook, final edition. Public domain (17 U.S.C. § 105); boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative.

Region: Australia and Oceania
Area: 3.00 km²

The Factbook archive 28 fields · 6 categories

The complete World Factbook entry for Coral Sea Islands: 28 fields and 17 sub-entries across 6 categories, kept whole as historical reference. A United States Government work in the public domain, reflecting data as of the final January 2026 edition. Last CIA update: January 8, 2026.

Introduction 1 field

Background: The widely scattered Coral Sea Islands were first charted in 1803, but they were too small to host permanent human habitation. The 1870s and 1880s saw attempts at guano mining, but these were soon abandoned. The islands became an Australian territory in 1969, and the boundaries were extended in 1997. A small meteorological staff has operated on the Willis Islets since 1921, and several other islands host unmanned weather stations, beacons, and lighthouses. Much of the territory lies within national marine nature reserves.

Geography 15 fields

Location: Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia
Geographic coordinates: 18 00 S, 152 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 3 sq km less than
land: 3 sq km less than
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about four times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Land boundaries: total: 0 km
Coastline: 3,095 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: sand and coral reefs and islands (cays)
Elevation: highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 9 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)
other: 100% (2018 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional tropical cyclones
Geography - note: important nesting area for birds and turtles

People and Society 1 field

Population: total: no permanent inhabitants

Environment 3 fields

Environmental issues: no permanent freshwater resources; damaging activities include coral mining, fishing practices (overfishing, blast fishing)
Climate: tropical
Land use: agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)
other: 100% (2018 est.)

Government 7 fields

Country name: conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory
conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands
etymology: self-descriptive name to reflect the islands' position in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia
Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport
Legal system: the common law system of Australia applies
Citizenship: see Australia
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: none (territory of Australia)
Flag: the flag of Australia is used

Military and Security 1 field

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Australia

Location