What is the Torres Strait?
The Torres Strait is the stretch of water between Cape York in Queensland and Papua New Guinea. It is about 150 kilometres wide and dotted with more than 270 islands.
The strait is named after Spanish navigator Luis Vaez de Torres, who sailed through it in 1606. Its waters are shallow and full of reefs, making navigation difficult for large ships.
About 17 of the islands are inhabited, mostly by Torres Strait Islander people, whose cultures are distinct from Aboriginal cultures on the mainland. Thursday Island is the main administrative centre.
Two cultures, one flag
The Torres Strait Islander flag, designed by Bernard Namok in 1992, features a white dhari, a traditional headdress. Islanders have strong traditions of fishing, dance and seafaring, and the 1992 Mabo case, brought by Eddie Mabo from Mer Island, changed Australian land law.
Australia and Papua New Guinea share a special treaty for the strait, signed in 1978. It allows traditional inhabitants to move between nearby islands and coasts for customary activities without passports.
Did You Know?
During the last ice age, the Torres Strait was dry land connecting Australia and New Guinea.