Talbot Islands facts for kids
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Australia |
| Coordinates | 9°16′01″S 142°13′01″E / 9.267°S 142.217°E |
| Administration | |
The Talbot Islands are a small group of islands located in Queensland, Australia. They are part of the larger Torres Strait Islands. These islands sit in the waters between the Australian mainland and the big island of New Guinea. They are very close to the country of Papua New Guinea.
Contents
Discovering the Talbot Islands
The Talbot Islands are found just a few kilometers west of Saibai Island, Torres Strait. They are also only about 4 kilometers from the mainland of Papua New Guinea. This makes them very important for understanding the border between the two countries.
Islands in the Group
The Talbot Islands group includes five islands that have names, plus about six smaller ones.
- Boigu Island
- Moimi Island
- Aubussi Island
- Moegina Kawa
- Aymermud
Boigu Island: A Special Place
Out of all these islands, only Boigu Island has people living on it. The town of Boigu is actually the northernmost town in all of Australia! This means it's the closest Australian settlement to the equator in that direction.
Nearby Islands and Borders
Moimi Island is the northernmost island in the Talbot group. It is very close to Kussa Island. Kussa Island is now part of New Guinea, thanks to a special agreement called the 1978 Torres Strait Treaty. Before this treaty, some older maps showed Kussa Island as part of Australia.
Other small islands like Athian Maza and Yaperi (Vapere) are also near the mouth of the Mai Kussa River. They are geographically part of this island group. The Kawai Islands are also nearby, about nine kilometers to the west. These islands, including Kawa Island and others, have also been part of Papua New Guinea since the 1978 treaty.
Strachan Island
There is also a large river island called Strachan Island. It sits between two rivers, the Wassi Kussa River and the Mai Kussa River. Its southern edge touches the Torres Strait. However, Strachan Island is not considered part of the Talbot Islands or the main Torres Strait Islands. People do live on Strachan Island.
Top Western Islands
The Talbot Islands, along with Saibai Island and Dauan Island, are known as the Top Western islands of the Torres Strait. This name helps describe their location and their connection to the local Indigenous groups, known as the Gudaw Maluligal Nation.
