The Torres Strait

Torres Strait is one of the smallest but most strategically important regions surrounding the Australian coastline.

Many people in Australia don't know that Torres Strait:

• Is the only part of Australia that shares a border with a neighbouring country
• At its most northern point, Saibai Island is 3.73 kilometres from the Papua New Guinea mainland and from the edge of the Torres region to Indonesia its just 73.5km
• Was the first place in Australia where native title was recognised through the historic High Court decision on Mer Island in 1992
• Islanders and the villages along the PNG Southern Coastline continue to conduct traditional trade

These are just some interesting facts about this most northern part of Australia.

The traditional people of Torres Strait are of melanesian origin and speak two distinct languages.

In the Eastern Islands (Erub, Mer and Ugar) the traditional language is Meriam Mir, while the Western and Central Island groups speak either Kala Lagaw Ya or Kala Kawa Ya, which are the dialects of the same language.

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