[[Image:AshmoreandCartierIslands.png|thumb|Ashmore and Cartier Islands]]

[[Image:Hibernia Reef.png|thumb|right|Hibernia Reef ([[NASA]] satellite image]]
The '''Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands''' are two groups of small low-lying uninhabited tropical [[island]]s in the [[Indian Ocean]] situated on the edge of the [[continental shelf]] north-west of [[Australia]] and south of the [[Indonesia]]n island of [[Rote Island|Roti]] at {{coor dm|12|14|S|123|5|E|}}.

==Geography==
[[Image:Ashmore Reef2.png|thumb|Ashmore Reef in satellite-image (NASA)]]
The territory includes '''Ashmore Reef''' (West, Middle, and [[East Island (Ashmore and Cartier Islands)|East]] Islets) and '''[[Cartier Islands|Cartier Island]]''' (70 km east) with, a total area of 199.45 km² within the [[reef]]s and including the [[lagoons]], and 114,400 m² of dry land. While they have a total of 74.1 km of shoreline, measured along the outer edge of the reef, there are no ports or harbors, only offshore anchorage. Nearby '''Hibernia Reef''', 42 km Northeast of Ashmore Reef, is not part of the territory. It has no permanently dry land area, although large parts of the reef become exposed during low tide.

*Ashmore Reef 155.40 km² area within reef (including lagoon)
**West Islet, 51,200 m² land area;
**Middle Islet, 21,200 m² land area;
**East Islet, 25,000 m² land area;
*Cartier Reef (44.03 km² area within reef (including lagoon)
**Cartier Island, 17,000 m² land area;

There is an automatic weather station on West Islet.

==Government==
The territory is administered from [[Canberra]] by the Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage. The FIPS-10 date code is <tt>AT</tt>; the territory is bundled along with Australia in [[ISO 3166]]. Defence is the responsibility of Australia, with periodic visits by the [[Royal Australian Navy]] and [[Royal Australian Air Force]]. The islands are visited by seasonal [[property caretaker|caretaker]]s.

==Ecology and environment==
[[Image:Cartier Island.png|thumb|right|Cartier Island and surrounding reef ([[NASA]] satellite image]]
The '''Ashmore Reef Marine National Nature Reserve''' was established in August [[1983]]. It is of significant [[biodiversity]] value as it is in the flow of the [[Indonesian throughflow]] [[ocean current|current]] from the [[Pacific Ocean]] through the [[Malay archipelago|Indonesian Archipelago]] to the [[Indian Ocean]]. It is also in a surface current west from the [[Arafura Sea]] and [[Timor Sea]]. There are 14 distinct species of [[sea snake]] in the area, more than in any other area. There is also an unusually high level of [[species diversity]] of [[coral]], [[mollusk]]s, and [[fish]]. A memorandum of understanding between the Australian and Indonesian governments allows Indonesian fishermen access to their traditional fishing grounds within the region, subject to limits.

'''Cartier Island Marine Reserve''' includes the entire sand cay of Cartier Island, the reef surrounding it, the ocean for a 7.2 km radius around the island, and 1000 m below the seafloor. It was proclaimed in [[2000]].

===Birds===
See the article: [[Birds of Ashmore Reef]].

==Economy and migration==
There is no economic activity in the Territory.

As Ashmore Reef is the closest point of Australian territory to Indonesia, it was a popular target for [[people smugglers]] transporting [[asylum seekers]] to Australia.<ref>[http://insideindonesia.org/edit66/anita4.htm Inside Indonesia] Anita Roberts "Don't let them drown" ''Inside Indonesia'' Apr-Jun 2001, vol. 64 </ref> Once they had landed on Ashmore, asylum seekers could claim to have entered Australian territory and request to be processed as refugees. The use of Ashmore for this purpose created great notoriety during late 2001, when refugee arrivals became a major political issue in Australia. As Australia was not the country of first asylum for these "[[boat people]]", the Australian Government did not consider it had a responsibility to accept them.

A number of things were done to discourage the practice such as attempting to have the people smugglers arrested in Indonesia; the so-called [[Pacific Solution]] of processing them in third countries; the boarding and forced turnaround of the boats by Australian military forces, and finally excising Ashmore and many other small islands from the [[Australian migration zone]]. Two boatloads of asylum seekers were each detained for several days in the lagoon at Ashmore after failed attempts by the [[Royal Australian Navy]] to turn them back to Indonesia in October 2001.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Ashmore and Cartier Islands}}
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/at.html CIA - The World Factbook&mdash;Ashmore and Cartier Islands]
* [http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/externalterr/ashmore.htm Geoscience Australia&mdash;Ashmore and Cartier Islands]
* [http://www.deh.gov.au/coasts/mpa/ashmore/ Department of the Environment and Heritage&mdash;Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve]
* [http://www.deh.gov.au/coasts/mpa/cartier/ Department of the Environment and Heritage&mdash;Cartier Island Marine Reserve]
* [http://islands.unep.ch/IJA.htm&mdash; First on list of Australian islands]
* "Ashmore Reef Belongs to Indonesia," posted on East Timor Action Network. [http://www.etan.org/et2003/january/05-11/06ashmorn.htm]

==See also==
* [[Mandatory detention in Australia]]

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[[Category:Ashmore and Cartier Islands| ]]
[[Category:States and territories of Australia]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Australia]]
[[Category:Amalgamated placenames]]

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[[cs:Ostrovy Ashmore a Cartier]]
[[de:Ashmore- und Cartierinseln]]
[[es:Islas Ashmore y Cartier]]
[[eo:Aŝmora kaj Kartia Insuloj]]
[[fr:Îles Ashmore et Cartier]]
[[gl:Illas Ashmore e Cartier]]
[[zh-classical:阿什莫爾島與卡捷島]]
[[ko:애시모어 카르티에 제도]]
[[hr:Otoci Ashmore i Cartier]]
[[it:Isole Ashmore e Cartier]]
[[he:איי אשמור וקרטייה]]
[[lv:Ašmora un Kartjē salas]]
[[lt:Ešmoro ir Kartjė salos]]
[[hu:Ashmore- és Cartier-szigetek]]
[[nl:Ashmore- en Cartiereilanden]]
[[ja:アシュモア・カルティエ諸島]]
[[no:Ashmore og Cartierøyene]]
[[pl:Wyspy Ashmore i Cartiera]]
[[pt:Ilhas Ashmore e Cartier]]
[[ro:Insulele Ashmore şi Cartier]]
[[ru:Острова Ашмор и Картье]]
[[simple:Ashmore and Cartier Islands]]
[[sk:Ashmorov a Cartierov ostrov]]
[[sh:Otočje Ashmore i Cartier]]
[[fi:Ashmore- ja Cartiersaaret]]
[[sv:Ashmore- och Cartieröarna]]
[[zh:阿什莫尔和卡捷岛]]