Torres Strait

Torres Strait
/tawr"iz, tor"-/
a strait between NE Australia and S New Guinea. 80 mi. (130 km) wide.

* * *

Passage between the island of New Guinea and Australia's Cape York Peninsula.

It connects the Coral Sea and the Arafura Sea. It was discovered in 1606 by Spanish navigator Luis Vaez de Torres. About 80 mi (130 km) wide, it has many reefs, shoals, and islands, including the Torres Strait Islands, and is treacherous to navigate.

* * *

      passage between the Coral Sea, on the east, and the Arafura Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean. To the north lies New Guinea and to the south Cape York Peninsula (Queensland, Australia). It is about 80 mi (130 km) wide and has many reefs and shoals dangerous to navigation, and its larger islands are inhabited. Discovered (1606) by the Spanish mariner Luis Vaez de Torres, its existence was kept secret until 1764. The second European to sail the strait (1774) was Capt. James Cook. The Australia–Papua New Guinea boundary is about 3 mi from the New Guinea shore.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Torres Strait — [tôr′iz, tär′iz] strait between New Guinea & NE Australia: c. 95 mi (153 km) wide …   English World dictionary

  • Torres Strait — The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately 150 km wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the …   Wikipedia

  • Torres-Strait — Satellitenbild der Meerenge zwischen der Kap York Halbinsel und Neuguinea Die Torres Straße (auch Straße von Torres) ist eine Meerenge zwischen der nordostaustralischen Halbinsel Cape York und der Südküste von Neuguinea, genauer der Western… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait — Satellitenbild der Meerenge zwischen der Kap York Halbinsel und Neuguinea Die Torres Straße (auch Straße von Torres) ist eine Meerenge zwischen der nordostaustralischen Halbinsel Cape York und der Südküste von Neuguinea, genauer der Western… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait — noun A strait between Australia and New Guinea, connecting the Coral Sea with the Arafura Sea. See Also: Torres Strait Creole …   Wiktionary

  • Torres-Strait-Inseln — Karte der Inseln Gewässer Torres Strait (Pazifischer Ozean) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait English — (better termed T.I. English) is a dialect of the English language spoken by the Islanders of various backgrounds (indigneous Torres Strait, Malay, Filipino, European, Japanese, etc.) born and raised on Thursday Island in Torres Strait, North… …   Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait Islands — The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia s Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They are part of Queensland, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait Islands — Karte der Inseln. Thursday Island mit Ansiedlung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Torres Strait Islanders — Infobox Ethnic group group = Torres Strait Islanders flag caption =The Torres Strait Islander Flag population = 48,000 languages = see Torres Strait Island languages religions = see Christianity related = Indigenous Australians, Papuans footnotes …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”