Geography of the Northern Territory
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 | |
| Continent | Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 20°S 133°E / 20°S 133°E |
| Area | Ranked 3rd among states and territories |
| • Total | 1,347,791[1] km2 (520,385 sq mi) |
| Coastline | 10,953 km (6,806 mi) |
| Borders | Land borders: Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland |
| Highest point | Mount Zeil 1,531 m (5021 ft) |
| Longest river | Victoria River 560 km (348 mi) |
| Largest lake | Lake Amadeus 1032 km2 |
The Northern Territory (NT) occupies the north central part of the continent of Australia. The Northern Territory borders are to the west with Western Australia, the Western Australia border being near the 129° east longitude (129° east). The NT to the south with the South Australian border being the 26th parallel south latitude (26° south). To the east the NT with the Queensland border along the 138° east longitude (138° east).
The Northern Territory has two distinctive climate zones - a tropical climate in the north and a desert climate in the rest of the territory.
The wet season (October to April) has monsoon rains and sometimes tropical cyclones.
The highest temperature recorded in the Northern Territory was 48.3 °C (118.9 °F) at Aputula on 1 and 2 January 1960. The lowest temperature was −7.5 °C (18.5 °F) at Alice Springs on 17 July 1976.[2]
| Climate data for Northern Territory (Extremes) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 48.3 (118.9) |
46.4 (115.5) |
45.0 (113.0) |
41.5 (106.7) |
40.2 (104.4) |
37.9 (100.2) |
37.5 (99.5) |
39.7 (103.5) |
42.0 (107.6) |
45.0 (113.0) |
46.1 (115.0) |
47.2 (117.0) |
48.3 (118.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) |
8.5 (47.3) |
4.7 (40.5) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
0.0 (32.0) |
3.5 (38.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[3] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Darwin (Köppen Aw) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.1 (97.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.7 (98.1) |
36.0 (96.8) |
35.0 (95.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
37.0 (98.6) |
38.0 (100.4) |
38.9 (102.0) |
37.3 (99.1) |
37.1 (98.8) |
38.9 (102.0) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 33.5 (92.3) |
33.4 (92.1) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.4 (93.9) |
33.9 (93.0) |
32.9 (91.2) |
32.8 (91.0) |
33.6 (92.5) |
34.9 (94.8) |
35.2 (95.4) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.7 (94.5) |
35.2 (95.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.0 (89.6) |
31.7 (89.1) |
32.3 (90.1) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.9 (89.4) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.8 (92.8) |
33.7 (92.7) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.4 (90.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.5 (83.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.6 (83.5) |
27.3 (81.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.0 (82.4) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
27.8 (82.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 25.1 (77.2) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.2 (75.6) |
22.3 (72.1) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
22.9 (73.2) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
19.1 (66.4) |
16.2 (61.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.9 (62.4) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 20.2 (68.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.2 (66.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.0 (55.4) |
14.3 (57.7) |
19.0 (66.2) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 470.7 (18.53) |
412.4 (16.24) |
313.7 (12.35) |
105.1 (4.14) |
20.7 (0.81) |
2.1 (0.08) |
0.9 (0.04) |
0.8 (0.03) |
14.3 (0.56) |
68.9 (2.71) |
143.5 (5.65) |
279.3 (11.00) |
1,832.4 (72.14) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 19.6 | 18.2 | 16.8 | 7.6 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 5.5 | 10.1 | 15.0 | 96.5 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 71 | 74 | 67 | 52 | 41 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 47 | 51 | 58 | 66 | 53 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 24.2 (75.6) |
24.3 (75.7) |
23.4 (74.1) |
19.8 (67.6) |
15.8 (60.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.1 (55.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
20.3 (68.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
23.6 (74.5) |
19.1 (66.4) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 176.7 | 162.4 | 213.9 | 264.0 | 300.7 | 303.0 | 319.3 | 325.5 | 297.0 | 294.5 | 255.0 | 198.4 | 3,110.4 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 5.7 | 5.8 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 9.7 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 10.5 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 6.5 | 8.5 |
| Source: [4] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Tennant Creek (Köppen BSh) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.6 (114.1) |
43.2 (109.8) |
42.5 (108.5) |
38.4 (101.1) |
36.8 (98.2) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.7 (94.5) |
36.0 (96.8) |
39.4 (102.9) |
41.9 (107.4) |
43.4 (110.1) |
45.4 (113.7) |
45.6 (114.1) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 40.7 (105.3) |
39.9 (103.8) |
37.9 (100.2) |
35.9 (96.6) |
31.8 (89.2) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
32.2 (90.0) |
36.6 (97.9) |
39.0 (102.2) |
40.2 (104.4) |
41.0 (105.8) |
41.0 (105.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 36.7 (98.1) |
35.8 (96.4) |
34.8 (94.6) |
32.4 (90.3) |
27.7 (81.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.1 (77.2) |
27.6 (81.7) |
32.5 (90.5) |
35.2 (95.4) |
36.9 (98.4) |
37.0 (98.6) |
32.2 (90.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 30.9 (87.6) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.2 (84.6) |
26.7 (80.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
18.9 (66.0) |
21.0 (69.8) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.6 (83.5) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.0 (87.8) |
26.2 (79.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 25.0 (77.0) |
24.5 (76.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
13.2 (55.8) |
12.7 (54.9) |
14.4 (57.9) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.0 (71.6) |
24.2 (75.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
20.1 (68.1) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.0 (62.6) |
12.1 (53.8) |
8.8 (47.8) |
8.9 (48.0) |
10.3 (50.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.9 (64.2) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
8.8 (47.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
14.7 (58.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
6.7 (44.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
6.0 (42.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.6 (52.9) |
15.9 (60.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
5.6 (42.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 128.2 (5.05) |
132.9 (5.23) |
45.7 (1.80) |
15.0 (0.59) |
8.1 (0.32) |
4.1 (0.16) |
3.9 (0.15) |
2.4 (0.09) |
5.0 (0.20) |
16.9 (0.67) |
45.7 (1.80) |
86.8 (3.42) |
494.7 (19.48) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 8.2 | 8.0 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 6.7 | 37.2 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 33 | 37 | 28 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 29 | 25 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
6.5 (43.7) |
3.9 (39.0) |
2.1 (35.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.5 (45.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
6.1 (43.0) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 285.2 | 257.1 | 291.4 | 297.0 | 303.8 | 294.0 | 313.1 | 331.7 | 309.0 | 313.1 | 294.0 | 275.9 | 3,565.3 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.4 | 9.9 | 9.8 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 9.8 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[5] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Alice Springs (Köppen BWh) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.6 (114.1) |
44.7 (112.5) |
42.7 (108.9) |
39.9 (103.8) |
35.0 (95.0) |
31.6 (88.9) |
31.8 (89.2) |
35.2 (95.4) |
38.8 (101.8) |
42.6 (108.7) |
44.9 (112.8) |
45.7 (114.3) |
45.7 (114.3) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 41.5 (106.7) |
40.1 (104.2) |
38.4 (101.1) |
34.6 (94.3) |
29.6 (85.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.6 (79.9) |
30.0 (86.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
38.0 (100.4) |
40.0 (104.0) |
40.5 (104.9) |
41.5 (106.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 37.1 (98.8) |
35.8 (96.4) |
33.5 (92.3) |
29.3 (84.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
28.8 (83.8) |
31.9 (89.4) |
34.4 (93.9) |
35.7 (96.3) |
29.5 (85.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.7 (78.3) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.8 (60.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
23.4 (74.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.2 (82.8) |
21.5 (70.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
17.9 (64.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
8.0 (46.4) |
4.7 (40.5) |
3.9 (39.0) |
5.8 (42.4) |
11.2 (52.2) |
14.9 (58.8) |
18.3 (64.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
13.5 (56.2) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
12.1 (53.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
0.3 (32.5) |
4.5 (40.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.2 (59.4) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.0 (50.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
6.1 (43.0) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
1.3 (34.3) |
3.5 (38.3) |
9.3 (48.7) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 48.9 (1.93) |
40.7 (1.60) |
19.9 (0.78) |
19.9 (0.78) |
17.5 (0.69) |
10.3 (0.41) |
13.0 (0.51) |
3.8 (0.15) |
7.8 (0.31) |
18.7 (0.74) |
33.0 (1.30) |
41.3 (1.63) |
274.8 (10.83) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 28.6 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 27.0 | 32.5 | 28.0 | 31.0 | 41.5 | 48.5 | 43.0 | 31.5 | 24.0 | 23.0 | 26.0 | 27.5 | 32.0 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 8.0 (46.4) |
9.6 (49.3) |
6.1 (43.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
2.9 (37.2) |
0.8 (33.4) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
0.5 (32.9) |
4.5 (40.1) |
6.6 (43.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 316.2 | 274.0 | 297.6 | 291.0 | 266.6 | 252.0 | 285.2 | 313.3 | 303.0 | 316.2 | 297.0 | 294.5 | 3,506.6 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 10.2 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 9.6 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[6] | |||||||||||||
