  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. the islands are mostly part of queensland, a constituent state of the commonwealth of australia, with a special status fitting the native (melanesian) land rights, administered by the torres strait regional authority. a few islands very close to the coast of mainland new guinea belong to the western province of papua new guinea, most importantly daru island with the provincial capital, daru. only 14 of the islands are inhabited, with many of the islands threatened by rising sea levels.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-05/council-makes-bid-for-5m-seawalls-revamp/3712496|title=council makes bid for $5m seawalls revamp|author=kirsty nancarrow |accessdate=6 december 2011 |date=5 december 2011 |work=abc news |publisher=australian broadcating corporatio
Aboriginal_communities_in_Queensland Far_North_Queensland Melanesia Physiographic_sections Secession_in_Australia Torres_Strait_Islands Torres_Strait_Islands_culture