ASHMORE AND CARTIER ISLANDS

officially Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands external territory of Australia, in the Indian Ocean. The islands lie 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Western Australia. The Ashmore Islands, comprising Middle, East, and West islands, are coral islets within a reef. Cartier Island, also lying within a reef, is more sandy in composition. Created in 1934, the territory was administratively linked to the Northern Territory of Australia from 1938 until 1978, when administration of the islands passed to the national government. The islands are uninhabited, but there is an automatic weather station on West Island.