Total area: 5 km2
land area: 5 km2; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island

Comparative area: about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 74.1 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploration;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: tropical

Terrain: low with sand and coral

Natural resources: fish

Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other--grass and sand

Environment: surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983

Note: located in extreme eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia

NOTE: The information regarding Ashmore and Cartier Islands on this page is re-published from the 1990 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Ashmore and Cartier Islands Geography 1990 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Ashmore and Cartier Islands Geography 1990 should be addressed to the CIA.