Maritime Boundaries and Protected Zones in the Torres Strait

A 2002 map depicts maritime jurisdictional boundaries and a protected zone in the Torres Strait region, based on the 1985 treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The map shows Australia's territorial sea baseline, exclusive economic zone, and the seabed and fisheries jurisdiction line. It also delineates a protected zone established to preserve the traditional way of life and marine environment.

Use Cases

• [Maritime law enforcement] based on [Australia's jurisdictional maritime boundaries]
• [Fisheries management planning] based on the [seabed and fisheries jurisdiction line]
• [Environmental conservation assessment] based on the [protected zone for indigenous fauna and flora]
• [Treaty compliance monitoring] based on [boundaries established under the 1985 Torres Strait Treaty]
• [Spatial analysis for traditional fishing rights] based on the [protected zone for traditional inhabitants' free movement]

Strengths

• [Sourced from an authoritative system] based on [data from the Australian Marine Spatial Information System (AMSIS) maintained by Geoscience Australia]
• [Legally defined features] based on [boundaries established under the Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973 and the 1985 Torres Strait Treaty]
• [Precise spatial specifications] based on [defined coverage (9S to 11S; 141 15E to 144 30E), scale (1:300,000), projection (Mercator), and datum (AGD66)]

Limitations

• [Static snapshot] based on [map currency date of 2002, which may not reflect recent boundary adjustments]
• [Incomplete metadata] based on [missing column names, row counts, file size, and license information across all platform entries]
• [Potential format limitations] based on [primary file formats being PDF and HTML, which are less machine-readable for direct spatial analysis]

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data via the Australian Marine Spatial Information System (AMSIS)

Collection Method

Cartographic compilation and legal definition under Australian law and international treaty.

Time Range

2002 (map currency). Treaty entered into force on 15 February 1985.

Freshness

2026-04-30 14:15:28.950993

Geography

Torres Strait region, bounded by 9S to 11S latitude and 141 15E to 144 30E longitude.