Examine individual changes

'{{distinguish|Torres Islands}} {{Infobox country |conventional_long_name = Torres Strait Islands |common_name = Torres Strait Islands |image_flag = |flag_caption = Torres Strait Islander Flag |image_map = LocationTorres.png |map_caption = Location of the Torres Strait Islands, between [[Cape York Peninsula]], [[Queensland]], [[Australia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]. |anthem = [[Advance Australia Fair]] |official_languages = [[English language|English]]; important local languages: [[Kalau Lagau Ya]], [[Meriam Mir]], [[Torres Strait Creole]] |capital = [[Thursday Island]] |largest_settlement_type = largest city |largest_settlement = capital |demonym = {{nowrap|[[Torres Strait Islander]]}} |government_type = [[Local government in Australia|Regional authority]] |leader_title1 = [[Queen of Australia|Queen]] |leader_name1 = [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] |leader_title2 = Chairperson^a |leader_name2 = Joseph Elu |leader_title3 = {{nowrap|Chief Executive Officer^a}} |leader_name3 = Wayne See Kee |sovereignty_type = [[Autonomous region|Regional authority]] |established_event1 = Established |established_date1 = 1 July 1994 |established_event2 = |established_date2 = |area_magnitude = |area_km2 = |area_sq_mi = |percent_water = |population_estimate = |population_estimate_year = |population_census = 4,248<ref name=Census2011Y /> |population_census_year = 2011 |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |currency = [[Australian dollar]] |currency_code = AUD |time_zone = |utc_offset = |calling_code = |cctld = [[.au]] |footnote_a = Of the Torres Strait Regional Authority. }} The '''Torres Strait Islands''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɔː|r|ᵻ|s}} 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 [[Australia|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 (Papua New Guinea)|Western Province]] of [[Papua New Guinea]], most importantly [[Daru Island]] with the provincial capital, [[Daru]]. Only 14 of the islands are inhabited,<ref name="mts">{{Cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/monster-tides-smother-torres-strait-islands/story-e6freoof-1225825028712 |title=Monster tides smother Torres Strait islands |author=Suellen Hinde |accessdate=3 July 2011 |date=31 January 2011 |newspaper=The Sunday Mail |publisher=News Queensland }}</ref> with many of the islands threatened by rising sea levels.<ref>{{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 Broadcasting Corporation }}</ref> == History == The indigenous inhabitants of the Torres Strait Islands are the [[Torres Strait Islanders]], an ethnically [[Melanesian]] people who also inhabited the northern tip of [[Cape York Peninsula]], distinct from the [[Australian Aborigines]] who are the [[Indigenous Australians]] in the rest of the country. The Portuguese navigator [[Luís Vaz de Torres]] explored [[Torres Strait]] in 1606. Torres had joined the [[Pedro Fernandes de Queirós|Queirós]] expedition which sailed from [[Peru]] across the Pacific Ocean in search of [[Terra Australis]]. Lieutenant [[James Cook]] first claimed British sovereignty over the eastern part of [[Australia]] at [[Possession Island, Queensland|Possession Island]] in 1770. The [[London Missionary Society]] mission led by Rev. Samuel Macfarlane arrived on [[Darnley Island, Torres Strait|Erub (Darnley Island)]] on 1 July 1871. The Islanders refer to this as "The Coming of the Light", and all Island communities celebrate the occasion annually on 1 July.<ref name="hots">{{cite web |url= http://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/general-history.aspx |title= History of Torres Strait to 1879 – a regional view |author=John Burton |publisher= Torres Strait Regional Authority |accessdate=3 July 2011 }}</ref> In 1879 Queensland annexed the Torres Strait Islands. They thus became part of the British colony of Queensland and (after 1901) of the Australian state of Queensland - although some of them lie just off the coast of New Guinea. In 1898–1899 the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition led by [[Alfred Cort Haddon]] visited the Torres Strait Islands.<ref>National Film and Sound Archive: The Recordings of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to Torres Straits on the [http://nfsa.gov.au/collection/sound/sounds-australia/ Sounds of Australia registry]</ref> In 1904 the [[Torres Strait Islanders]] became subject to the ''Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act''.<ref>[http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=54 Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 (Qld)]. Documenting Democracy. 24 May 2011. Retrieved on 3 July 2011.</ref> From 1960 to 1973 [[Margaret Lawrie]] captured some of the Torres Strait Islander people's culture by recording the retelling of local myths and legends. Her anthropological work, stored at the [[State Library of Queensland]], has recently been recognized and registered with the Australian UNESCO [[Memory of the World Programme]]. The proximity to Papua became an issue when it started moving towards [[independence]] from Australia, which it gained as part of [[Papua New Guinea]] in 1975. The Papua New Guinea government objected to the position of the border close to the New Guinean mainland and the subsequent complete Australian control over the waters of the strait. The Torres Strait Islanders opposed being separated from Australia and insisted on no change to the border.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfsa.gov.au/digitallearning/mabo/info/border.htm |title=The Border Problem |publisher=National Film and Sound Archive |accessdate=12 June 2016}}</ref> The Australian Federal government wished to cede the northern islands to appease Papua New Guinea, but were opposed by the Queensland government and [[Premier of Queensland|Queensland Premier]] Sir [[Joh Bjelke-Petersen]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-15/wordsworth-patrolling-the-short-hop-from-png-to-australia/4886290 |title=Patrolling the short hop from PNG to Australia |author=Matt Wordsworth |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=14 August 2013 |accessdate=12 June 2016}}</ref> Eventually an agreement was struck whereby the islands and their inhabitants remained Australian, but the [[maritime boundary]] between Australia and Papua New Guinea runs through the centre of the strait. In practice the two countries co-operate closely in the management of the strait's resources.<ref>For a detailed map see {{cite web|url=http://www.ga.gov.au/image_cache/GA3747.pdf|title=Australia's Maritime Zones in the Torres Strait|publisher= Australian Government – Geoscience Australia|format= PDF|accessdate= 2008-04-13}},<br /> for the agreement see {{cite web|url= http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TREATIES/AUS-PNG1978TS.PDF|title= Treaty between Australia and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea concerning sovereignty and maritime boundaries in the area between the two countries, including the area known as Torres Strait, and related matters, 18 December 1978|publisher= [[United Nations]]|format= PDF|accessdate=2008-04-13}}</ref> In 1982, [[Eddie Mabo]] and four other Torres Strait Islanders from Mer (Murray Island) started legal proceedings to establish their traditional land-ownership. Because Mabo was the first-named plaintiff, it became known as the [[Mabo v Queensland (No 2)|Mabo Case]]. In 1992, after ten years of hearings before the [[Queensland Supreme Court]] and the [[High Court of Australia]], the latter court found that Mer people had owned their land prior to annexation by Queensland.<ref> {{Cite news |url= http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1941005.htm |title= Indigenous people still battle for land rights: activist |accessdate= 3 July 2011 |date= 3 June 2007 |work= ABC News Online |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation }}</ref> This ruling overturned the long-established [[legal doctrine]] of ''[[terra nullius]]'' ("no-one's land"), which held that [[native title]] over Crown land in Australia had been extinguished at the time of annexation. The ruling thus had far-reaching significance for the land claims of both Torres Strait Islanders and [[Australian Aborigine]]s. On 1 July 1994 the [[Torres Strait Regional Authority]] (TSRA) was created. == Geography == [[File:TorresStraitIslandsMap.png|thumb|400px|Torres Strait Islands]] The islands span an area of some 48&nbsp;000&nbsp;km². The strait from Cape York to New Guinea has a width of approximately {{convert|150|km|mi}} at its narrowest point; the islands lie scattered in between, extending some 200–300&nbsp;km from furthest east to furthest west. The total land area of the islands comprises 566&nbsp;km².<ref name="soilsanra">{{cite web |url= http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/soils/erosion/qld/basin-torres-strait-islands-ln.html |title= Soils – Torres Strait Islands |date= 6 May 2009 |work= Australian Natural Resources Atlas |publisher= Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities |accessdate= 4 July 2011 }}</ref> 21,784 ha of land are used for agricultural purposes.<ref name="econanra"> {{cite web |url= http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/economics/costs-returns/qld/basin-torres-strait-islands.html |title= Economics – Torres Strait Islands |date= 6 November 2007 |work= Australian Natural Resources Atlas |publisher= Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities |accessdate= 4 July 2011 }} </ref> The [[Torres Strait]] itself was previously a [[land bridge]] which connected the present-day Australian continent with New Guinea (in a single landmass called [[Sahul continent|Sahul]], [[Meganesia]], [[Australia-New Guinea]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Allen |first=J. |author2=J. Golson and R. Jones (eds) |others= |title=Sunda and Sahul: Prehistorical studies in Southeast Asia, Melanesia and Australia |year=1977 |publisher=Academic Press |location=London |isbn=0-12-051250-5 |pages= |chapter= |quote = }}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |first=W. |last=Filewood |title=The Torres connection: Zoogeography of New Guinea |booktitle=Vertebrate zoogeography in Australasia |pages=1124–1125 |publisher=Hesperian Press | location=Carlisle, W.A. |year=1984 |isbn=0-85905-036-X }}</ref> This land bridge was most recently submerged by rising sea levels at the termination of the [[last glacial period|last ice-age glaciation]] (approximately 12,000 years ago), forming the Strait which now connects the [[Arafura Sea|Arafura]] and [[Coral Sea|Coral]] seas. Many of the western Torres Strait Islands are the remaining peaks of this land bridge which were not completely submerged when the ocean levels rose. The islands and their surrounding waters and reefs provide a highly diverse set of land and marine [[ecosystem]]s, with niches for many rare or unique species. [[Saltwater crocodile]]s inhabit the islands along with neighboring areas of [[Queensland]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]. Marine animals of the islands include [[dugong]]s (an [[endangered species]] of [[Sirenia|sea mammal]] widely found throughout the Indian Ocean and tropical Western Pacific, including Papua-New Guinean and Australian waters), as well as [[green sea turtle|green]], [[Olive ridley sea turtle|ridley]], [[hawksbill turtle|hawksbill]] and [[flatback turtle|flatback]] sea turtles. The Torres Strait Islands may be grouped{{by whom|date=June 2016}} into five distinct clusters, which exhibit differences of [[geology]] and formation as well as location. The Torres Strait provides a habitat for [[Birds of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan Islands (Torres Strait)|numerous birds]], including the [[Torresian imperial-pigeon]], which is seen{{by whom|date=June 2016}} as the iconic national emblem to the islanders.{{citation needed|date=July 2011}} These islands are also a distinct physiographic section of the larger [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York Platform]] [[physiographic province|province]], which in turn is part of the larger [[Great Dividing Range|East Australian Cordillera]] [[physiographic division]]. === Top Western islands === The islands in this cluster lie very close to the southwestern coastline of New Guinea (the closest is less than {{convert|4|km|mi}} offshore). [[Saibai Island|Saibai]] (one of the largest of the Torres Strait Islands) and [[Boigu Island|Boigu]] (one of the [[Talbot Islands]]) are low-lying islands which were formed by deposition of [[alluvium|sediments]] and mud from New Guinean rivers into the Strait accumulating on decayed coral platforms. Vegetation on these islands mainly consists of [[mangrove]] swamps, and they are prone to [[flood]]ing. The other main island in this group, [[Dauan Island, Queensland|Dauan]] (Mt Cornwallis), is a smaller island with steep hills, composed largely of [[granite]]. This island actually represents the northernmost extent of the [[Great Dividing Range]], the extensive series of [[mountain range]]s which runs along almost the entire eastern coastline of Australia. This peak became an island as the ocean levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The isolated and uninhabited [[Warul Kawa Indigenous Protected Area|Deliverance Island]] is {{convert|67|km|mi}} west of Boigu, the nearest of the Top Western islands. {{see also|Birds of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan Islands (Torres Strait)}} === Near Western islands === The islands in this cluster lie south of the Strait's midway point, and are also largely high granite hills with mounds of [[basalt]]ic outcrops, formed from old peaks of the now submerged land bridge. [[Moa Island, Torres Strait|Moa]] (Banks Island) is the second-largest in the Torres Strait, and [[Badu Island, Torres Strait|Badu]] (Mulgrave Island) is slightly smaller and fringed with extensive mangrove swamps. Other smaller islands include [[Mabuiag Island|Mabuiag]], Pulu and further to the east Naghir (correct form '''Nagi''') (Mt. Ernest), though Nagi is culturally and linguistically a Central Island. Culturally this was the most complex part of Torres Strait, containing three of the four groupings/dialects of the Western-central Islanders, Nagi being culturally/linguistically a Central Island (Kulkalaig territory, specifically art of Waraber tribal waters), Moa is part of the Muwalaig-Italaig-Kaiwalaig [Kauraraig/Kaurareg] tribal areas, with two groups, the Italaig of the south, and the Muwalaig of the north. Many Kauraraig also live there, having been forcibly moved there in 1922-1923. Badu and Mabuiag are the '''Maluigal''' ''Deep Sea People''. === Inner islands === [[File:ThursdayIsland.JPG|thumb|250px|The township of Thursday Island]] These islands, also known as the Thursday Island group, lie closest to Cape York Peninsula, and their [[topography]] and geological history is very similar. [[Prince of Wales Island, Torres Strait|Muralag (Prince of Wales Island)]] is the largest of the Strait's islands, and forms the centre of this closely grouped cluster. The much smaller Waiben [[Thursday Island]] is the region's administrative centre and most heavily populated. Several of these islands have permanent freshwater springs, and some were also mined for [[gold]] in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of their proximity to the Australian mainland, they have also been centres of [[pearl hunting|pearling]] and [[fishing]] industries. Nurupai [[Horn Island, Queensland|Horn Island]] holds the region's airport, and as a result is something of an [[entrepôt]] with inhabitants drawn from many other communities. [[Hammong Island|Kiriri]] (Hammond Island) is the other permanently settled island of this group; Tuined (Possession Island) is noted for [[James Cook|Lt. James Cook]]'s landing there in 1770. Moa in the Near Western group is culturally and linguistically speaking part of this group. === Central islands === This cluster is more widely distributed in the middle of Torres Strait, consisting of many small sandy [[cay]]s surrounded by [[coral reef]]s, similar to those found in the nearby [[Great Barrier Reef]]. The more northerly islands in this group however, such as [[Gabba Island|Gerbar]] (Two Brothers) and [[Iama Island|Iama (Yam Island)]], are high basaltic outcrops, not cays. Culturally-speaking, Nagi of the Near-Western group is also part of this group, and also has high basaltic outcropping. The low-lying inhabited coral cays, such as [[Poruma Island|Poruma (Coconut Island)]], [[Warraber Island]] and [[Masig Island|Masig (Yorke Island)]] are mostly less than {{convert|2|to(-)|3|km|mi|abbr=off}} long, and no wider than {{convert|800|m|ft|abbr=off}}. Several have had problems with saltwater intrusion. === Eastern islands === The islands of this group (principally [[Murray Island, Queensland|Mer (Murray Island)]], Dauar and Waier, with [[Darnley Island (Queensland)|Erub Island]] and [[Stephens Island (Torres Strait)|Stephens Island (Ugar)]] further north) are formed differently from the rest. They are [[volcano|volcanic]] in origin, the peaks of volcanoes which were formerly active in [[Pleistocene]] times. Consequently, their hillsides have rich and fertile red volcanic soils, and are thickly vegetated. The easternmost of these are less than {{convert|20|km|mi}} from the northern extension of the Great Barrier Reef. == Administration == [[File:Hammond-island-torres-strait.JPG|thumb|250px|Hammond Island, Torres Strait]] ===Regional Authority=== An Australian Commonwealth statutory authority called the [[Torres Strait Regional Authority]] (TSRA) is responsible for governance of the islands. The TSRA has an elected board comprising 20 representatives from the [[Torres Strait Islander]] and [[Australian Aborigines|Aboriginal]] communities resident in the Torres Strait region. There is one representative per established local community. These board members are elected under the ''Queensland Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984'' and Division 5 of the ''ATSIC Act 1989''. The TSRA itself falls under the portfolio responsibilities of the [[Government of Australia|Australian Government]] [[Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet]] (previously under the [[Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Australia)|Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs]]). The administrative centre of the islands is [[Thursday Island]]. The TSRA now represents the local communities at both Commonwealth and State levels – previously State representation was via a (closed since March 2008) Queensland statutory authority called the Island Coordinating Council (ICC). The ICC was superseded by the [[Torres Strait Island Region]] local government area.<ref>[http://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/torres-strait-flag.aspx Torres Strait Flag]. Torres Strait Regional Authority.</ref> ===Local (shire) level government=== At the local level there are two authorities, the [[Shire of Torres]] which governs several islands and portions of Cape York Peninsula and operates as a Queensland [[Local government in Australia|local government area]]. The [[Torres Strait Island Region]], created in 2008, is the embodiment of 15 former island councils, these areas have been relinquished by the [[Government of Queensland]] to specific Islander and Aboriginal Councils under the provisions of the ''Community Services (Torres Strait) Act 1984'' and the ''Community Services (Aboriginal) Act 1984''. {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} * Badu Island Council * Bamaga Island Council * Boigu Island Council * '''Dauan Island Council''' * Erub Island Council {{col-break}} * Hammond Island Council * Iama Island Council * '''Kubin Island Council''' * Mabuiag Island Council * Mer Island Council {{col-break}} * Poruma Island Council * Saibai Island Council * Seisia Island Council * St Pauls Island Council * St Patrick Island council * Ugar Island Council {{col-break}} * '''Warraber Island Council''' * Yorke Island Council {{col-end}} ==Independence movement== Notable politicians have declared support for independence, including [[Bob Katter]] and former Queensland Premier [[Anna Bligh]], who in August 2011 wrote to Prime Minister [[Julia Gillard]] in support of Torres Strait Islands independence from [[Australia]]; Prime Minister Gillard said in October 2011 "her government will respectfully consider the Torres Strait's request for self-government". Other figures who have supported independence include Australian indigenous rights campaigner [[Eddie Mabo]].<ref>Sarah Elks (15 October 2011). [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/for-mabos-sake-let-my-island-home-go-torres-strait-elder-george-mye/story-fn9hm1pm-1226167158932 For Mabo's sake, let my island home go: Torres Strait elder George Mye]. ''The Australian''. News Limited. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.</ref><ref>Larine Statham (17 October 2011). [http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/progress-for-torres-strait-independence/story-fn6ck2c6-1226168521353 Progress for Torres Strait independence]. ''Courier Mail''. Queensland Newspapers. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.</ref><ref>(5 August 2009). [http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/mp-supports-torres-strait-independence/story-e6frfku0-1225758260046 MP supports Torres Strait independence]. news.com.au. News Limited. Retrieved on 25 April 2012.</ref> == Demographics == [[Torres Strait Islanders]], the [[indigenous peoples]] of the islands, are predominantly [[Melanesian]]s, culturally most akin to the coastal peoples of [[Papua New Guinea]]. Thus they are regarded as being distinct from other [[indigenous Australians|Aboriginal]] peoples of Australia, and are generally referred to separately despite ongoing historical trade and inter-marriage with mainland Aboriginal people. There are also two Torres Strait Islander communities on the nearby coast of the mainland, [[Bamaga, Queensland|Bamaga]] and [[Seisia, Queensland|Seisia]]. According to the 2011 [[Australian Bureau of Statistics|Australian census figures]], the population of the Torres Strait Islands was 4,248, of whom 3,856 were [[Torres Strait Islanders]].<ref name=Census2011Y>{{Census 2011 AUS|id=315011402|name=Torres Strait Islands |accessdate=19 June 2014|quick=on}}</ref> There are two indigenous languages spoken on the islands: the [[Western-Central Torres Strait Language]] (called by various names, including [[Kalaw Lagaw Ya]], [[Kalaw Kawaw Ya]], [[Kulkalgau Ya]] and [[Kaiwaligau Ya]] (Kowrareg)), and the Eastern Torres Language [[Meriam Mir]]. One language, [[Torres Strait Creole]], or [[Brokan]] / [[Yumplatok]], is used throughout Torres Strait, in neighbouring Papua as far as the West Papuan border area, and Cape York, as well as in many Island communities in Mainland Australia. This is a creole English similar to the closely related [[Tok Pisin]] in Papua New Guinea. According to the Torres Strait Treaty, residents of Papua New Guinea are permitted to visit the Torres Strait Islands for traditional purposes.<ref name="atoswr">{{Cite news |url=http://www.torresnews.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1764:access-to-outer-islands-water-restricted&catid=3:news |title=Access to Outer Islands' water restricted |accessdate=3 July 2011 |date=17 June 2011 |work=Torres News Online }}</ref> In 2011, the [[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)|Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] had to place restrictions on visitors to ensure water supply for local residents was adequate. ==Climate change== The Torres Strait Islands are threatened by rising sea levels, especially those islands which do not rise more than {{convert|1|m|ft|spell=in|abbr=off}} [[above sea level]].<ref name="rst">{{Cite news |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/features/rising-seas-threaten-isles/story-e6freowx-1111114089466 |title=Rising seas threat to Torres Strait islands |author=Peter Michael |accessdate=3 July 2011 |date=2 August 2007 |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |publisher=News Queensland }}</ref> Storm surge and high tides pose the greatest danger. Other developing problems include erosion, property damage, drinking water contamination and the unearthing of the dead.<ref name="ccbw"/> As of June 2010, there were no relocation strategies in place for Torres Strait Islanders.<ref name="ccbw">{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2010/06/28//2939097.htm |title=Climate change: not all black and white |author=Sofia Levin |accessdate=3 July 2011 |date=28 June 2010 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation }}</ref> ==Disease control== The [[banana]] plant leaf disease [[black sigatoka]], the major banana disease worldwide, is endemic to Papua New Guinea and the Torres Strait Islands. Occasional infections have been discovered on [[Cape York Peninsula]] but they have been successfully halted with [[Eradication of infectious diseases|eradication]] programs. The disease most likely appeared on the mainland via plant material from the Torres Strait Islands.<ref name="eblst">{{Cite journal |last=Peterson |first=R. |authorlink= |author2=K. Grice |author3=R. Goebel |date=December 2005 |title=Eradication of black leaf streak disease from Banana-growing regions in Australia |journal=InfoMusa |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=7–10 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MRtZ3aEvlgQC |accessdate=2011 }}</ref> == Music == The music of the Torres Strait is principally vocal accompanied by instruments. The introduction of Christianity through the London Missionary Society, beginning in 1871, had a profound influence, but before that time the musical culture reflected the cultural and geographic diversity of the Strait.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Oxford Companion todo Australian Music|last=Bebbington|first=Warren|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1997|isbn=0195534328|location=Melbourne|pages=556|quote=|via=}}</ref> ==See also== {{stack|{{Portal|Queensland|Islands}}}} * [[List of Torres Strait Islands]] * [[Torres Strait Islanders]] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} {{wikivoyage}} * [http://www.tsra.gov.au/ Torres Strait Regional Authority] * [http://www.torres.qld.gov.au/index.shtml Torres Shire Council] * [http://www.lgp.qld.gov.au/?id=2696 Torres Strait community government review] * [http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacific/places/country/torres_strait_islands.htm Torres Strait Islands info page at abc.net] * [http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3201344 Photograph album of Papua and Torres Strait (1921) taken by Frank Hurley. Held National Library of Australia, Canberra] * [http://www.cmar.csiro.au/datacentre/torres/AFMA1980_2003/DVDVer101/Reports/tst_atlas/tst_atlas.htm#pdf Torres Strait Atlas] {{Coord|9|52|49|S|142|35|26|E|region:AU_type:isle_source:dewiki|display=title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2012}} {{Torres Strait |state=autocollapse}} {{Far North Queensland}} [[Category:Torres Strait Islands| ]] [[Category:Islands of Far North Queensland]] [[Category:Geography of Melanesia]] [[Category:Aboriginal communities in Queensland]] [[Category:Torres Strait Islands culture]] [[Category:Physiographic sections]] [[Category:Separatism in Australia]]'