The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT) is a federal Australian territory in the central and central

northern regions of Australia. It shares borders with Western Australia to the west (129th meridian
east), South Australia to the south (26th parallel south), and Queensland to the east (138th meridian
east). To the north, the territory is bordered by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of
Carpentaria. Despite its large area—over 1,349,129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the
third largest Australian federal division—it is sparsely populated. The Northern Territory's population
of 244,000 (2016) makes it the least populous of Australia's eight major states and territories, having
fewer than half as many people as Tasmania.[5]
The archaeological history of the Northern Territory begins over 40,000 years ago when Indigenous
Australians settled the region. Makassan traders began trading with the indigenous people of the
Northern Territory for trepang from at least the 18th century onwards. The coast of the territory was
first seen by Europeans in the 17th century. The British were the first Europeans to attempt to settle
the coastal regions. After three failed attempts to establish a settlement (1824–1828, 1838–1849,
and 1864–66), success was achieved in 1869 with the establishment of a settlement at Port Darwin.
Today the economy is based on tourism, especially Kakadu National Park in the Top End and
the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Ayers Rock) in central Australia, and mining.