Australia is made up of many different and distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, each with their own culture, language, beliefs and practices.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first peoples of Australia, meaning they were here for thousands of years prior to colonisation.
There are varying estimates for how long Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived on this continent, however, upwards of 60,000 years is what current research reveals.
The Torres Strait region is located between the tip of Cape York and Papua New Guinea and is made up of over two hundred islands. Seventeen of these islands are inhabited. There are also two Torres Strait Islander communities, Bamaga and Seisia, on the northern peninsula area of mainland of Australia. The Torres Strait is also home to the Aboriginal Kaurareg Nation who are the traditional inhabitants of Muralag (Prince of Wales Island), Kirriri (Hammond Island), Ngurupai (Horn Island), and Waiben (Thursday Island).
View a map of the Torres Strait on the Torres Strait Regional Authority website.
In the Torres Strait, people may refer to a cluster or group of islands to define different sections of the Torres Strait region. These include Top Western, Western Islands, Central Islands and so on.
Aboriginal peoples come from all areas of mainland Australia, including Tasmania and other islands.
The Stolen Generations of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
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