Editing Northern Territory (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Northern Territory 0216.svg|thumb|right|Northern Territory towns, settlements and [[List of highways in the Northern Territory|road network]].]]
{{main|Geography of the Northern Territory}}
[[File:ISS036-E-029323 lrg.jpg|thumb|The northern coast of Australia is on the left with Melville Island in the lower right<ref>{{cite web |url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=81847 |title=Fires around Darwin, Australia August 21, 2013 |website=Earthobservatory.nasa.gov |date=21 August 2013 |access-date=17 July 2016 |archive-date=9 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509010657/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=81847 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
There are many very small settlements scattered across the Territory, but the larger population centres are located on the single paved road that links Darwin to southern Australia, the [[Stuart Highway]], known to locals simply as "the track".

The Territory is home to many spectacular natural rock formations, including [[Uluru|Uluru / Ayers Rock]] and [[Kata Tjuta|Kata Tjuta / The Olgas]] in the Central Australian region and [[Kakadu National Park]] in the north. Each of these sites are sacred to the local Aboriginal people and which have become major International tourist attractions and recognised [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage sites]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Heritage: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park |url=https://parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/discover/highlights/world-heritage/#:~:text=Uluru-Kata%20Tjuta%20National%20Park%20is%20included%20on%20the%20UNESCO,animals,%20and%20outstanding%20natural%20beauty. |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=parksaustralia.gov.au |language=en-au}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=World Heritage: Kakadu |url=https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/discover/world-heritage/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=parksaustralia.gov.au |language=en-au |archive-date=18 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918022631/https://parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/discover/world-heritage/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The northern portion of the Territory is principally [[tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|tropical savannas]], composed of several distinct [[List of ecoregions in Australia|ecoregions]] – [[Arnhem Land tropical savanna]], [[Carpentaria tropical savanna]], [[Kimberley tropical savanna]], [[Victoria Plains tropical savanna]], and [[Mitchell Grass Downs]]. The southern portion of the Territory is covered in [[deserts and xeric shrublands]], including the [[Great Sandy-Tanami desert]], [[Simpson Desert]], and [[Central Ranges xeric scrub]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

There are also an extensive series of river systems in the Territory. These rivers include: the [[Alligator Rivers]], [[Daly River (Northern Territory)|Daly River]], [[Finke River]], [[McArthur River]], [[Roper River]], [[Todd River]] and [[Victoria River (Northern Territory)|Victoria River]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} The Hay River is a river south-west of Alice Springs, with the Marshall River, Arthur Creek, Camel Creek and Bore Creek flowing into it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=212462&cmd=sp|title=Hay River|website=Bonzle.com|access-date=10 June 2019|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726193944/http://www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=212462&cmd=sp|url-status=live}}</ref>

===National parks===
{{Main|Protected areas of the Northern Territory}}
{{see also|National parks of the Northern Territory}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Barranyi (North Island) National Park]]
* [[Casuarina Coastal Reserve]]
* [[Daly River (Northern Territory)|Daly River]] Nature Park
* [[Djukbinj National Park]]
* [[Dulcie Range National Park]]
* [[Elsey National Park]]
* [[Finke Gorge National Park]]
* [[Garig Gunak Barlu National Park]]
* [[Howard Springs Nature Park]]
* [[Iytwelepenty / Davenport Ranges National Park]]
* [[Judbarra / Gregory National Park]]
* [[Kakadu National Park]]
* [[Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve]]
* [[Keep River National Park]]
* [[Litchfield National Park]]
* [[Mary River National Park]]
* [[Nitmiluk National Park]]
* [[Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park]]
* [[Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]
* [[Watarrka National Park]]
{{div col end}}

<gallery>
File:Mount Sonder.JPG|[[Mount Sonder]], the fourth-highest mountain in the Northern Territory after nearby [[Mount Zeil]], in [[West MacDonnell National Park]]
File:Kakadu 2488.jpg|[[Nourlangie Rock]] in [[Kakadu National Park]]
File:Jim jim falls.jpg|[[Jim Jim Falls]], Kakadu National Park
File:Uluru NT Australia.JPG|[[Uluru|Uluru / Ayers Rock]], one of the best-known images of the Northern Territory
File:Uluru, helicopter view, cropped.jpg|Aerial view of Uluru / Ayers Rock
</gallery>

[[File:Kata Tjuta pan.jpg|thumb|upright=3.75|center|Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park]]

===Climate===
[[File:Northern Territory Köppen.svg|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in the Northern Territory]]
[[File:Fires in Northern Territory, Australia.jpg|thumb|left|Satellite image of fire activity in central Australia]]

{| class="toccolours" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="float:right; margin-right:.5em; margin-left:.50em; margin-top:.4em; font-size:90%;"
|-
| colspan="5"  style="background:#cef; text-align:center;"| '''Average monthly maximum<br />temperature in Northern Territory'''
|-  style="background:#ccc; vertical-align:top;"
!Month
!Darwin
!Alice Springs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|January
| style="text-align:center;"|31.8&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|36.3&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|February
| style="text-align:center;"|31.4&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|35.1&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|March
| style="text-align:center;"|31.9&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|32.7&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|April
| style="text-align:center;"|32.7&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|28.2&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|May
| style="text-align:center;"|32.0&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|23.0&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|June
| style="text-align:center;"|30.6&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|19.8&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|July
| style="text-align:center;"|30.5&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|19.7&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|August
| style="text-align:center;"|31.3&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|22.6&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|September
| style="text-align:center;"|32.5&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|27.1&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|October
| style="text-align:center;"|33.2&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|30.9&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|November
| style="text-align:center;"|33.2&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|33.7&nbsp;°C
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|December
| style="text-align:center;"|32.6&nbsp;°C
| style="text-align:center;"|35.4&nbsp;°C
|-
| colspan="5"  style="font-size:80%; background:#cef; text-align:center;"| Source: Bureau of Meteorology
|}

The Northern Territory has two distinctive climate zones.

The northern end, including Darwin, has a tropical climate with high humidity and two seasons, the wet (October to April) and dry season (May to September). During the dry season nearly every day is warm and sunny, and afternoon humidity averages around 30%. There is very little rainfall between May and September. In the coolest months of June and July, the daily minimum temperature may dip as low as {{convert|14|C}}, but very rarely lower, and frost has never been recorded.

The [[Australian monsoon|wet season]] is associated with [[tropical cyclones]] and [[monsoon]] rains. The majority of rainfall occurs between December and March (the southern hemisphere summer), when [[thunderstorms]] are common and afternoon relative humidity averages over 70% during the wettest months. On average more than {{convert|1570|mm|abbr=on}} of rain falls in the north. Rainfall is highest in north-west coastal areas, where rainfall averages from {{convert|1800|to|2100|mm|abbr=on}}.

The central region is the [[desert]] centre of the country, which includes Alice Springs and [[Uluru]] (Ayers Rock), and is [[semi-arid]] with little rain usually falling during the hottest months from October to March. Seasons are more distinct in central Australia, with very hot summers and cool winters. Frost is recorded a few times a year. The region receives less than {{convert|250|mm|abbr=on}} of rain per year.

The highest temperature recorded in the territory was {{convert|48.3|C}} at [[Aputula|Finke]] on 1 and 2 January 1960. The lowest temperature was {{convert|-7.5|C}} at Alice Springs on 17 July 1976.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rainfall and Temperature Records: National |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/extreme/records/national.pdf |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)|Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=17 November 2009 |archive-date=21 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321174915/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/extreme/records/national.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Weather box
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|location = Northern Territory

|Jan record high C = 48.3
|Feb record high C = 46.4
|Mar record high C = 45.0
|Apr record high C = 41.5
|May record high C = 40.2
|Jun record high C = 37.9
|Jul record high C = 37.5
|Aug record high C = 39.7
|Sep record high C = 42.0
|Oct record high C = 45.0
|Nov record high C = 46.1
|Dec record high C = 47.2

|Jan record low C = 6.7
|Feb record low C = 8.5
|Mar record low C = 4.7
|Apr record low C = 1.0
|May record low C = -4.2
|Jun record low C = -6.0
|Jul record low C = -7.5
|Aug record low C = -5.4
|Sep record low C = -2.8
|Oct record low C = 0.0
|Nov record low C = 3.5
|Dec record low C = 7.5

|source=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Daily Extremes |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/extremes/monthly_extremes.cgi?area=nt |website=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=5 December 2020 |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408191051/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/extremes/monthly_extremes.cgi?area=nt |url-status=live }}</ref>
|date=November 2019}}