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 Boigu within the Torres Strait Islands | |
  Boigu Island Boigu Island (Queensland, Australia) | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Torres Strait |
| Coordinates | 9°15′34″S142°12′46″E / 9.2594°S 142.2127°E /-9.2594; 142.2127 (Boigu Island (centre of island)) |
| Archipelago | Torres Strait Islands |
| Area | 89.6 km2 (34.6 sq mi) |
| Length | 18.12 km (11.259 mi) |
| Width | 5.05 km (3.138 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Highest point | unnamed |
| Administration | |
Australia | |
| State | Queensland |
| LGA | Torres Strait Island Region |
| Island Region | Top Western |
| Largest settlement | Boigu |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 199 (2021) |
| Pop. density | 3.0/km2 (7.8/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Torres Strait Islanders |
| Boigu Island Queensland | |||||||||||||||
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  Boigu Island | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 9°15′34″S142°12′46″E / 9.2594°S 142.2127°E /-9.2594; 142.2127 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 199 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 3.002/km2 (7.774/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 66.3 km2 (25.6 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Torres Strait Island Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cook | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Leichhardt | ||||||||||||||
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Boigu Island (also known as Malu Kiyay or Malu Kiwai) is the most northerly inhabitedisland ofQueensland and of Australia.[2] It is part of the Top Western group of theTorres Strait Islands, which lie in theTorres Strait separatingCape York Peninsula from the island ofNew Guinea. The mainland ofPapua New Guinea is only 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away from Boigu. Boigu has an area of 89.6 square kilometres (34.6 sq mi). Boigu Island is also the name of the town andlocality on the island within theTorres Strait Island Region.[3][4] Boigu is predominantly inhabited byindigenousTorres Strait Islanders. In the2021 census, the population of the island was 199, of whom 189 people or 95% of the population identified as Indigenous Australians.[1]
It is the largest and only inhabited island of theTalbot Islands group (9°15′33″S142°12′23″E / 9.2591°S 142.2064°E /-9.2591; 142.2064 (Talbot Islands (centre of island group))).[5]
The language of Boigu is that of the Western and Central Islands of the Torres Strait. The specific dialect isKalau Kawau Ya, also spoken on the islands ofDauan andSaibai. The people of the three islands consider themselves as one people.
Kala Kawaw Ya (also known as Kalaw Kawaw, KKY) is one of the languages of the Torres Strait.Kala Kawaw Ya is the traditional language owned by the Top Western islands of the Torres Strait Island Region.[6]
Boigu Island is approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) long, and low-lying. It was formed by the accumulation ofalluvialsediments deposited by the discharge of nearby New Guinean rivers into the Strait. These sediments built up over time on an oldcoral platform which rises from the shallowcontinental shelf, eventually creating the island.
The Island is separated from the mainland ofPapua New Guinea (near the border ofKiwai Rural LLG andMorehead Rural LLG) by a stretch of water measuring 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) at its narrowest point. The island is also the closest Australian territory to the Republic ofIndonesia, just 123 kilometres (76 mi) east-southeast of the southern tip of theIndonesia–Papua New Guinea border within theMerauke Regency ofWestern New Guinea.[citation needed]
The village ofBoigu at the northern end of the island (9°13′57″S142°13′07″E / 9.2324°S 142.2186°E /-9.2324; 142.2186 (Boigu (village))).[7] It is the northernmost settlement of Australia, but the northernmost land is the uninhabitedBramble Cay, 173 kilometres (107 mi) to the east.[8]
Most of the island is subject to extensive periodic flooding, and as a result the community township has been built on the highest ground.[citation needed]
There are a number of smaller islands nearby, including:
Boigu Island Airport is on the south-western edge of the village (9°13′58″S142°13′05″E / 9.2327°S 142.2181°E /-9.2327; 142.2181 (Boigu Island Airport)).[12]
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Boigu was visited by South Sea Islander missionaries of theLondon Missionary Society, some time after the establishment of a mission on nearby Saibai Island in 1871.[citation needed]
From the 1870s to around 1910, the Boigu, Dauan and Saibai people, along with the neighbouring Papuan peoples, were being harassed bythugeral "warriors" from theMarind-anim, fierce headhunters from what is now southeastSouth Papua. In literature dealing with the period, these people are generally termed 'Tuger' or 'Tugeri'. SirWilliam MacGregor, theLieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea, noted in 1886 that the population was nearly extinct as a result of these raids. What he did not realise was that at the time the bulk of the population were staying with family on Saibai and Dauan for mutual protection.[citation needed]
According to 2004Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) figures, its resident population was approximately 340.[citation needed]
Malu Kiwai State School opened on 29 January 1985. In 2007, it was one of 17 schools in the Torres Strait Islands that amalgamated, becoming the Malu Kiwai Campus ofTagai State College (which has its main campus onThursday Island).[13][14]
In the2016 census, there were 271 people living on the island, of whom 231 identified as Indigenous Australians (107 male, 124 female).[15]
In the2021 census, there were 199 people living on the island, of whom 189 identified as Indigenous Australians (84 male, 104 female).[1]
The island is considered part of theNew Guinea mangrovesecoregion, a subset of theAustralasian realm.[citation needed]
The interior of the island is sparsely vegetated, and mainlyswampland. The coast is fringed bymangroves, which act to protect against the island's sand and mud from seaerosion.[citation needed]
It is likely the mangrove regions harbour healthy populations ofsaltwater crocodile.[citation needed]
The waters surrounding the island are an importanthabitat fordugongs, a species ofsea mammal listed asvulnerable by theIUCN.[citation needed]
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The Malu Kiwai Campus of the Tagai State College is a primary (Early Childhood–Year 6) campus of Tagai State College at School Road (9°13′52″S142°13′09″E / 9.2310°S 142.2193°E /-9.2310; 142.2193 (Tagai State College - Malu Kiwai Campus)).[16][17][18]
There is no secondary school on the island. The secondary school campus of Tagai State College is on Thursday Island.[19]
TheTorres Strait Island Regional Council operates an Indigenous Knowledge Centre (library) at 66 Chamber Street (9°13′49″S142°13′15″E / 9.2304°S 142.2208°E /-9.2304; 142.2208 (Indigenous Knowledge Centre)).[20][21] Partnering with theState Library of Queensland on many occasions over the years, and developed in consultation with the Divisional Manager and Elders on island, the IKC has seen the 2013Culture Love Program, designed around the theme 'War and Church'.[22] During the project local Elders/Artists were employed to work alongside State Library staff to build their skills in developing and delivering creative arts and language workshops with children and young people in their communities.
With its close proximity to Papua New Guinea, each weekday PNG island traders travel 45 minutes by boat to Boigu Island to sell their products.[22]
Boigu Island Primary Health Care Centre is operated byQueensland Health on Chamber Street (9°13′51″S142°13′15″E / 9.2307°S 142.2209°E /-9.2307; 142.2209 (health centre)).[23][24]
Boigu Island Sewage Treatment Plant is on the western edge of the village on the Esplanade (9°13′54″S142°13′00″E / 9.2317°S 142.2166°E /-9.2317; 142.2166 (sewage treatment plant)).[23]
This Wikipedia article incorporatesCC BY 4.0licensed text from:"Indigenous languages map of Queensland".State Library of Queensland.State Library of Queensland. Retrieved5 February 2020. This Wikipedia article incorporates text fromBoigu: An IKC with a point of difference (22 June 2022) by Indigenous services published by theState Library of Queensland underCC BYlicence, accessed on 18 January 2023.List ofTorres Strait topics | |||||||||||||||||||
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