Northern Territory

The Northern Territory (NT) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The NT covers 1,349,129 square kilometres (520,902 sq mi), making it the third-largest Australian federal division.

Read more on the Northern Territory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Territory

Map of Northern Territory

For more on Northern Territory Map https://www.britannica.com/place/Northern-Territory

Coat of Arms for Northern Territory

The coat of arms of the Northern Territory is the official heraldic symbol representing the Australian territory. They were officially granted by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on 11 September 1978. The arms, uniquely in Australia, incorporate all of the territory’s floral, animal and bird emblems: the Sturt’s desert rose, red kangaroo and wedge-tailed eagle.

The Northern Territory’s arms incorporate many reflections of the indigenous Australian culture and history: the shield itself is a representation of an Aboriginal painting and the crest shows the wedge-tailed eagle on top of a tjurunga, an Aboriginal ritual stone.

For more on the Northern Territory Coat of Arms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Northern_Territory

Flag for Northern Territory

The current state flag of the Northern Territory was officially adopted by the Northern Territory, Australia, in 1978. The Northern Territory has been in existence since 1911 but did not hoist its first flag until self-government in 1978.

The flag differs from the flags of the Australian states as it does not include the British Blue Ensign. The flag’s colours consist of the official Territorian colours of black, white and ochre. The Southern Cross appears as five white stars on a black panel at the hoist. In the fly of the flag is a stylised Sturt’s Desert Rose, the territory’s floral emblem since 1961, with seven white petals representing the six Australian States and the Northern Territory and a black seven-pointed core.

For more on Northern Territory Flag https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Northern_Territory

Emblems of Northern Territory

Mammal Emblem

The red kangaroo embodies the NT’s unique wildlife. It is the largest living marsupial with adult males standing more than 2m tall and weighing as much as 75kg.

Males are a rusty brown colour and females a smokey grey, while both have heat-reflecting paler fur on their under surfaces. They also have striking white marks with a black line on the sides of their muzzles.

Their long, thin limbs allow them to travel large distances through harsh conditions. They are found in the NT in very dry areas.

Faunal Emblem

The Wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey with an average wingspan of 2.5m. It is dark brown with a chestnut neck.

Their long, wedge-shaped tail and broad wings make them easy to recognise. Their legs are covered in feathers right down to their feet. A hooked beak and strong talons are the hallmarks of a bird that hunts other animals.

Although they are found throughout Australia, in the NT they are more commonly found in the arid centre than on the coastal plains of the north.

They eat a range of small mammals that lived on the soft ground cover, as well as other birds, rabbits and reptiles. It is thought the eagle also hunts kangaroos that gather around watering holes.

Floral Emblem

Sturt’s Desert Rose has been the floral emblem of the NT since 1974. It is an arid plant that grows best in the stony or rocky ground such as dry creek beds.

It is a member of the cotton family, rather than the rose family. It was named after Charles Sturt who first collected it during his journey to Central Australia in 1844-45.

It’s a small bushy plant that usually grows to 1.5 m.

It has dark green, round to oval-shaped leaves. The petals of the flowers are mauve with a deep red marking at the base.

The flowers look similar to the hibiscus, which belongs to the same family. The plant’s fruit is capsule-shaped and contains small seeds covered in short hair, which is a trait of the cotton family.

For more on Northern Territory Emblems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols_of_the_Northern_Territory

and https://nt.gov.au/about-government/official-symbols-and-emblems

Colour Emblem

Black, White and Ochre

For more on the Colour Emblems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_state_and_territory_colours