Wonders of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

  Highlights

The small islands 135 km from the Indonesian islands are not inhabited by people and above sea level, there is not too much interesting. In the seas around the islands though there is a very high level of biological diversity. Here are found 433 species of mollusks and the highest known diversity of sea snakes – some 14 species, around 40,000 snakes living around the year 2000 (now less), some 650 species of fish, and high numbers of other sea animals.

On Ashmore island reefs are feeding some 11,000 sea turtles. Here lives a genetically distinct population of Dugong (Dugong dugon) – some 50 animals.

Here are found also some wrecks of ships and airplanes.