What is Torres Strait Islanders?
[[File:TorresStraitIslandsMap.png|thumb|Map of Torres Strait Islands]] '''Torres Strait Islanders''' are the [[indigenous peoples|indigenous people]] of the [[Torres Strait Islands]], part of [[Queensland]], in [[Australia]]. They are culturally related to the coastal peoples of [[Papua New Guinea]] but are regarded as being different from other [[indigenous Australians|Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia]]. There are also two Torres Strait Islander communities on the nearby coast of the mainland. == Population == There are 6,000 Torres Strait Islanders who live in the area of the [[Torres Strait|Torres Strai]]<nowiki/>t and 42,000 others who live outside that area, mostly in northern [[Queensland]], particularly in [[Townsville, Queensland|Townsville]] and [[Cairns, Queensland|Cairns]]. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/indg_overview.html |title=Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples |work=Australia Now |publisher=[[Government of Australia|Australian Government]] [[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)|Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] |accessdate=2006-12-10 |archive-date=2006-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008120749/http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/indg_overview.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> == Culture == The Torres Strait Islanders have a distinct culture, which has slight variations on the different islands on which they live. They are a sea-faring people and engaged in trade with peoples of [[Papua New Guinea]]. The [[culture]] is complex, with some Australian elements, some Papuan elements, and some [[Austronesian people|Austronesian]] elements, just like the [[Language|languages]]. The islanders seem to have been the dominant culture for many centuries, and neighbouring Aboriginal and Papuan cultures show some Island influence such is their [[Religion|religious]] [[Ceremony|ceremonies]]. [[Archaeology|Archaeological]], [[Linguistics|linguistic]] and [[oral history]] evidence suggests that the core of Island culture is Aus