What is the population of Katherine, Northern Territory?

Katherine has a population of approximately 5,980 according to the latest available open data.

Where is Katherine, Northern Territory located?

Katherine is located in Northern Territory, Australia, at approximate coordinates -14.4646°, 132.2636°.

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Katherine

Northern Territorytown

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Katherine

Total population

5,980

Founded

1926

Elevation108 m

Land area336.67 km²

Coordinates-14.46°, 132.26°

Demographic figures from Australian Bureau of Statistics. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Founded

1926

Elevation

108 m

Area

336.67 km²

Official website

www.katherine.nt.gov.au

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Katherine is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is situated on the Katherine River, after which it is named, 320 kilometres (200 mi) southeast of Darwin. The fourth largest settlement in the Territory, it is known as the place where "the outback meets the tropics". Katherine had an urban population of 9,643 at the 2021 Australian census.

History & geography

History

The first inhabitants of the area were Indigenous Australians, specifically the Dagoman people. It was an important meeting place for these tribes and remains a place of convergence. Today the Warlpiri people from the Victoria River District and Tanami Desert areas now have a dedicated community based at Katherine East, originating in their forced relocation to Lajamanu from 1949 onwards. Explorer John McDouall Stuart passed through the area in 1862 on his successful third journey across the continent from north to south. On 4 July 1862, Stuart crossed the Katherine River 90 km upstream from the present town, and recorded in his diary: "Came upon another large creek, having a running stream to the south of west and coming from the north of east. This I have named 'Katherine', in honour of the second daughter of pastoralist James Chambers " There is some conjecture over Stuart's accuracy. Chambers's wife's name was Katherine but, according to most sources, his daughter's name was Catherine. Katherine Telegraph Station was established on 22 August 1872 and the completion of the Overland Telegraph Line later in 1872, and the town began with a small permanent population on the west side of the Katherine River. Katherine benefited from the proximity to nearby gold fields including Pine Creek 90 kilometres to the north. Gold was discovered 50 kilometres to the north in 1889 at Mount Todd. The North Australia Railway was extended to Katherine with construction beginning in 1923 of the Katherine railway bridge. During construction of the railway, the town's centre was relocated to the eastern side of the river. The bridge was completed in 1926 and the first train crossed on 21 January 1926. On 15 July 1926, the town's present site was gazetted. The original post…

Geography

Katherine is located south of Darwin, and is situated on the banks of the Katherine River, which is part of the Daly River system. The upper reaches rise into the Arnhem Land escarpment and Kakadu, to the northeast. The Victoria River (The Northern Territory's largest river system) is situated south-west of Katherine along the Victoria Highway. Katherine is at the crossroads of the Outback due to its location between the Darwin region, Kakadu National Park, the Barkley Region, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The topography of the region is predominantly dry tropical savanna woodlands and consists of plains, hills, rock outcrops. To the east lies Koombolgie sandstone escarpments and spectacular gorges through Nitmiluk National Park. The township itself is set among relatively flat plains along the Katherine River within the Tindall / Oolloo Aquifers, dotted with rugged Karst limestone formations, caves and jagged outcrops. Numerous mesas (flat-topped hills or "Jump-ups") emerge south-west of Katherine on surrounding cattle stations. Katherine is within an ecoregion classified as the Kimberley tropical savanna which covers a large portion of Australia's north-west through WA and the NT. Katherine experiences a dry tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) with distinct wet and dry seasons. Daily high temperatures in the wet season typically range from , reaching over from late September to late November. Very high humidity accompanies high temperatures during the build-up period to the wet season, when the region receives spectacular electrical storms. The wet season monsoon period is a dramatic time of year, from large thunderstorms and heavy downpours to the transitions of lush greenery appearing from the…

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Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).