Cartier Island
- ISS004-E-8490
- 11 March 2002
- 05:33 UTC
Located 67 km northeast of Ashmore Reef and 200 km south from the Indonesian island of Roti, the island of Cartier — an unvegetated sand cay surrounded by mature reef flats — sits at the centre of a reef platform that rises steeply from the sea bed. The island is composed of coarse sand and is stabilised by patches of beach rock around its perimeter. Although there is only one island, the effects of wind, tides and rain periodically expose and remove areas of shifting sanbanks. The island and its surrounding reefs are protected by the Cartier Island Marine Reserve which covers an area of 167 km².