Kimberley (Western Australia)

Kimberley
Kimberley
Interactive map of Kimberley
Coordinates: 17°29′29″S 124°31′58″E / 17.49145°S 124.53265°E / -17.49145; 124.53265
CountryAustralia
StateWestern Australia
LGAs
Established1881
Government
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Area
 • Total
423,517 km2 (163,521 sq mi)
Population
 • Total34,364 (2016 census)
 • Density0.0811396/km2 (0.210151/sq mi)

The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami deserts in the region of the Pilbara, and on the east by the Northern Territory.

The region was named in 1879 by government surveyor Alexander Forrest after Secretary of State for the Colonies John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley.