Intercourse Island is an uninhabited

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in the

Dampier Archipelago The Dampier Archipelago is a group of 42 islands near the town of Dampier, Western Australia, Dampier in Pilbara, Western Australia. The archipelago is also made up of reefs, shoals, channels and straits and is the traditional home of five Ab ...

, in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. It is about north of the state capital

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. Although Intercourse Island and its surrounding area are almost uninhabited, with a density of less than two people per , it is located in a major minerals export area. The climate conditions in the area are

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

. The average annual rainfall is . The wettest month is January, with an average of of

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

, and the driest is August, with of precipitation.

Naming

The island was named after the intercourse (communication, dealings) between the explorer Captain Philip Parker King, and the natives.

Nearby islands

* Mistaken Island * Haycock Island (Western Australia) * East Lewis Island * East Intercourse Island * East Mid Intercourse Island * West Mid Intercourse Island * West Intercourse Island

References

Dampier Archipelago Uninhabited islands of Australia {{WesternAustralia-geo-stub