Defence establishments (Larrakeyah at the tip of the peninsula is a military area), service industries, and the public sector are Darwin's current major employers, with tourism the biggest growth industry. The Northern Territory government is itself an important player in the tourist industry. The Asian policy of Paul Keating, which John Howard will largely continue, enhanced Darwin's consciousness of its position as being as close to Singapore as to Sydney, and closer to Jakarta than to most Australian capitals. Uranium and copper are mined near Darwin and its port is the export gateway for the Territory's beef, uranium, zinc, and lead. Bauxite, manganese, gold, and natural gas are other significant Northern Territory resources. Prawning, fisheries generally, and pearling are also important, long-standing components of the Darwin economy.
Darwin is also the proposed northern terminus of an as yet unbuilt north-south railway line, and is the starting-point of the 1,486 km (891 mi) road running south to Alice Springs and on to Adelaide. Darwin's status as an important air terminal has revived with the building of an international airport which is the Australian gateway for many international carriers.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Darwin Information info
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