degrees south of the Equator, the Gove Peninsula has a monsoon climate. The non-Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory tropics recognise two distinct seasons, the dry season from May to October, and the wet from November to April. During the dry, temperatures range from 15 to 18 degrees Celsius at night to 28 to 30 degrees Celsius during the day. There is virtually no rainfall, clear blue skies and cool ocean breezes. The wet season brings the monsoon weather with hot and humid days ranging from 31 to 35 degrees Celsius and warm nights. Yolngu seasons Yolngu however recognise eight seasons derived from changing behaviours and patterns apparent in the land, flora and fauna, as follows: Dhuludur (‘the Pre-wet season’, October–November) when the weather is erratic, ‘female’ thunder and lightning storms are frequent, turtles and Threadfin Salmon are hunted, and the ‘male’ thunder shrinks the waterholes. Bärra’mirri (‘the season of Heavy Rain and Growth’, December–January) when there are heavy rains and prolific plant growth, the Magpie Geese arrive and shellfish are harvested. Mayaltha (‘the Flowering season’, February–March) when there are bright sunny days but little bush tucker, flies arrive and mosquito larvae are abundant in the pools. Midawarr (‘the Fruiting season’, March–April) when the east wind signals a time of abundant bush foods, including fruits, nuts and barramundi. *Ngathangamakulingamirri (‘a two-week Harvest season’, April) Dharratharramirri (‘the Early Dry season’, May–July) when the trade winds (south-southeast) arrive, the bush is fired, Magpie Lark flocks arrive and sharks and stingrays give birth. Burrugumirri (‘the time of the Birthing of Sharks and Stingrays’, three weeks in July to August) Rarrandharr (‘the Main Dry season’, August–October) when warm southeast winds blow, the soil is hot, young sharks and stingrays are hunted, and the stringybark flowers. Demographics On the night of the 2001 Census there were 13,080 people living in the East Arnhem region, which covers most of the Gove Peninsula. Of these 60.7% were Aboriginal people. On the night of the 2001 Census there were 3,766 people living in the "Urban Centre" of Nhulunbuy. Of these 7.3% were Indigenous. Based on a 2004 NT Government Socio-Economic Snapshot, there is a population of 14,115 within the Gove Peninsula (East Arnhem Region), of which almost 64% are Indigenous people, and a population of nearly 4,000 in Nhulunbuy, the majority being non-Indigenous people. Those people not living in Nhulunbuy live in surrounding communities and traditional homelands.