the Atherton Tableland, Weipa, Normanton, and Thursday Island. The region also consists of many Aboriginal and farming communities. The region covers an area of and in 2012 the region's population was 301,256 of which 146,778 lived in Cairns. Significant industries include tourism, cattle grazing, agriculture (sugar cane and tropical fruits) and mining of both sand and bauxite. Other definitions Other names for regions are in popular usage, for example by different government agencies and in various regional maps of Queensland. The state also contains smaller regions within those discussed above which are not necessarily used for statistical purposes, but which are distinct in terms of their geography, economy or demographic characteristics. Such regions in Queensland include: Tropical Queensland – the area of the state north of latitude 23.5 degrees South. Tropical North Queensland – an area of tropical Queensland that usually includes Far North Queensland, and sometimes also North Queensland. The Outback – refers generally to Australian arid inland regions. Whitsunday Islands – a group of islands in the Mackay region. A popular tourist destination, the name usually includes the coastal community of Airlie Beach, and sometimes also Proserpine. Torres Strait Islands – islands between the northern tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea Atherton Tableland – a fertile agricultural district in the Cairns hinterland, Far North Queensland. Granite Belt – an area of south-east Queensland centred on the town of Stanthorpe. Border Rivers – an area near the border of New South Wales and Queensland. Capricorn Coast – a section of the Central Queensland coastline near the Tropic of Capricorn. Maranoa – a district that is sometimes referred to as the Western Darling Downs, in South West Queensland. The Marlin Coast – a coastal area centered on Cairns. North West Queensland – the area around Mt Isa. See also List of regions in Australia References Office of Economic and Statistical research – Aborisginal and Torres Strait Islander population Australian Bureau of Statistics – North West regional profile. Australian Bureau of Statistics – Wide Bay-Burnet divisional profile External links Regions of Australia