UN move expands Australia's territory: minister

Australia's territory has expanded by an area five times the size of France after
the UN agreed to its jurisdiction over a massive amount of seabed.

SYDNEY (AFP) -- Australia's territory has expanded by an area five times the size of France after the UN agreed to its jurisdiction over a massive amount of seabed, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said Monday.

The UN decision to extend the country's borders south, west and east to include a further 2.5 million square kilometres (965,255 square miles) could potentially provide a "bonanza" in underwater oil and gas reserves, he said.

"I am pleased to announce that Australia, the largest island in the world, has just been dramatically increased in size," Ferguson told reporters in Canberra. full story