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Background: There are vast social, economic and cultural differences between the metropolitan and remote areas of Australia.This study examined the possible influence of these "place based" contextual factors on suicide mortality using an ecological design.Methods: Male and female suicide rates were calculated for SSDs (Statistical Sub-Divisions); these were then classified as either metropolitan or remote using data from the Queensland Suicide Register.Independent variables represented key demographic, health, social and economic indicators in the metropolitan and remote areas of Queensland.A Poisson regression model was used to assess the influence of each independent variable on suicide.The analysis controlled for possible time effects.Results: The results suggest both common and unique contextual influences on male and female suicide.Across all areas, higher divorce rates appeared to be related to an increase in male suicide rates.In remote areas, the Indigenous population and agricultural employment held a significant association with higher rates; whereas greater levels of education and expenditure on anti-depressants were related to a reduction in male suicide rates.In metropolitan areas, a rise in unemployment, migration, and expenditure on psychotropic medications had a significant association with higher male suicide rates.The proportion of males with a family (e.g., partner and child) and the proportion of Christians in the population were related to a reduction in male suicide.There were substantially fewer significant associations between contextual variables and female suicide.Divorce and expenditure on psychotropic medications were associated with a rise in female suicide in metropolitan locations, while a higher number of GP services (per 100 persons) were related to lower female suicide.In rural locations, a reduction in female suicide was associated with a higher proportion of females with a family, and a greater number of GP services (per 100 persons) in the population.Conclusion: These different contextual influences on suicide in metropolitan and remote areas indicate the need for contextually-relevant suicide prevention strategies, rather than a single and uniform intervention applied across all groups in a population.