ARCHIVE // HM // 2022

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

2022 Edition — territory

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
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Communications
Internet country code [time series]
.hm
Economy
Economic overview [time series]
The islands have no indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing in the surrounding waters. Visits to Heard Island typically focus on terrestrial and marine research and infrequent private expeditions.
Environment
Climate [time series]
antarctic
Environment - current issues [time series]
none; uninhabited and mostly ice covered
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 412 sq km land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
antarctic
Coastline [time series]
101.9 km
Elevation [time series]
highest point: Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Geographic coordinates [time series]
53 06 S, 72 31 E
Geography - note [time series]
Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain (at 2,745 meters, it is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia proper), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory, the other being McDonald Island; in 1992, McDonald Island broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times since, most recently in 2005
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 0 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
Location [time series]
islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
Map references [time series]
Antarctic Region
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
Natural resources [time series]
fish
Terrain [time series]
Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Government
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands abbreviation: HIMI etymology: named after American Captain John HEARD, who sighted the island on 25 November 1853, and American Captain William McDONALD, who discovered the islands on 4 January 1854
Dependency status [time series]
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (Australian Antarctic Division)
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
embassy: none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
none (territory of Australia)
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
the flag of Australia is used
Legal system [time series]
the laws of Australia apply where applicable
National heritage [time series]
total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural); note - excerpted from the Australia entry selected World Heritage Site locales: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Introduction
Background [time series]
American sailor John HEARD discovered Heard Island in 1853 and thought it was a glacier that had broken away from Antarctica. Fellow American William MCDONALD discovered the McDonald Islands the following year. Starting in 1855, sealers lived on the islands harvesting elephant seal oil; by the time the practice was ended in 1877, most of the islands seals were killed. The UK formally claimed the islands in 1910 and Australian explorer Douglas MAWSON visited Heard Island in 1929. In 1947, the UK transferred the islands to Australia for its Antarctica research, but Australia closed the research station on Heard Island in 1954 when it opened a new research station on the Antarctic continent. McDonald Island has been an active volcano since it emerged from dormancy in 1992, and the island doubled in size after an eruption in 1996. In 1997, the islands were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Populated by a large number of bird species, seals, and penguins, the islands are primarily used for research with limited fishing being permitted in the surrounding waters.
Military and Security
Military - note [time series]
defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: NA 15-24 years: NA 25-54 years: NA 55-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Birth rate [time series]
NA
Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]
NA
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
NA
Current health expenditure [time series]
NA
Death rate [time series]
NA
Dependency ratios [time series]
total dependency ratio: NA youth dependency ratio: NA elderly dependency ratio: NA potential support ratio: NA
Drinking water source [time series]
improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
NA
Population [time series]
uninhabited
Sanitation facility access [time series]
improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
none
Illicit drugs [time series]
NA
Transportation
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
none; offshore anchorage only