2025 Edition Primary

Background

<p>American sailor John HEARD discovered Heard Island in 1853 while fellow American William MCDONALD discovered the McDonald Islands the following year. Starting in 1855, sealers lived on the islands and harvested 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 permitted in the surrounding waters.</p> <p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 18.0pt; background: white;"> </p>

Area

Land

412 sq km

Total

412 sq km

Water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than two times the size of Washington, D.C.

Climate

antarctic

Coastline

101.9 km

Continent

Antarctica

Elevation

Highest point

Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m

Lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

53 06 S, 72 31 E

Geography - note

Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain; at 2,745 m (9,006 ft), Mawson is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in mainland Australia), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory; in 1992, McDonald Island, the other active volcano, broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times since

Land boundaries

Total

0 km

Land use

Agricultural land

0% (2011 est.)

Other

100% (2018 est.)

Landlocked

No

Location

islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica

Map links

Google Maps

https://goo.gl/maps/k5FBAiVaVyozuYeA7

OpenStreetMap

https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2177227

Map references

Antarctic Region

Maritime claims

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island

Natural resources

fish

Terrain

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

Time zone

UTC+05:00

number of time zones

1

Languages

languages

English

number of languages

1

Nationality

adjective

Heard and McDonald Islander

noun

Heard and McDonald Islander

Population

Note

<strong>note: </strong>limited scientific research and expeditions

Total

uninhabited

Country name

Abbreviation

HIMI

alternative spellings

HM, Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Conventional long form

Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Conventional short form

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Etymology

named after US Captain John HEARD, who sighted the island on 25 November 1853, and US Captain William McDONALD, who discovered the islands on 4 January 1854

local long form (eng)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Dependency status

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment (Australian Antarctic Division)

Diplomatic representation from the US

Embassy

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (territory of Australia)

Flag

the flag of Australia is used

Flag description

The flag of Heard Island and McDonald Islands has a dark blue field. It features the flag of the United Kingdom — the Union Jack — in the canton, beneath which is a large white seven-pointed star. A representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of one small five-pointed and four larger seven-pointed white stars, is situated on the fly side of the field.

Flag image

svg

https://flagcdn.com/hm.svg

Independence

No

Legal system

the laws of Australia apply&nbsp;

National heritage

Selected World Heritage Site locales

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Total World Heritage Sites

1 (natural); note - excerpted from the Australia entry

Start of week

Monday

UN Member

No

Internet country code

.hm

Driving side

Right

Heliports

2 (2025)

Vehicle registration code

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of Australia