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Antarctica / HM

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Heard Island and McDonald Islands flag
ⓘ

2021 Factbook flag mirror; image identity has not been individually audited. Source.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Heard Island and McDonald Islands: CIA World Factbook map from 2021; original boundary notes preserved.
ⓘCIA World Factbook map, February 2021 media edition. Identity reviewed; current boundaries have not been audited. visual contact sheet or original identity check; does not verify current boundaries Boundaries, place names and designations may be dated or disputed; original annotations retained. SHA-256: ecb2fe44860cca82c1992da63f167e8adc87a46723b0b74eb78e4e6b6246d5fb. Provenance and inspection record.

Introduction

Background:1

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.

Geography

Location:2

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

Geographic coordinates:3

53 06 S, 72 31 E

Map references:4

Antarctic Region

Area:5

total:412 sq km
land:412 sq km
water:0 sq km

Area - comparative:6

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

Land boundaries:7

total:0 km

Coastline:8

101.9 km

Maritime claims:9

territorial sea:12 nm
exclusive fishing zone:200 nm

Climate:10

antarctic

Terrain:11

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

Elevation:12

highest point:Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m
lowest point:Indian Ocean 0 m

Natural resources:13

fish

Land use:14

agricultural land:0% (2011 est.)
other:100% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards:15

Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island

Geography - note:16

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

People and Society

Population:17

total:uninhabited
note:limited scientific research and expeditions

Environment

Climate:18

antarctic

Land use:19

agricultural land:0% (2011 est.)
other:100% (2018 est.)

Government

Country name:20

conventional long form:Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
conventional short form:Heard Island and McDonald Islands
abbreviation:HIMI
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

Dependency status:21

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

Legal system:22

the laws of Australia apply

Diplomatic representation in the US:23

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:24

embassy:none (territory of Australia)

Flag:25

the flag of Australia is used

National heritage:26

total World Heritage Sites:1 (natural); note - excerpted from the Australia entry
selected World Heritage Site locales:Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Communications

Internet country code:27

.hm

Transportation

Heliports:28

2 (2025)

Military and Security

Military - note:29

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Historical observations

Notes & sources

  1. Background. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  2. Location. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  3. Geographic coordinates. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  4. Map references. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  5. Area. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  6. Area - comparative. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  7. Land boundaries. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  8. Coastline. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  9. Maritime claims. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  10. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  11. Terrain. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  12. Elevation. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  13. Natural resources. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  14. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  15. Natural hazards. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  16. Geography - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  17. Population. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  18. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  19. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  20. Country name. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  21. Dependency status. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  22. Legal system. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  23. Diplomatic representation in the US. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  24. Diplomatic representation from the US. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  25. Flag. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  26. National heritage. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  27. Internet country code. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  28. Heliports. Reference edition; observation: 2025. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  29. Military - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 08:19:59 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
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