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Heard Island and McDonald Islands Geography Profile

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Locationislands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
Geographic coordinates53 06 S, 72 31 E
Map referencesAntarctic Region
Areatotal: 412 sq km

land: 412 sq km

water: 0 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundariestotal: 0 km
Coastline101.9 km
Maritime claimsterritorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climateantarctic
TerrainHeard 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 extremeshighest point: Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Natural resourcesfish
Land useagricultural land: 0% (2011 est.)

other: 100% (2018 est.)
Natural hazardsMawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
Geography - noteMawson 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

Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021