Heard and McDonald Islands

Heard and McDonald Islands

officially  Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands 

      subantarctic island groups, together forming an external territory of Australia and lying in the southern Indian Ocean, 2,500 miles (4,000 km) southwest of Perth. Volcanic in origin, Heard Island is 27 miles (43 km) long, 13 miles (21 km) wide, and rises to 9,005 feet (2,745 metres) at Mawson Peak on Big Ben Mountain. Much of its surface is covered with snow and ice. It was discovered in 1833 by a British sealing vessel and later named for an American mariner, Captain John J. Heard. Colonies of elephant seals and penguins on Heard Island were exploited by hunters in the second half of the 19th century. Since the early 20th century, however, the island has largely been left alone and has reverted to a state of nearly pristine subantarctic wilderness. Transferred from British to Australian control in 1947, it is now inhabited intermittently by scientific-research parties. The McDonalds are a group of uninhabited rocky islets 25 miles (40 km) west of Heard Island. Heard and McDonald Islands collectively were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Heard and McDonald Islands — /hɜd ən məkˈdɒnəld/ (say herd uhn muhk donuhld) plural noun an Australian Antarctic territory in the Southern Ocean, about 4023 km south west of Fremantle; transferred from the UK in 1947, a scientific research station conducting meteorological… …  

  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands — Heard Island Nickname: HIMI Satellite image of the southern tip of Heard Island. Cape Arkona is seen on the left side of the image, with Lied Glacier just above and Gotley Glacier just below. Big Ben Volcano and Mawson Peak are seen at the lower… …   Wikipedia

  • Birds of Heard and McDonald Islands — The Birds of Heard Island and the adjacent McDonald Islands, whether breeders or visitors, are almost all seabirds which find their food at sea in the waters of the surrounding Southern Ocean. An exception is the Black faced Sheathbill, an… …   Wikipedia

  • Heard and McDonald Islands —   Refer instead to Australia …   International financial encyclopaedia

  • Heard and McDonald Islands — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Heard Island And Mcdonald Islands — Introduction Heard Island and McDonald Islands Background: These uninhabited, barren, sub Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a …   Universalium

  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands <p></p> Background: <p></p> The United Kingdom transferred these uninhabited, barren, sub Antarctic islands to Australia in 1947.… …   The World Factbook

  • Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve — Lagekarte der Inseln des Seegebiets Das Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve ist ein 65.000 km² großes Meeresschutzgebiet im am weitesten von Australien entfernten Außengebiet. Es liegt im Indischen Ozean, 1.700 km nördlich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands — Heard und McDonaldinseln Heard Island and McDonald Islands Basisdaten Land: Australien Verwaltung: Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment and Heritage Forschu …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • List of mammals in Heard Island and McDonald Islands — This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Heard Island and McDonald Islands. There are 13 mammal species in Heard Island and McDonald Islands, of which none are thought to be at risk. [This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which… …   Wikipedia

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