World · permanent entity record · HM
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Thirty-second orientation
Heard Island and McDonald Islands at a glance
- Population
- total: uninhabited note: limited scientific research and expeditions
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of 2025-12-17
- Area
- total : 412 sq km land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of 2025-12-17
Claims are attributed · classifications are dated
Claims and contested status
Maintained classification
Dependency or area of special sovereignty
Australia
U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · as of 2026-03-31A claim’s appearance records that the cited source reports it. It does not constitute an Almanac ruling on sovereignty.
Maintained profile
- Classification
- Dependency or area of special sovereignty
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · Federal classification and wording follow the current State Department register.
- Sovereignty or administration
- Australia
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty ·
- Administrative center
- Administered from Canberra
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty ·
Preserved public-domain record · not maintained current data
Final CIA World Factbook profile
This is the preserved historical baseline from the Factbook’s final public snapshot. It is presented as the CIA stated it, not as a current Standard American Almanac finding. Current, independently maintained facts appear above when available.
CIA World Factbook historical record · final public snapshot · profile updated · pinned source record · commit d81154954b8b
Introduction1 fields
- Background
- 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.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Geography15 fields
- Location
- islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area
- total : 412 sq km land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area - comparative
- slightly more than two times the size of Washington, D.C.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- 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
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Elevation
- highest point: Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Natural hazards
- Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- 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
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
People and Society1 fields
- Population
- total: uninhabited note: limited scientific research and expeditions
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Environment2 fields
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Government7 fields
- Country name
- 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
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Dependency status
- territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment (Australian Antarctic Division)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none (territory of Australia)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- embassy: none (territory of Australia)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- National heritage
- total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural); note - excerpted from the Australia entry selected World Heritage Site locales: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Communications1 fields
Transportation1 fields
Military and Security1 fields
- Military - note
- defense is the responsibility of Australia
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
The underlying United States government material is public domain. The Almanac’s reuse terms do not change the legal status of this preserved source layer.