1995 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1995 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 412 sq km land area: 412 sq km comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
antarctic
Coastline
101.9 km
Environment
current issues: NA natural hazards: Heard Island is dominated by a dormant volcano called Big Ben international agreements: NA
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
0 sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Location
Southern Africa, islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
Map references
Antarctic Region
Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm
Natural resources
none
Note
primarily used for research stations
Terrain
Heard Island - bleak and mountainous, with a quiescent volcano; McDonald Islands - small and rocky
People and Society
Population
uninhabited
Government
Capital
none; administered from Canberra, Australia
Digraph
HM
Independence
none (territory of Australia)
Names
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Type
territory of Australia administered by the Ministry for Environment, Sport, and Territories
Economy
Overview
no economic activity
Transportation
Ports
none; offshore anchorage only
Military and Security
Note
defense is the responsibility of Australia ________________________________________________________________________ HOLY SEE (VATICAN CITY)