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Heard and McDonald Islands: Difference between revisions
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Latest revision as of 17:45, 6 February 2010
The Heard and McDonald Islands - more fully, Heard Island and McDonald Islands - formally named the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands - are a volcanic group of barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica, approximately 4099 km southwest of Perth (Australia), 3845 km southwest of Cape Leeuwin (Australia), 4200 km southeast of South Africa, 3830 km southeast of Madagascar, 1630 km north of Antarctica, and 450 km southeast of Kerguelen.
They are in the Southern Ocean according to the Australian definition but not according to the International Hydrographic Organization definition.
Discovered in the mid-19th century, they have been territories of Australia since 1947 and contain the only two active volcanoes in Australian territory, one of which, Mawson Peak, is the highest Australian mountain.
The group's overall size is 372 square kilometres (144 sq mi) in area and it has 101.9 km of coastline.
The islands are uninhabited.