Heard Island and McDonald Islands: Geography#
| Location | islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 53 06 S, 72 31 E -53.1,72.51667 |
| Land boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 101.9 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m |
| Highest Mountains | |
| 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 |
| Natural Hazards | Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island |
| Natural Resource | fish |
| Land Use | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2011) |
| Climate | antarctic |
| Irrigated Land | 0 sq km (2011) |
| Renewable Water Resources | NA |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | NA |
| Environment - international agreements | NA |
| Large Cities | |
| Geography-note | Mawson 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 |