Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) are a sub-Antarctic island group. This Australian External Territory is located in the Southern Ocean, about 4,000 km south west of mainland Australia and approximately 1,700 km north of Antarctica.

King Penguins on Heard Island
Penguins are by far the most abundant birds on the island. Photo: Stephen Brown/AAD

The islands enjoy World Heritage protection and marine reserve status. They are managed by the Australian Antarctic Division. The islands are unoccupied by humans and remain one of the world’s least anthropogenically disturbed areas.

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