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The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands〔''CIA World Factbook.'' Accessed 2009.01.04.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Heard and McDonald Islands )〕 (abbreviated as HIMI〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=About Heard Island – Human Activities )〕) are an Australian external territory and volcanic group of barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size is in area and it has of coastline. Discovered in the mid-19th century, they have been territories of Australia since 1947 and contain the only two active volcanoes in Australian territory. The summit of one, Mawson Peak, is higher than any mountain on the Australian mainland. They lie on the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean. The islands are among the most remote places on Earth: They are located approximately southwest of Perth,〔(Cocky Flies, Geoscience Australia )〕 southwest of Cape Leeuwin, Australia, southeast of South Africa, southeast of Madagascar, north of Antarctica, and southeast of the Kerguelen Islands.〔(Distance Between Cities Places On Map Distance Calculator )〕 The islands are currently uninhabited. == Geography == (詳細はMawson Peak, a high complex volcano which forms part of the Big Ben massif. A July 2000 satellite image from the University of Hawaii's Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) Thermal Alert Team, University of Hawai'i showed an active long (and wide) lava flow trending south-west from the summit of Big Ben.〔(Heard Island Geology ) 〕 The McDonald Islands are located to the west of Heard Island at . The islands are small and rocky. In 1980 they consisted of McDonald Island ( high), Flat Island ( high) and Meyer Rock ( high). They totalled approximately in area, where McDonald Island was large. Mawson Peak is one of only 2 active volcanoes in Australian territory, the other being McDonald Island. It is also one of the highest Australian mountains (higher than Mount Kosciuszko); surpassed only by peaks in the Antarctic territory.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Geoscience Australia )〕 There is a small group of islets and rocks about north of Heard Island, consisting of Shag Islet, Sail Rock, Morgan Island and Black Rock. They total about in area. The volcano on McDonald Island, after being dormant for 75,000 years, became active in 1992 and has erupted several times since. The most recent eruption is thought to have been on 10 August 2005. Heard Island and the McDonald Islands have no ports or harbours; ships must anchor offshore. The coastline is , and a territorial sea and exclusive fishing zone are claimed.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Heard Island and McDonald Islands」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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