03-04-2025
Trump announces tariffs on uninhabited islands
President Trump's sweeping tariffs announced Wednesday extend to countries and territories across the world — including the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean.
The big picture: The remote UNESCO World Heritage- listed Australian territory, which features a mostly barren landscape, was included in the list of baseline 10% taxes on U.S. imports, along with mainland Australia.
The Heard and McDonald Islands were included because they are Australian territory, according to a White House official.
Zoom in: This region that features the only volcanically active subantarctic islands is "teeming" with colonies of seals, penguins and other birds, per an Australian Antarctic Program post.
Humans need a permit to visit the Heard and McDonald Islands, which are more than 2,000 miles southwest of Perth, Western Australia. It takes two weeks to sail from the Australian mainland.
People and cargo may also land onshore "by helicopters, inflatable rubber boats (IRBs) or amphibious vehicles supported from a larger vessel," according to the Australian Antarctic Program.
