Heard Island and McDonald Islands: Flag and Facts
Heard Island and McDonald Islands use the flag of Australia, since the islands are an Australian territory with no flag of their own.
- Region
- Antarctic
- Languages
- English
- Area
- 412 km² (159 sq mi)
- People
- Heard and McDonald Islander
- Highest point
- Mawson Peak on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m
- Borders
- No land borders
- Status
- Territory (not a sovereign country)
About Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Heard Island is about 80% ice, bleak and mountainous, and is dominated by the Big Ben massif. Its peak, Mawson Peak, is an active volcano that reaches 2,745 meters. The McDonald Islands are small and rocky. The climate is antarctic.
American sailor John Heard found Heard Island in 1853, and William McDonald spotted the McDonald Islands a year later. From 1855, sealers lived on the islands and boiled down elephant seals for oil until 1877, by which point most seals were gone. The UK claimed the islands in 1910, and explorer Douglas Mawson visited in 1929. Britain passed them to Australia in 1947 for Antarctic research. McDonald Island woke from dormancy in 1992 and has been an active volcano since.
Did you know?
- The islands cover 412 square kilometers, a bit more than two Washington, D.C.s.
- No one lives on Heard Island and McDonald Islands.
- Australia closed its Heard Island research station in 1954.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Who owns Heard Island and McDonald Islands?
Australia, which received them from the UK in 1947.
Is there a volcano on Heard Island?
Yes. Mawson Peak on Big Ben is an active volcano.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.