HERITAGE RECORD · 577

Heard and McDonald Islands

赫德岛和麦克唐纳群岛

The official record, selection criteria and sourced cultural context.

World Heritage record

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are located in the Southern Ocean, approximately 1,700 km from the Antarctic continent and 4,100 km south-west of Perth. As the only volcanically active subantarctic islands they ‘open a window into the earth’, thus providing the opportunity to observe ongoing geomorphic processes and glacial dynamics. The distinctive conservation value of Heard and McDonald – one of the world’s rare pristine island ecosystems – lies in the complete absence of alien plants and animals, as well as human impact.

Open the official UNESCO record ↗

Selection criteria

This property was inscribed under the following World Heritage Convention criteria.

(viii)An outstanding record of Earth’s history, geological processes or significant landforms.

(ix)Outstanding ecological and biological processes in the evolution of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems.

Cultural archive

Record lead

UNESCO record lead

Brief synthesis Heard and McDonald Islands are remote sub-Antarctic volcanic islands located in the southern Indian Ocean about half-way between Australia and South Africa, and just over 1,600 kilometres from Antarctica.

Source-led archive lead · 86%Source ↗

Make a photograph with this siteChoose a photo and try different layouts, ratios and filters locally.