In the vicinity of Australia there are several hundred islands. Macquarie is one of them. The island is considered uninhabited, it is inhabited only by penguins and fur seals. Read about the features of Macquarie Island later in the article.
Island location
Macquarie is a small, elongated stretch of land in the Pacific Ocean. In its shape, it resembles a rectangular flap of fabric. Its length is 34 kilometers and a width of only 5 kilometers. The area of Macquarie Island is 128 square kilometers. The highest point above sea level reaches 420 meters.
Administratively, Macquarie belongs to the island of Tasmania, although it is located about 1,500 kilometers from it. The island is located between Tasmania and Antarctica. About 30 kilometers from Macquarie Island, there are two groups of small islands: Judge and Clerk, Bishop and Clerk. The Bishop & Clerk Archipelago is part of an underwater volcanic ridge and is territorially owned by the Australian Union. Australia's southernmost point is also located here.
Millions of years ago, the collision of the Pacific and Indo-Australian lithospheric plates contributed to the formation of an underwater ridge, the surface of which is Macquarie. The island is a real storehouse for geologists, because ophiolites are located on it. It is also the only place in the ocean where mantle rocks protrude above water level. Thanks to its unique geological structure, Macquarie has been protected by UNESCO since 1997.
History
Scientists suggest that the first inhabitants of the island could be Polynesians in the XIII-XIV centuries. However, there is no direct confirmation of this, therefore, the first discoverers of the Australian island of Macquarie, nevertheless, are Europeans. It, unexpectedly for itself, in 1810 was discovered by Frederick Hasselborough, who went in search of the habitats of seals. Having discovered a desert island, the British navigator designated it as the territory of South Wales and named it in honor of the Welsh governor Lacknal Macquarie.
In 1820, the Arctic navigator Thaddeus Bellingshausen (the discoverer of Antarctica) created the first map of Macquarie Island. Determining the exact location of the newly discovered land attracted penguin and seal hunters here. After which the number of animals was reduced to a critical point.
In 1890, the island was transferred to Tasmania, and was rented by John Hatch for industrial purposes. In 1911, the island became the base for an Australian research expedition led by Douglas Mawson. Macquarie later becomes a nature reserve under the control of Tasmania, in 1972 he receives state status.
The island is mentioned in the book Travels and Wanderings in the Far Seas, published in 1912. The author of the book is John Thompson. As a result of the shipwreck, he got to Macquarie and stayed there for about 4 months. According to legend, Thompson sailed to the island for hidden treasures.
Climate and relief
The climatic conditions of Macquarie Island did not allow the British in the 19th century to establish a permanent settlement on it. The surrounding seas make the climate on the island quite harsh. It is characterized as humid subantarctic. It is dominated by winds (often hurricane), fogs and rains. About 1000 mm of precipitation falls annually.
Heavy cloud cover does not allow light to break through. The number of hours of sunshine per year is 856, only the Faroe Islands have a lower indicator among the islands. The average positive temperature in July is about 4.9 degrees, and the temperature in November is 6.5 degrees.
The coastline is smooth in the east and slightly indented by bays and bays in the west. The coast of the island is rocky, and reefs are hidden under water. Macquarie is formed by two plateaus on the southern and northern sides that connect the isthmus of the plain. The plateaus are located at an altitude of about 100-200 meters above sea level. The mountains of Elder, Fletcher and Hamilton are the highest points.
Inhabitants and photos of Macquarie Island
The severe climate and considerable remoteness from the mainland made the island unsuitable for human life. Currently, the island has a permanent population of zero. An exception are ANARE workers who live here temporarily.
The real inhabitants of the island are penguins. There are about 80,000 thousand of them on Macquarie. The fauna of the island of Macquarie is represented by endemic cormorants, subantarctic fur seals. More than three million seabirds are represented by 13 different species.
The vegetation of Macquarie Island is similar to that of southern New Zealand. This is mainly undersized grass and lichens. Tree species are completely absent, but marshy species are actively growing.
Human influence
Every year the number of places untouched by man is becoming less and less. This Australian island, as he could, defended his possessions using harsh natural conditions. However, the man got here.
People who arrived on the island brought rats, rabbits and cats onto it, which led to a real catastrophe. Animals began to eat unique local vegetation, reducing it by almost half. Which, in turn, led to soil erosion and landslides. Cats killed about 60,000 birds a year.
In 2012, the brought animals were almost removed from the island. It turned out to be the most difficult to eradicate rabbits; several individuals are periodically found to this day.