US President Donald Trump has slapped reciprocal tariffs on many countries, including some of the world’s most remote regions.
Among them, a group of barren, uninhabited volcanic islands near
Antarctica has been subjected to a 10% tariff on goods.
ALSO READ |
Takeaways from Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement
Does this mean that the 78-year-old has just imposed a tariff on a region ‘where no one lives’?
Trump, who claims that the tariffs are intended to boost manufacturing, has taken an aggressive stance on the global trade system. He said, “Our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike.”
In this story, we explore what we know about Heard and McDonald Islands, which have been subjected to a 10% tariff, why Trump imposed tariffs on this group of islands, and whether the region has any human habitation.
What are the Heard and McDonald Islands?
This group of islands lies in the Southern Ocean, about 1,700 km from Antarctica and 4,100 km south-west of Perth.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), these are the only volcanically active subantarctic islands, so they “open a window into the Earth,” providing an opportunity to observe ongoing geomorphic processes and glacial dynamics.
As an external territory of
Australia, the islands rank among the most isolated places on the planet. Reaching them requires a two-week boat journey from Perth, making access extremely limited.
The Heard and McDonald Islands. Image courtesy: Unesco
Notably, Heard Island is dominated by Big Ben, an active volcano that rises 2,745 metres above sea level and is largely covered by snow and glaciers. Meanwhile, McDonald Island is much smaller, covering just 100 hectares at the time of its Unesco inscription, and is surrounded by several smaller rocks and islets.
But do humans live on the islands?
The answer is no. The islands are entirely uninhabited, with the last recorded human visit believed to have taken place nearly a decade ago.
However, the islands are a crucial habitat for marine birds and mammals, including breeding populations of seals, petrels, albatrosses, and penguins.
Anyone wishing to visit Heard and McDonald Islands must obtain a permit. According to the Australian Antarctic Program, landings are possible via “helicopters, inflatable rubber boats (IRBs) or amphibious vehicles supported from a larger vessel.”
Since the first recorded landing on Heard Island in 1855, only around 240 shore-based visits have taken place. As for McDonald Island, there have been just two recorded landings – in 1971 and 1980.
ALSO READ |
Trump’s 26% discounted tariffs on India lower than China, Vietnam: Is this a reason to cheer?
Why did Trump announce tariffs on Heard and McDonald Islands?
The Australian territory in the subantarctic Indian Ocean has been hit with a 10% tariff on all its exports.
The islands appeared on a White House list of countries and regions facing
new trade tariffs.
Donald Trump during an event in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP
But why has the Trump administration targeted a place with no human inhabitants?
In a post on X, former New Jersey congressman Tom Malinowski joked, “The Heard Island and McDonald penguins have been taking advantage of us for too long – it’s about time we stood up to them!”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote on X, “It kind of feels like a White House intern went through Wikipedia’s list of countries and just generated this list off of that with no further research.”
The Heard and McDonald Islands are completely uninhabited. Population zero. I guess we’re going to tariff the seagulls?
It kind of feels like a White House intern went through Wikipedia’s list of countries and just generated this list off of that with no further research. https://t.co/UpTgcICbg1
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) April 2, 2025
So far, the White House has not provided an official explanation for why the Trump administration chose to impose tariffs on the islands.
It appears that their inclusion is simply because they are an Australian territory.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Antarctic Division have been contacted for comment.
What Australia said on the tariffs
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised the US tariffs on his country as completely unwarranted but clarified that Australia would not take retaliatory action.
However, he also said, “Nowhere on earth is safe.”
“Norfolk Island has got a 29% tariff. I’m not quite sure that Norfolk Island, with respect to it, is a trade competitor with the giant economy of the United States, but that just shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on earth is safe from this,” he said.
Notably, Norfolk Island, located about 1,400 km east of mainland Australia, has a population of roughly 2,000 people.
Social media users mocked Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on a place with no human inhabitants.
One person wrote on X, “Trump has put a 10 per cent tariff on Heard Island and McDonald, which has a population of ZERO people and is inhabited only by penguins. What do the penguins sell to the USA?”
Another joked, “The Heard and McDonald Islands are completely uninhabited. Population zero. I guess we’re going to tariff the seagulls?”
“There are SO many freeloading penguins in the human-free land of Heard and McDonald Islands. It’s time these goddamn birds pay up. A 10% tariff is only fair! PAY UP, PENGUINS. It’s time,” a third person joked.
There are SO many freeloading penguins in the human free land of the Heard and MCDonald islands.
It’s time these god damn birds pay up. A 10% tariff is only fair!
PAY UP PENGUINS. It’s time. pic.twitter.com/PHXzwIbwCd
— Maile (@MaileOnX) April 2, 2025
Trump announced a sweeping set of new reciprocal tariffs as part of his ‘Liberation Day’ event at the White House Rose Garden.
In his announcement, he declared that the US would impose a 26% tariff on
imports from India, 34% on China, and 20% on the European Union, among others.
He claimed the new tariffs were necessary to counter an
economic emergency, targeting nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the US. Apart from this, he introduced a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries.
These latest measures come on top of recent trade penalties, including a 25% tariff on auto imports and extended levies on steel and aluminium, impacting China, Canada, and Mexico.