Features of the island of Macquarie: geographical location, nature and climate

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 seals. About the features of the island of Macquarie read further in the article.

Location of the island

Macquarie is a small, stretched stretch of land in the Pacific Ocean. In its form it resembles a rectangular flap of tissue. Its length is 34 kilometers, and the width is only 5 kilometers. The area of Macquarie Island is 128 square kilometers. The highest point above sea level reaches 420 meters.

From the administrative point of view, Macquarie belongs to the island of Tasmania, although it is located about 1,500 kilometers from it. The island lies between Tasmania and Antarctica. Approximately 30 kilometers from the island of Macquarie are two groups of small islands: Judge and Clerk, Bishop and Clerk. The Bishop-and-Clerk Archipelago is part of the underwater volcanic ridge and territorially belongs to the Australian Union. Here is also the most southern point of Australia.

Millions of years ago, the clash of the Pacific and Indo-Australian lithospheric plates contributed to the formation of an underwater ridge, the surface part of which is Macquarie. The island is a real treasure trove for geologists, since it contains ophiolites. This is also the only place in the ocean where the mantle rocks protrude above the 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. He, unexpectedly for himself, in 1810, discovered Frederick Hasselborough, who went in search of the habitats of seals. Having discovered an uninhabited island, the British navigator designated it as the territory of South Wales and named in honor of the Welsh governor Laknela Makkuori.

In 1820, the Arctic navigator Thaddeus Bellingshausen (the discoverer of Antarctica) created the first map of the island of Macquarie. The exact location of the newly discovered land attracted hunters of penguins and seals. After that, the number of animals decreased 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 the Australian research expedition, led by Douglas Mawson. Later, Macquarie became a reserve under the control of Tasmania, in 1972 he received state status.

The island is mentioned in the book "Travels and wanderings in distant 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 the island of Macquarie did not allow the British in the XIX century to establish a permanent settlement on it. The surrounding seas make the climate on the island quite harsh. It is characterized as a moist subantarctic. Here winds prevail (often hurricanes), fogs and rains. About 1000 mm of precipitation falls per year.

Strong clouds do not allow light to break through. The number of sunny hours in the year is 856, the lesser number among the islands belongs only to the Faroers. The average positive temperature in July is about 4.9 degrees, and the temperature in November is 6.5 degrees.

The coastal line is smooth in the east and is slightly indented by bays and bays in the west. The coast of the island is rocky, and under water hide reefs. 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 approximately 100-200 meters above sea level. Mountains Elder, Fletcher and Hamilton are the highest points.

Inhabitants and photos of Macquarie Island

The cruel climate and considerable distance from the mainland made the island not favorable for people's lives. Currently, the permanent population of the island is zero people. The exception is the employees of ANARE who live here temporarily.

The real inhabitants of the island are the penguins. There are about 80 000 of them on Macquarie. The fauna of the island of Macquarie is represented by endemic cormorants, subantarctic fur seals. More than three million sea birds are represented by 13 different species.

The vegetation of the island of Macquarie is similar to the vegetation of the southern part of New Zealand. Mostly it is a low-growing grass and lichens. Wood species are completely absent, but swampy species are actively growing.

Human influence

Every year the number of untouched places is getting smaller. This Australian island as could, protected its possessions with the help of harsh natural conditions. However, a man got here.

People who arrived on the island, brought him rats, rabbits and cats, which led to a real catastrophe. Animals began to eat unique local vegetation, reducing it almost half. That, in turn, led to soil erosion and landslides. Cats killed about 60,000 birds a year.

In 2012, the animals were almost removed from the island. Eliminating rabbits proved to be the most difficult, several individuals periodically find and still do.