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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Kate Lyons and Nick Evershed

‘Nowhere on Earth is safe’: Trump imposes tariffs on uninhabited islands near Antarctica

King penguins on Heard Island.
King penguins on Heard Island. Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands near Antarctica, along with other remote external Australian territories the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island and Norfolk Island. Photograph: Matt Curnock/Australian Antarctic Division

A group of barren, uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica, covered in glaciers and home to penguins, has been swept up in Donald Trump’s trade war, as the US president hit them with a 10% tariff on goods.

Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which form an external territory of Australia, are among the remotest places on Earth, accessible only via a two-week boat voyage from Perth on Australia’s west coast. They are completely uninhabited, with the last visit from people believed to be nearly 10 years ago.

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