In the vicinity of Australia there are severalhundreds of islands. Macquarie is one of them. The island is considered uninhabited, it is inhabited only by penguins and seals. About the features of Macquarie Island, read further in the article.
Location of the island
Macquarie is a small, stretched stretch of landin the pacific ocean. In its shape, it resembles a rectangular patch of cloth. Its length is 34 kilometers, and its width is only 5 kilometers. The area of Macquarie Island is 128 square kilometers. The highest point above sea level reaches 420 meters.
В административном плане Маккуори относится к the island of Tasmania, although it is located about 1,500 kilometers away. 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. Bishop's End-Clerk Archipelago is part of the underwater volcanic ridge and geographically belongs to the Australian Union. Here is also the southernmost point of Australia.
Миллионы лет назад столкновение Тихоокеанской и Indo-Australian lithospheric plates contributed to the formation of the submarine ridge, the surface of which is Macquarie. The island is a real fount for geologists, because ophiolites are located on it. It is also the only place in the ocean where mantle rocks protrude above the water level. Due to its unique geological structure, Macquarie has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1997.
History
Scientists suggest that the first inhabitantsIslands could be Polynesians in the XIII-XIV centuries. However, there is no direct confirmation of this, so the Europeans are, nevertheless, considered to be the first discoverers of the Australian island of Macquarie. It was unexpectedly, in 1810, discovered by Frederick Hasselboro, who went in search of seal habitat. Finding a desert island, the British navigator identified it as the territory of South Wales and named after the Welsh governor Leknel Macquarie.
In 1820, Arctic navigator ThaddeusBellingshausen (the discoverer of Antarctica) created the first map of Macquarie Island. Determining the exact location of the newly discovered land attracted here penguin and seal hunters. After that, the number of animals was reduced to a critical point.
In 1890, the island was transferred to Tasmania, andwas leased by john hatch for industrial purposes. In 1911, the island became the base for the Australian research expedition, headed by Douglas Mawson. Later Macquarie becomes a reserve under the administration of Tasmania, in 1972 he received state status.
The island is mentioned in the book “Travels andwandering in the distant seas ", published in 1912. The author of the book is John Thompson. As a result of a shipwreck, he came 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 are notallowed the British in the XIX century to establish a permanent settlement on it. The surrounding seas make the island’s climate quite harsh. It is characterized as wet subantarctic. Winds (often hurricane), fogs and rains dominate here. About 1000 mm of precipitation falls annually.
Strong clouds do not allow the light to break through.The number of sunny hours per year is 856, a smaller figure among the islands belongs only to Fareram. The average positive temperature in July is about 4.9 degrees, and the temperature in November is 6.5 degrees.
Береговая линия плавная на востоке и слегка indented bays and gulfs in the west. The coast of the island is rocky, and reefs are hidden under the water. Macquarie is formed by two plateaus on the south and north sides, which connects the isthmus of the plain. The plateau is 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
Cruel climate and considerable remoteness frommainland made the island is not favorable for the lives of people. 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 penguins.There are about 80,000 thousand of them on Macquarie. The fauna of Macquarie Island is represented by endemic cormorants, sub-Antarctic fur seals. More than three million seabirds are represented by 13 different species.
The vegetation of Macquarie Island is similar tovegetation of southern New Zealand. This is mainly low-growing grass and lichen. Woody species are completely absent, but swamp species are actively growing.
Human influence
С каждым годом количество нетронутых человеком places is getting smaller. This Australian island as he could, defended his possessions with the help of harsh natural conditions. However, the man got here.
The people who arrived on the island brought rats on it,rabbits and cats, which led to a real catastrophe. Animals began to eat the unique local vegetation, reducing it by almost half. That, in turn, led to soil erosion and collapses. Cats killed about 60,000 birds a year.
In 2012, brought animals almost removed from the island. It was the hardest thing to eradicate rabbits, and several individuals are found periodically to this day.
