Country profile
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Oceania · Australia and New Zealand
HM · HMD
- Capital
- —
- Population
- 0
- Area
- 412 km²
- Democracy index
- 98
- Regime type
- Robust Democracy
Events
Ballots from Heard Island and McDonald Islands
The latest elections, referendums, and opinion polls from Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Community totals are not official results.
No published ballots yet
No public ballots yet
Check back later or explore the global feed.
Classification
Democracy profile
The score and regime label are assigned by Porto Voto using our in-house democracy index and classification framework, not ratings from governments or external agencies.
Democracy index
98/100
Regime type
Robust Democracy
Heard Island and McDonald Islands are an external territory of Australia, and as such they are governed by the democratic, constitutional, and legal framework of the Australian Commonwealth. The territory is uninhabited, excluding periodic visits by researchers and conservation teams, meaning there is no local permanent population to engage in representative political activities. However, the governance of the territory adheres to the highest standards of transparency, scientific accountability, and environmental stewardship, with all administrative actions strictly regulated by the laws of Australia. Because Australia functions as a robust democracy with independent judicial oversight and strong adherence to the rule of law, the management of this territory is fully consistent with established democratic practice and accountability.
Last evaluation:
How we classify regimes →World Factbook
Country background
A concise introduction to Heard Island and McDonald Islands, together with notes on how power and law are organized, to put local ballots in context.
American sailor John HEARD discovered Heard Island in 1853 while fellow American William MCDONALD discovered the McDonald Islands the following year. Starting in 1855, sealers lived on the islands and harvested elephant seal oil; by the time the practice was ended in 1877, most of the islands’ seals were killed. The UK formally claimed the islands in 1910, and Australian explorer Douglas MAWSON visited Heard Island in 1929.
In 1947, the UK transferred the islands to Australia for its Antarctica research, but Australia closed the research station on Heard Island in 1954 when it opened a new research station on the Antarctic continent. McDonald Island has been an active volcano since it emerged from dormancy in 1992, and the island doubled in size after an eruption in 1996. In 1997, the islands were named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Populated by a large number of bird species, seals, and penguins, the islands are primarily used for research, with limited fishing permitted in the surrounding waters.