Macquarie is an island in the Pacific Ocean. Description, climate, photo

Macquarie Island (English Macquarie) - a small land area of 128 square meters. Km. It is located between Australia and Antarctica in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. The local territory is a surface crest of the same volcanic ridge.

The highest elevation points are the hills of Hamilton and Fletcher (about 410 meters above sea level). The length of the island extends 34 km from north to south, the width is 5 km, and its geological features are due to the fact that at the site of the collision of tectonic plates there was literally squeezing up from the seabed a small part of the oceanic crust. So it turned out that the island was formed mainly by basaltic and andesite lavas, as well as by products of their destruction as a result of erosion.

Seismic activity in this region is still very high. This is why it is forbidden to visit the island of Macquarie for tourist purposes. How to get to this part of the land? Of course, on the ocean, having overcome more than 1,5 thousand km from the island of Tasmania. The exact coordinates of Macquarie: 54 ° 37 'S. W. And 158 ° 51 'in. E.

A bit of history

There is a suggestion that Polynesians visited the place in the 13th and 14th centuries for temporary settlements, but there is no conclusive evidence for this at the moment.

Officially it is believed that the island was opened in 1810. The Australian ship with Captain F. Hasselborough was engaged in whaling. During one of the flights in the southwest Pacific, part of the land was discovered, which was later named Macquarie. The island is named after the then Governor-General of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie.

Currently, this territory is under the jurisdiction of Australia, being its southernmost point outside the mainland, administratively enters the state of Tasmania. However, there was a time when Russia claimed it. This happened after visiting the island in 1820, the first Russian Antarctic expedition led by F. Bellingshausen.

In 1948 a meteorological station appeared here . It was created by the Australians. The main goal of the station is to study the mainland of Antarctica. Since 1978, Macquarie - the island, which was officially granted the status of a state reserve. And about 20 years later, since 1997, this territory was taken under its protection by a UNESCO world-wide institution. This is due to the fact that the island has many unique geological and natural features.

Climate

It is very difficult to call an island a resort, as the local weather conditions, to put it mildly, are uncomfortable. Constant rains, strong winds, low temperatures - that's what awaits the people who visited the island of Macquarie. The climate here is dominated by the wet, subantarctic. What does this mean? First of all, sharp air masses, and quite cold. As a rule, the wind practically does not stop throughout the year. The average annual air temperature is about +5 ° С (without extreme changes in summer and in winter).

The annual amount of precipitation is usually about 1000 mm. They drop out in the form of a drizzle all year round. Often over the island there are fogs, and sunlight here is a rare visitor.

Vegetable world

Macquarie is an island where there is practically no vegetation. There is no need to expect diversity, as only a few types of grass grow here: mostly sedges, and endemic cabbage Macquarie. Brown seaweed is widespread in the coastal waters.

Who lives on the island and next to it?

The fauna of the island is more diverse than the plant life. The most massive colonies here have penguins, which are represented by 4 main species: royal, donkey, papuana and endemic. Their total number is close to 4 million, and the size of a single community varies from 500,000 individuals to 200 pairs. Penguin Macquarie (Schlegel) breeds only on this island, although adults spend a lot of time away in the ocean, feeding on small fish, krill and zooplankton. Seaside elephants, seals, seals settled on the coast. Albatrosses, petrels, cormorants, skuas and Antarctic terns have chosen the breeding sites. Macquarie is an island, the coastal zone of which is frequented by whales, mainly in winter. In those places where there is a lot of algae, you can meet non-food species of fish, which are gathered here in large flocks.

Discoverers of the island at one time brought cats and rabbits here, which had negative consequences for the local nature. Already by 1890 the rare species of the jumping parrot Macquarie, who lives only here, completely disappeared. Under the threat were nesting birds and plants. Only in the 21st century, the defenders of wildlife managed to free the island from foreign aliens, and now there are no cats or rabbits left.

Population

Of the people in the area, only scientists in the number of 25-40 people are constantly. They work at the meteorological station of Macquarie Island by a watch. This structure is located in the north of the island. For employees here are built residential buildings and complexes. Officially, the island is closed to tourists.