New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands
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| New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| State Party |  New Zealand |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | ix, x |
| Reference | 877 |
| Region† | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1998 (22nd Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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The five southernmost groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands form the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands. These islands are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[1]
Most of the islands are located near the southernmost edge of the largely submerged continent centred on New Zealand called Zealandia. It sank after rifting away from Australia 60-85 million years ago and from Antarctica between 130 and 85 million years ago. It is 3,500,000 km² in area, almost half the size of Australia and is unusually long and narrow.
Until 1995, scientific research staff was stationed permanently at a meteorological station on Campbell Island. Since then, the islands are uninhabited. The islands are:
- Antipodes Islands: main island, plus Bollons Island, the Windward Islands, Orde Lees Island, Leeward Island, and South Islet, plus minor rocks
- Auckland Islands: Auckland Island, Adams Island, Disappointment Island, Enderby Island, Ewing Island and Rose Island, plus minor rocks
- Bounty Islands: two small groups of islets, the Western Group and the Eastern Group, plus minor rocks
- Campbell Island group: Campbell Island, the main island, plus several minor rocks and small islets surrounding Campbell Island, including New Zealand's southernmost point, Jacquemart Island
- The Snares: Northeast Island, High Island, Broughton Island, Alert Stack, Tahi, Rua, Toru, Wha, and Rima, plus minor rocks
They share some features with Australia's Macquarie Island to the west.
New Zealand also has territorial claims under the Antarctic Treaty System on several islands close to the Antarctic mainland, namely:
- Ross Island
- Balleny Islands: Young Island, Buckle Island, and Sturge Island, plus several smaller islets
- Roosevelt Island
- Scott Island
Of these, Ross Island is inhabited by the scientific staff of several research stations, notably at McMurdo Sound and Scott Base.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Subantarctic islands, Department of Conservation
- UNESCO classification for the sub-antarctic islands
- Castaways: Wrecked on a subantarctic island, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
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| Supranational level | Realm of New Zealand | ||||||||||
| National level | New Zealand | Tokelau | Cook Islands | Niue | Ross Dependency | ||||||
| Regions | 12 non-unitary regions | 4 unitary regions | Chatham Islands | Kermadec Islands | sub-Antarctic islands | ||||||
| Territorial authorities | 16 cities and 57 districts | ||||||||||
| Notes | Some districts lie in more than one region | These combine the regional and the territorial authority levels in one | Special territorial authority | Areas outside regional authority; these, plus the Chatham Islands and the Solander Islands, form the New Zealand Outlying Islands | State administered by New Zealand | States in free association with New Zealand | Claimed by New Zealand, but claim frozen by the Antarctic Treaty | ||||
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