The
Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (abbreviated as
HIMI) are an Australian
external territory and
volcanic group of barren
Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from
Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size is in area and it has of coastline. Discovered in the mid-19th century, they have been territories of Australia since 1947 and contain the only two active
volcanoes in Australian territory. The summit of one,
Mawson Peak, is higher than any mountain on the Australian mainland. They lie on the
Kerguelen Plateau in the
Indian Ocean.