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No one expected penguins to bear the brunt of Liberation Day, but in the midst of the barrage of tariffs introduced by Donald Trump, the US also targeted uninhabited islands, talked up American beef, and turned its nose up at plastic eggs.
Among the notable hits from the vast announcement were the tiny territories that received substantial tariffs. At first glance, the newly imposed tariffs on countries like China, the European Union, India, and the UK, ranging from 34% to 10% respectively, take center stage.
However, the president also imposed tariffs on dozens of tiny territories, some of which do not even have human inhabitants. This included the Heard and McDonald Islands, an external territory of Australia in the Antarctic, home only to penguins and seals, now facing a 10% tariff on goods headed to the US.
A map showing Australia and the Heard and Mcdonald islands
Despite having no human residents, no imports, or exports, the Heard and McDonald Islands face a 10% tariff for any goods bound for the US. Australian territory Norfolk Island, a volcanic island 600 miles east of Queensland with a population of 2,188, also felt the impact, facing a 29% tariff on exports to the US, significantly higher than mainland Australia’s imposed 10%.
Richard Cottle, the owner of a concrete-mixing business on Norfolk Island, expressed confusion over the decision, noting the island’s lack of exports: “Norfolk Island is a small dot in the world. We don’t export anything. It was just a mistake.”
