Norfolk Island: Background & Geography
| Introduction | Norfolk Island |
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Background:
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Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. |
| Geography | Norfolk Island |
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Location:
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Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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29 02 S, 167 57 E |
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Map references:
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Oceania |
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Area:
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total: 34.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km land: 34.6 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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32 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation |
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Terrain:
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volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish |
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Land use:
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arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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typhoons (especially May to July) |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated |