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Country Descriptions

Below are brief descriptions of some of the smaller and
more remote countries that have visited www.edinphoto.org.uk.

-  Bouvet Island

-  Cocos (Keeling) Islands

-  Heard Island and McDonald Islands

-  Niue

-  Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands

-  Vatican City

Most details  below have been taken from these web sites:    Country Reports  and  CIA World Factbook 2002

Bouvet Island

Situated 2,500 km south-southwest of Cape of Good Hope.

Area =58 sq km 

Terrain  93% ice

Highest point = 935m

Lowest point = 0m

Population:  NIL

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Islands in the Indian Ocean about half way between Australia and Sri Lanca.

Flat islands thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation.

Area =14 sq km

Highest point = 5m

Lowest point = 0m

Population:  633

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

   ©

Situated 1500 km north of Antarctica and over 4000 km southwest of Australia.

Heard Island is bleak and mountainous, 80% ice,  with a volcano called Big Ben.

Area =412 sq km

Highest point = 2745m

Lowest point = 0m

Population:  NIL

Niue

A tropical island in the South Pacific Ocean, a two-hour flight to the east of Tonga.

It has steep limestone cliffs and a central plateau. 

Products include coconuts, passion fruit and postage stamps sold to foreign collectors.

Area =260 sq km

Highest point = 68m

Lowest point = 0m

Population:  has dropped from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to about 2,100 in 2002

Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands

Svalbard

Svalbard (78 degrees N, 20 degrees E)
is a group of arctic islands (62,049 sq km) forming the northern-most part of Norway.

These islands have wild, rugged mountains.  Highest point 1,717m. 

Much of the high land is ice-covered with fjords along west and north coasts.  

Population 2,868 (July 2002 est.) Norwegian 55%, Russian and Ukrainian 44%

Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen (71 degrees N, 8 degrees W) is an island (373 sq km) situated to the north-east of Iceland. 

It is barren and mountainous, partly covered by glaciers.  Its highest point, 2,277m, is a volcano that was last active 1970.

Arctic maritime climate with frequent storms and persistent fog.

No indigenous inhabitants.

CIA World Factbook 2002

Vatican City

The Papal State (Holy See)  -  an enclave in Rome - a low urban hill -

Area =0.44 sq km

Highest point = 75m

Lowest point = 19m

Population:  890