In an unprecedented move, Donald Trump’s administration has imposed sweeping new tariffs on a range of unlikely territories, including islands in the farthest reaches of the Southern Hemisphere.
Among them are the penguin-filled, uninhabited Australian territories of Heard and McDonald Islands, which now face US import duties, as well as Norfolk Island, home to just 2,000 people but slapped with a 29% tariff—19% higher than Australia itself.
While the rationale from Washington was rooted in reciprocity, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese quipped that these territories, “hardly trading competitors to the US,” might seem an odd focus for such aggressive economic measures.
But as the administration pointed out, no corner of the Earth is exempt from its global economic reach.
Other affected regions include Christmas Island, the British Indian Ocean Territory, and the remote Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
These decisions, though baffling to many, underscore a relentless and unpredictable global trade strategy.