World left scratching its head as Trump imposes tariffs on islands with zero humans

Even remote islands near Antarctica, home to penguins, seals, and glaciers, are now subject to the "reciprocal tariff" following the Trump administration’s announcement of sweeping tariffs against several US trade partners on Wednesday.

At least a 10% tariff was imposed on Heard and McDonald Islands, which are uninhabited and reachable only after a two-week boat journey from Perth.

Stretched over 4,000km (2,485 miles) south-west of Australia, thes outlying islands are solely inhabited by penguins and seals, creatures utterly incapable of affording Trump's hefty tariffs.

Inexplicably, the list included a series of such territories including tiny volcanic outcrop of Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.

The move left more than 2,800 residents of the Norfolk Island scratching their heads, as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remarked on Thursday, “Nowhere on Earth is safe.”

“Norfolk Island is a little dot in the world,” said Richard Cottle, owner of a local concrete-mixing business, describing the implementation of the tariff as a "mistake.”

Read: Trump stuns allies and rivals with sweeping tariffs, slaps 29% levy on Pakistan 

The US trade statistics showed a deficit with Norfolk Island for three consecutive years. The island's exports to the US totalled $300,000 in 2022, $700,000 in 2023, and $200,000 in 2024, while its imports from the US remained at $100,000 annually.

Located about 600 miles off eastern Australia, the island has a small export industry, mainly exports Kentia palm seeds, with an annual value of less than $1 million, primarily shipped to Europe.

Numerous territories, having small industries were found their inclusion in the list of tariff. Heard and McDonald Islands of the Antarctic —overseen by Australia— were also listed in the tariff providers for exports.