Penguins and polar bears exceed the number of people in certain tariff territories – Country

U.S. President Donald Trump's “reciprocity” tariffs on all foreign trading partners are hit by some of the world's most uninhabited islands and territories, and some seem to have more penguins and polar bears than trade agreements with the United States

Miniature tropical islands and remote outposts in the Antarctic and Far North are included in the list of dozens of countries and regions that now face a benchmark tariff of 10%. Based on the trade deficit with the United States, some outliers face higher tariffs, making world leaders scratch their heads.

“There is no exemption on Earth,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Wednesday.

No territory listed below is included in the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign and Foreign Trade Barriers in the Office of U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer on Monday.

The Trump administration pointed out the report's findings were to justify the new global tariff policy, which is also based on the national foreign trade emergency announced by Trump in his executive order on Wednesday.

“President Trump is taking urgent action to protect the national security and economy of the United States,” Greer said in a statement. “Currently, our current lack of trade reciprocity as demonstrated by our chronic trade deficit has weakened our economic and national security.”

These are just some of the targets of Trump's trade war, and they have caught people's attention:

Heard and McDonald Islands – 10% tariff

This Australian territory includes two islands in the remote Antarctic, which are not inhabited by people, except for temporary Australian scientific expeditions. In 1954, a permanent research station on Heard Island was closed.

The islands are home to penguins and seals, about two weeks away from mainland Australia.

Despite little real trade with the United States (government data showed no imported islands last year), the territory faces a benchmark tariff of 10%.

The CIA World Profile says that economic activity on the island ended effectively in 1877, when the Great Elephant Seal oil trade ended after almost killing the local seal.

Three tropical coral islands in the South Pacific make up the New Zealand region of Tokelau, where 1,500 people are present.

It survives primarily in survival agriculture, which means there is almost no crop export and fishing.

According to the U.S. government data, trade in goods with the U.S. last year was about $500,000. “There are few economic opportunities in Tokelau,” the CIA World Profile Book said.

Global trade data compiled by economic complexity observers show that the United States is close to the bottom of the territory's export and import markets.

The Australian outpost in the Indian Ocean is located 360 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, with a population of less than 2,000 people – our heavy machinery has been used for decades to mine phosphate.

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“There is no trade between Christmas Island and the United States, except we do buy mining equipment through tractors,” said Gordon Thomson, president of Christmas Island County.

“Trade (if any) is the product that the United States enters Christmas Island. The only thing we export is phosphate, it's Malaysia, Indonesia, maybe Thailand, and some of the mainland Australia,” Thomson said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2023, the U.S. exported $49 million in U.S. goods to Christmas Island, while importing only $4.4 million, which is the U.S. Census Bureau’s claim, which is a relatively small year in trade relations.

Svalbard and Jan Mayen – 10% tariff

The Trump administration has brought together Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, with residences in the Norwegian archipelago and 1,100 kilometers away, 10% tax on its tariff list.

Jan Mayen is completely uninhabited, partly covered by glaciers except for the Norwegian military and meteorological research outposts and local polar bear residents.

The main role of the Norwegian military is to oversee Norway’s claims of sovereignty on the island.

U.S. census data shows that the United States actually has a trade surplus with Svalbard and Jan Mayen for many years, and its exports far exceed imports.

The most U.S. imports from the territory over the past five years are about $100,000.

This overseas British territory includes more than 1,000 islands in the Chagos archipelago between Indonesia and Tanzania, with a combined area of ​​only 60 square kilometers.

The largest island, Diego Garcia, is home to the United Kingdom’s joint military base and 4,000 British troops, but the territory has zero permanent residents.

Data from the U.S. government shows that millions of dollars of U.S. goods are exported to the territory (probably military equipment) each year, with much less return on imported goods.

Another Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, consisting of two atolls, has 27 coral islands, and less than 600 people call it home.

It relies primarily on tourism, with most food and other essentials imported from Australia, but the United States is the highest export market for shipbuilding.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, two-way commodity trade is about $3 million a year.

Falkland Islands – 41% tariff

The long-standing dispute between Britain and Argentina – including the military conflict in the 1980s – the Falkland Islands are home to about 3,600 people in the South Atlantic.

It relies primarily on fishing, agriculture and tourism to carry out the economy, and wool in the wool breeding sector is the largest export.

The Trump administration claims tariffs, trade barriers and “currency manipulation” in the territory are 82% U.S. import taxes, resulting in a 41% tax rate.

The United States has reported trade goods deficits in the Falkland Islands over the years.

Last year, its imports exceeded the $31.2 million deficit two years ago.

The Pacific Island, another Australian territory with a population of about 2,000 people, has also received more severe tariff treatment and is levied 29%.

This is based on what the Trump administration claims is an additional 58% charge for U.S. goods.

The island's economy is mainly centered around tourism, with most of its smallest agricultural exports being exports to Europe. Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the separate, higher tariffs on Australian territory were “somewhat unexpected and a little strange”.

“We are not exporting anything to the United States as far as I know,” Norfolk Island Chief Executive George Plant, the Australian government's representative on the island, told the Associated Press.

“We don't charge anything. I can't think of any non-tariff barriers that may exist, so we're scratching our heads here.”

Norfolk Island business owners who talk to Reuters can think of the island without manufacturing.

Two-way trade with Norfolk Island has totaled less than $1.5 million in the past three years, according to the U.S. government data.

According to the Trump administration, this French overseas territory is close to Newfoundland and Labrador, with a population of about 5,000 people at a 99% tariff – proving a 50% tariff, one of the highest rates on the entire list released Wednesday.

The archipelago on eight small islands relies on their economy on fishing exports and tourism.

Data from the U.S. government shows that in addition to the $3.4 million imported goods imported from the territory in July 2024, the U.S. government still has little trade.

– Documents with the Associated Press and Reuters