Trump’s Tariffs Hit Even Remote Islands

The sweeping levies announced Wednesday will reach unexpected corners of the world.

By , an editorial fellow at Foreign Policy.

A cluster of about a dozen penguins stands in shallow water in a bay. On the far side of the bay, a large, snow-covered mountain looms against a blue sky. The image is slightly yellow-tinted, as if taken near dawn or dusk.

A photo released in 2024 by the Australian Antarctic Division shows a waddle of king penguins standing on the shores of Corinthian Bay in the Australian territory of Heard Island, seen on Nov. 21, 2012. Matt Curnock / Australian Antarctic Division / AFP via Getty Images




The sweeping tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday have sent shockwaves through markets and capitals around the world—quite literally. The measures, which include a baseline of 10 percent tariffs on all imports into the United States, also extend to tiny, remote islands—from an overseas French territory near Canada to a group of uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica.

The Heard Island and McDonald Islands, an external territory of Australia, are home to mostly penguins, but they still face 10 percent U.S. tariff. Norfolk Island, another Australian territory with a population of roughly 2,100 people, is subject to a 29 percent tariff. “Nowhere on earth is safe,” Australian President Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

The sweeping tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday have sent shockwaves through markets and capitals around the world—quite literally. The measures, which include a baseline of 10 percent tariffs on all imports into the United States, also extend to tiny, remote islands—from an overseas French territory near Canada to a group of uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica.

The Heard Island and McDonald Islands, an external territory of Australia, are home to mostly penguins, but they still face 10 percent U.S. tariff. Norfolk Island, another Australian territory with a population of roughly 2,100 people, is subject to a 29 percent tariff. “Nowhere on earth is safe,” Australian President Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

Jan Mayen, a small Norwegian island in the Arctic, which is mostly inhabited by members of the Norwegian military and is not known to export any significant goods to the United States, is also subject to the 10 percent tariff.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon, an overseas French territory comprising eight islands off the coast of Newfoundland, was hit with a whopping 50 percent tariff. As of 2023, the territory’s total exports, mostly associated with the fishing industry, were valued at just $3.46 million.

The British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and home to a joint U.S.-U.K. military base, was also on the list of countries and territories hit by the reciprocal tariffs. According to the CIA World Factbook, the United States imported 1 percent of Diego Garcia’s total exports in 2023.

Madagascar, the African island-nation known for its biodiversity and one of the poorest countries in the world, is also subject to 47 percent U.S. tariff.

This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration. Follow along here.




Anusha Rathi is an editorial fellow at Foreign Policy. X: @anusharathi_

Join the Conversation

Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.

Already a subscriber?
.

Join the Conversation

Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.

Not your account?

Join the Conversation

Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.

You are commenting as .

Change your username:



CANCEL



Confirm your username to get started.

The default username below has been generated using the first name and last initial on your FP subscriber account. Usernames may be updated at any time and must not contain inappropriate or offensive language.





More from Foreign Policy


  • An illustration shows a golden Cybertruck blasting through a U.S. seal of an eagle holding arrows and laurel.
    An illustration shows a golden Cybertruck blasting through a U.S. seal of an eagle holding arrows and laurel.

    Is America a Kleptocracy?

    Here’s how life could change for the rich, poor, and everyone in between.


  • The flag of the United States in New York City on Sept. 18, 2019.
    The flag of the United States in New York City on Sept. 18, 2019.

    America Is Listing in a Gathering Storm

    Alarms are clanging at the U.S. geographic military commands around the globe.


  • U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.
    U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.

    The U.S. Judicial Crisis Is Uniquely Dangerous

    But other democracies provide a roadmap for courts to prevail over attacks from the executive branch.


  • An illustration shows a golden Newtons cradle with Elon Musk depicted on the one at left and sending a globe-motif ball swinging at right.
    An illustration shows a golden Newtons cradle with Elon Musk depicted on the one at left and sending a globe-motif ball swinging at right.

    Elon Musk’s First Principles

    The world’s richest man wants to apply the rules of physics to politics. What could go wrong?