Subantarctic Islands 3

Subantarctic islands are the islands situated near another continental mainland or on another continental plate, but biogeographically linked to the Antarctic and are part of the Antarctic realm, roughly north of and adjacent to the Antarctic Convergence. The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands consist of five island groups (the Snares, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island) in the Southern Ocean south-east of New Zealand. The islands, lying between the Antarctic and Subtropical Convergences and the seas, have a high level of productivity, biodiversity, wildlife population densities and endemism among birds, plants and invertebrates. They are particularly notable for the large number and diversity of pelagic seabirds and penguins that nest there.