Some 370 miles east of the Australian mainland lies Lord Howe Island. Uninhabited when the British first came upon it in 1788, the island served for nearly a century as a port for whalers. As that industry declined, trade in the native kentia palm boomed, along with regular visits from scientific expeditions. The island is now regarded as a prime biodiversity hot spot, with many of its plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth. With just a few hundred inhabitants, much of the island is protected as a natural preserve and marine park. In 1982 the entire Lord Howe Island Group was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Source: Bing
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