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Kermadec Islands

Kermadec Islands (kurmăd'ek) [key], almost uninhabited, active volcanic group (c.13 sq mi/34 sq km), South Pacific, 450 mi (720 km) NE of New Zealand, of which they are a dependency. Raoul, or Sunday, Island, the largest, is mountainous, with three main craters. The group, now a nature reserve, was annexed to New Zealand in 1887. The islands are adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga Trench.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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