David Island is an ice-covered island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

, 10 miles (16 km) long and 6 miles (10 km) wide, marked by rock exposures along its north and east sides, lying off Davis Peninsula

Davis Peninsula

Davis Peninsula is an elongated ice-covered peninsula, 3 nautical miles wide, between Reid Glacier and Northcliffe Glacier. Discovered in November 1912 by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Mawson, who named it for Captain John King Davis....

 in the Shackleton Ice Shelf

Shackleton Ice Shelf

Shackleton Ice Shelf is an extensive ice shelf fronting the coast of East Antarctica for about 384 km , projecting seaward about 145 km in the western portion and 64 km in the east. It occupies an area of 33,820 km². It is part of Mawson Sea and separates the Queen Mary Coast to the west from...

. Discovered in November 1912 by the Western Base Party

Western Base Party

The Western Base Party was a successful exploration party of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition. The eight-man Western Party was deposited by the Aurora on the Shackleton Ice Shelf at Queen Mary Land. The leader of the team was Frank Wild and the party included the geologist Charles Hoadley.The...

 of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition

Australasian Antarctic Expedition

The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was an Australasian scientific team that explored part of Antarctica between 1911 and 1914. It was led by the Australian geologist Douglas Mawson, who was knighted for his achievements in leading the expedition. In 1910 he began to plan an expedition to chart...

 under Mawson, and named by him for Professor Sir. T.W. Edgeworth David, member of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition Advisory Committee.