Foyn Island is the second largest 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...

 in the Possession Islands

Possession Islands

The Possession Islands are a group of small islands and rocks extending over an area of about , lying in the western part of the Ross Sea, southeast of Cape McCormick, Victoria Land...

, East Antarctica

East Antarctica

East Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, constitutes the majority of the Antarctic continent, lying on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains...

, lying 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Possession Island. The island was explored by a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 expedition of 1894-95 led by Henrik Johan Bull. The island was named for Svend Foyn

Svend Foyn

Svend Foyn was a Norwegian whaling and shipping magnate who pioneered revolutionary methods for hunting and processing whales. Svend Foyn introduced the modern harpoon gun and brought whaling into a modern age....

, primary sponsor of the expedition. An Adélie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

The Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, is a species of penguin common along the entire Antarctic coast. They are among the most southerly distributed of all seabirds, as are the Emperor Penguin, the South Polar Skua, the Wilson's Storm Petrel, the Snow Petrel, and the Antarctic Petrel...

rookery covers Foyn Island. Today, a visit by Foyn Island is often part of Antarctic cruises.