King George Island
Encyclopedia
King George Island is the largest of the South Shetland Islands
, situated at 62°02′S 58°21′W, 120 kilometres (75 mi) off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean
. The Island was named after King George III
. It is not to be confused with King George Island
, a small uninhabited island off south-eastern Tasmania
, nor with George Island
in the Falkland Islands
.
The island was first claimed for Britain
on 16 October 1819, formally annexed by Britain as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies
in 1908, and now as part of the separate British Antarctic Territory
. The Island was claimed by Chile
in 1940, as part of the Chilean Antarctic Territory. It was claimed also by Argentina
in 1943, now as part of Argentine Antarctica
, called by the Argentines Isla Veinticinco de Mayo in honour of their National day. The US
and Russia
do not recognize these claims, and have formally reserved their right to claim Antarctic territories.
The island was discovered and named by the British
explorer William Smith
in 1819. It is approximately 95 km (59 mi) long and 25 km (15.5 mi) wide with a land area of 1150 square kilometres (444 sq mi). Over 90% of the island's surface is permanently glaciated
. In 1821, 11 men of the sailing vessel Lord Melville survived the winter on the island, the first men to do so in Antarctica.
The coastal areas of the island are home to a comparatively diverse selection of vegetation
and animal life, including Elephant
, Weddell
and Leopard
seals, and Chinstrap
and Gentoo
penguins.
Human habitation of King George Island is limited to research stations belonging to Argentina
, Brazil
, Chile
, China
, Ecuador
, South Korea
, Peru
, Poland
, Russia
, and Uruguay
. Most of these stations are permanently staffed, carrying out research into areas as diverse as biology
, ecology
, geology
, and palaeontology. Teniente Marsh, the Chilean Station on the Fildes Peninsula, is operated as a permanent village with an airstrip, a bank, a post office and comfortable ranch-style family homes with children. Chile (like Argentina and Great Britain) regards all of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands as part of that country's territory, however the terms of the Antarctic Treaty allow Chile to colonize the Fildes Peninsula without overtly pursuing its territorial claims.
In 2004, a Russian Orthodox
church, Trinity Church
, was opened on the island near Russia's Bellingshausen Station
. The church, one of the southernmost in the world and one of the few permanent structures in Antarctica, is permanently manned by a priest.
A small amount of specialised tourist activity also takes place during summer, including an annual marathon
, known as the Antarctic marathon
.
The Fildes Peninsula 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long, forms the SW extremity of the island. It was named from association with nearby Fildes Strait
by the UK-APC in
1960.
Arctowski lighthouse
at Arctowski Station
is the most southerly lighthouse of the world.
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
, situated at 62°02′S 58°21′W, 120 kilometres (75 mi) off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
. The Island was named after King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. It is not to be confused with King George Island
King George Island (Tasmania)
King George Island is an island in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Sloping Island Group, lying close to the south-eastern coast of Tasmania around the Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas...
, a small uninhabited island off south-eastern Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, nor with George Island
George Island
George Island is the second largest of the Speedwell Island Group in the Falkland Islands with a land area of . It lies south of Speedwell Island and south west of East Falkland, and is separated from Lafonia by Eagle Passage. The island is generally flat, rising no more than above sea level,...
in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
The island was first claimed for Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
on 16 October 1819, formally annexed by Britain as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
in 1908, and now as part of the separate British Antarctic Territory
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
. The Island was claimed by Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in 1940, as part of the Chilean Antarctic Territory. It was claimed also by Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1943, now as part of Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
, called by the Argentines Isla Veinticinco de Mayo in honour of their National day. The US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
do not recognize these claims, and have formally reserved their right to claim Antarctic territories.
The island was discovered and named by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
explorer William Smith
William Smith (mariner)
William Smith was the English captain who discovered the South Shetland Islands, an archipelago off the Graham Land in Antarctica....
in 1819. It is approximately 95 km (59 mi) long and 25 km (15.5 mi) wide with a land area of 1150 square kilometres (444 sq mi). Over 90% of the island's surface is permanently glaciated
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
. In 1821, 11 men of the sailing vessel Lord Melville survived the winter on the island, the first men to do so in Antarctica.
The coastal areas of the island are home to a comparatively diverse selection of vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
and animal life, including Elephant
Elephant seal
Elephant seals are large, oceangoing seals in the genus Mirounga. There are two species: the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal . Both were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but numbers have since recovered...
, Weddell
Weddell Seal
The Weddell seal , is a relatively large and abundant true seal with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica. Weddell seals have the most southerly distribution of any mammal, with a habitat that extends as far south as McMurdo Sound...
and Leopard
Leopard Seal
The leopard seal , also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic...
seals, and Chinstrap
Chinstrap Penguin
The Chinstrap Penguin is a species of penguin which is found in the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, the South Orkneys, South Shetland, South Georgia, Bouvet Island and Balleny...
and Gentoo
Gentoo penguin
The Gentoo Penguin , Pygoscelis papua, is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. The gentoo penguin has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have...
penguins.
Human habitation of King George Island is limited to research stations belonging to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. Most of these stations are permanently staffed, carrying out research into areas as diverse as biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, and palaeontology. Teniente Marsh, the Chilean Station on the Fildes Peninsula, is operated as a permanent village with an airstrip, a bank, a post office and comfortable ranch-style family homes with children. Chile (like Argentina and Great Britain) regards all of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands as part of that country's territory, however the terms of the Antarctic Treaty allow Chile to colonize the Fildes Peninsula without overtly pursuing its territorial claims.
In 2004, a Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
church, Trinity Church
Trinity Church, Antarctica
Trinity Church is a small Russian Orthodox church on King George Island near Russian Bellingshausen Station in Antarctica. It is the southernmost Eastern Orthodox church in the world....
, was opened on the island near Russia's Bellingshausen Station
Bellingshausen Station
thumb|right|Bellingshausen is one of Antarctica's most polluted places. Old vehicles, rusting barrels and other refuse litter the shorelinethumb|right|Muddy scene around the base. On the hilltop an orthodox church was built in 2004...
. The church, one of the southernmost in the world and one of the few permanent structures in Antarctica, is permanently manned by a priest.
A small amount of specialised tourist activity also takes place during summer, including an annual marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, known as the Antarctic marathon
Antarctica Marathon
The Antarctic Ice Marathon was established by Richard Donovan / Polar Running Adventures to enable marathon runners to complete a marathon on all seven continents. It also enables athletes to complete the marathon grand slam - a marathon on all seven continents and the North Pole...
.
The Fildes Peninsula 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long, forms the SW extremity of the island. It was named from association with nearby Fildes Strait
Fildes Strait
Fildes Strait is a strait which extends in a general east-west direction between King George Island and Nelson Island, in the South Shetland Islands. This strait has been known to sealers in the area since about 1822, but at that time it appeared on the charts as Field's Strait. Probably named for...
by the UK-APC in
1960.
Arctowski lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at Arctowski Station
Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station
Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station is a research station on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica.Named for Henryk Arctowski , who as meteorologist had accompanied the Belgian explorer Baron Adrien de Gerlache on the "Belgica" expedition, 1897-1899. This was the first expedition to...
is the most southerly lighthouse of the world.
See also
- Artigas BaseArtigas BaseThe General Artigas Station , also referred to as the Artigas Base is a small Uruguayan scientific research station in Antarctica. It is only one of the 68 bases in Antarctica.-Organization:...
- Chilean Antarctic Territory
- Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic BaseComandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic BaseThe Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base is a Brazilian research station located in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula....
- Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
- Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic StationHenryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic StationHenryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station is a research station on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica.Named for Henryk Arctowski , who as meteorologist had accompanied the Belgian explorer Baron Adrien de Gerlache on the "Belgica" expedition, 1897-1899. This was the first expedition to...
- Islands of Chile
- List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
- SCARScientific Committee on Antarctic ResearchThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council for Science . It was established in February 1958 to continue the international coordination of Antarctic scientific activities that had begun during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58...
- Sherratt BaySherratt BaySherratt Bay is a bay between Cape Melville and Penguin Island on the south side of King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands. The existence of the bay was known and roughly charted by sealers working in the area in the early 1820s...
- South Shetland IslandsSouth Shetland IslandsThe South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
- Sub-antarctic islands
- Territorial claims in Antarctica
External links
- The SCAR King George Island GIS Project provides an interactive map of the island.
- Biodiversity at Ardley Island Small place near King George Island, special protected area.
- Report From Antarctica: Countries Maneuver for Potential Future Land Grab