Nigg Rock is an insular rock, 165 m (510ft) high, lying 0.5 nautical miles (0.9 km) northwest of Route Point

Route Point

Route Point is a rocky point marking the northwest extremity of Laurie Island, in the South Orkney Islands. Discovered and named by Captain George Powell and Captain Nathaniel Palmer during their joint cruise in December 1821....

, the northwest tip of Laurie Island

Laurie Island

Laurie Island is an island in the Antarctic Circle, the second largest of the South Orkney Islands. The island is claimed by both Argentina as part of Argentine Antarctica, and the United Kingdom as part of the British Antarctic Territory...

 in the South Orkney Islands

South Orkney Islands

The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a total area of about ....

. It is between the Mackenzie Peninsula (named after the family of Jessie Mackenzie), and Eillium Island (named after their son, born 1902).

First seen and roughly charted by Captain George Powell and Captain Nathaniel Palmer

Nathaniel Palmer

Nathaniel Brown Palmer was an American seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, and ship designer. He was born in Stonington, Connecticut.-Sealing career and Antarctic exploration:...

 on the occasion of their joint cruise in 1821. Recharted in 1903 by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition

Scottish National Antarctic Expedition

The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition , 1902–04, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. Although overshadowed in prestige terms by Robert Falcon Scott's concurrent Discovery Expedition, the SNAE completed...

 under William S. Bruce, who named it for the birthplace of his wife, Nigg Bay

Nigg Bay

Nigg Bay is a large relatively shallow sandy bay, consisting of mudflat, saltmarsh and wet grassland, located at the north east coast of the Cromarty Firth and is 5 miles to the east of Invergordon, in the district of Ross and Cromarty and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.During low...

 in Cromarty

Cromarty

The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...

in Scotland.