Okol Rocks is a group of rocks in the north of Aitcho Islands group on the west side of English Strait

English Strait

English Strait is the 17 km long and 2 km wide strait lying between Greenwich Island and Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Trending southeast-northwest, and entered between Santa Cruz Point and Edwards Point in the south, and Fort William Point and Okol Rocks,...

 in the South Shetland Islands

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...

, Antarctica. Passage Rock (62°22′19"S 59°45′42"W) is lying 800 m (874.9 yd) east of Okol Rocks and 1.07 km (0.664868828215293 mi) west by south of Fort William

Fort William (Robert Island)

Fort William Point is the conspicuous flat-topped rocky headland forming the northwest extremity of Coppermine Peninsula and Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...

, Robert Island

Robert Island (South Shetland Islands)

Robert Island or Mitchells Island or Polotsk Island or Roberts Island is an island long and wide, situated between Nelson Island and Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands. Robert Island is located at . Surface area...

, with Cheshire Rock (62°22′29.7"S 59°44′40.9"W) lying 370 m (405 yd) south by east of Passage Rock, 1.09 km (0.677296282948289 mi) southwest of Fort William, 850 m (929.6 yd) northeast of Jorge Island

Jorge Island

Jorge Island is an ice-free island in the Aitcho group on the west side of English Strait in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Extending , surface area...

 and 900 m (984.3 yd) east-southeast of Okol Rocks. The area was visited by early 19th century sealers

Seal hunting

Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...

 operating from nearby Clothier Harbour

Clothier Harbour

Clothier Harbour is the 1.5 km wide bay indenting for 1 km the north coast of Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica between Hammer Point on the northeast and Onogur Islands on the southwest...

.

Okol Rocks are named after the settlements of Gorni (Upper) Okol and Dolni (Lower) Okol in western Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

. Passage Rock was charted by Discovery Investigations

Discovery Investigations

The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, which was formed in 1918...

 personnel in 1935 and later descriptively named for being a leading mark for ships entering English Strait. Cheshire Rock is named after Lieutenant Commander Peter Cheshire, leader of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 Hydrographic Survey Unit in the area in 1967.

Location

Okol Rocks are centred at 62°22′19"S 59°45′42"W, which is 870 m (951.4 yd) north of Jorge Island, 1.34 m (1.5 yd) east of Kilifarevo Island

Kilifarevo Island

Kilifarevo Island is an ice-free island in the Aitcho group on the west side of English Strait in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The island is situated northwest of Jorge Island, north of Riksa Islands and southeast of Morris Rock. Extending , surface area...

 and 1.89 km (1.2 mi) west of Fort William

Fort William (Robert Island)

Fort William Point is the conspicuous flat-topped rocky headland forming the northwest extremity of Coppermine Peninsula and Robert Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...

 Point, Robert Island (British mapping in 1935, 1948, 1961, 1968 and 1974, Argentine in 1953, French in 1954, Chilean in 1961, 1962 and 1971, and Bulgarian in 2009).

See also

• Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
• List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
• SCAR
  Scar
  Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound results in...
  
  
• Territorial claims in Antarctica

Map

• L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4

External links

• Okol Rocks.
• Passage Rock.
• Cheshire Rock.