Possession Islands
Encyclopedia
The Possession Islands are a group of small island
s and rocks
extending over an area of about 7 miles (11.3 km), lying in the western part of the Ross Sea
, 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Cape McCormick
, Victoria Land
. The Possession Islands were named by Captain James Clark Ross
, Royal Navy
, in commemoration of the planting of the British flag here on January 12, 1841.
y island
nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) long, which is the northernmost and largest of the Possession Islands. Possession Island is located at 71°52′S 171°12′E.
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...
s and rocks
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
extending over an area of about 7 miles (11.3 km), lying in the western part of the Ross Sea
Ross Sea
The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...
, 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Cape McCormick
Cape McCormick
Cape McCormick is a cape marking the east extremity of Adare Peninsula in Victoria Land. Discovered by Captain James Ross, 1841, who named it for Robert McCormick, Surgeon on the Erebus....
, Victoria Land
Victoria Land
Victoria Land is a region of Antarctica bounded on the east by the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and on the west by Oates Land and Wilkes Land. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria...
. The Possession Islands were named by Captain James Clark Ross
James Clark Ross
Sir James Clark Ross , was a British naval officer and explorer. He explored the Arctic with his uncle Sir John Ross and Sir William Parry, and later led his own expedition to Antarctica.-Arctic explorer:...
, 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...
, in commemoration of the planting of the British flag here on January 12, 1841.
Possession Island
Possession Island is a rockRock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
y 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...
nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) long, which is the northernmost and largest of the Possession Islands. Possession Island is located at 71°52′S 171°12′E.
See also
- Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
- List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
- 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...
- Territorial claims in Antarctica