Sea Lion Island
Encyclopedia
Sea Lion Island is the largest of the Sea Lion Island Group of the Falkland Islands
. It is 9.05 sqkm in area. and lies 8.8 miles (14.2 km) southeast of Lafonia
(East Falkland
).
is located further south. Sea Lion Island Settlement is the southernmost settlement of the Falkland Islands. The island has two airstrips. Historically, Sea Lion Island was a sheep farm and a base for slaughtering penguins to render for oil. When the British ship Viscount was wrecked in 1892, the debris was used to build the farmhouse.
The island was managed as a sheep farm for almost all of the 20th century, but in 1997 all but a small flock of sheep was removed. In 1990, the Clifton family who owned the island, sold it to the Falkland Island Development Company. They had planted 60,000 stands of tussac grass. In recent years, ecotourism has come to dominate. The Falkland Islands Development Corporation constructed the Sea Lion Lodge in 1986. It was prefabricated and flown in kit form to the island by Royal Air Force helicopters and has proved to be a huge success. It is used by both tourists and, since 1996, for scientific studies.
There is also a memorial to HMS Sheffield
on Bull Hill in the south of the island.
The highest point is Bull Hill, which is 46 metres (150.9 ft).
The geology is mainly sandstone
and mudstone
, from about 250 million years ago. Some minor fossils have been found.
, penguin
s, striated caracara
and Antarctic skuas, and orca
s (killer whales) offshore. Earthwatch, the worldwide organization that places volunteers in environmental studies around the world, has been tracking the habits of elephant seals at Sea Lion Island for years. It is also a site for Magellanic Penguins whose burrows can be up to 5 metres (16 ft) in length and over half a mile (800 m) from the sea.
Sea Lion Island was designated a Ramsar site on September 24, 2001.
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...
. It is 9.05 sqkm in area. and lies 8.8 miles (14.2 km) southeast of Lafonia
Lafonia
Lafonia is a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland, the largest of the Falkland Islands.-Geography and geology:Shaped like the letter "E", it is joined to the northern part of the island by a 1.5-mile narrow isthmus; were this isthmus to be severed, Lafonia would be the third...
(East Falkland
East Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
).
Population and history
Sea Lion Island is the southernmost inhabited island of the Falkland Islands. Only formerly inhabited Beauchene IslandBeauchene Island
Beauchene Island is the southernmost of the Falkland Islands, lying about 34 mi south of Porpoise Point in Lafonia. It was discovered in 1701 by Jacques Gouin de Beauchêne in whose honour it was named.-Geography:...
is located further south. Sea Lion Island Settlement is the southernmost settlement of the Falkland Islands. The island has two airstrips. Historically, Sea Lion Island was a sheep farm and a base for slaughtering penguins to render for oil. When the British ship Viscount was wrecked in 1892, the debris was used to build the farmhouse.
The island was managed as a sheep farm for almost all of the 20th century, but in 1997 all but a small flock of sheep was removed. In 1990, the Clifton family who owned the island, sold it to the Falkland Island Development Company. They had planted 60,000 stands of tussac grass. In recent years, ecotourism has come to dominate. The Falkland Islands Development Corporation constructed the Sea Lion Lodge in 1986. It was prefabricated and flown in kit form to the island by Royal Air Force helicopters and has proved to be a huge success. It is used by both tourists and, since 1996, for scientific studies.
There is also a memorial to HMS Sheffield
HMS Sheffield (D80)
HMS Sheffield was the second Royal Navy ship to be named after the city of Sheffield in Yorkshire. She was a Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer laid down by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering at Barrow-in-Furness on 15 January 1970, launched on 10 June 1971 and commissioned on 16 February 1975.An...
on Bull Hill in the south of the island.
Geography
Sea Lion Island is 4.8 miles (7.8 km) long from east to west and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) at its widest point, with 30 metres (98.4 ft) cliffs at the south-western point and sandy bays to the east. It, also has a few ponds, such as Beaver, and Long Pond. Just to the south is Rum Island, a small seal colony. East Loafers is the name of the bay on the south shore.The highest point is Bull Hill, which is 46 metres (150.9 ft).
The geology is mainly sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
, from about 250 million years ago. Some minor fossils have been found.
Wildlife
It is known for its wildlife, including southern sea lions, southern elephant sealsSouthern Elephant Seal
The Southern Elephant Seal is one of the two extant species of elephant seal. It is both the most massive pinniped and member of the order Carnivora living today...
, penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s, striated caracara
Striated Caracara
The Striated Caracara, is a bird of prey of the Falconidae family. In the Falkland Islands it is known as the Johnny Rook.-Description:...
and Antarctic skuas, and orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
s (killer whales) offshore. Earthwatch, the worldwide organization that places volunteers in environmental studies around the world, has been tracking the habits of elephant seals at Sea Lion Island for years. It is also a site for Magellanic Penguins whose burrows can be up to 5 metres (16 ft) in length and over half a mile (800 m) from the sea.
Sea Lion Island was designated a Ramsar site on September 24, 2001.