West Point Island
Encyclopedia
West Point Island is one of the Falkland Islands
, lying west of West Falkland
. It has an area of 1255 hectares (4.8 sq mi) and is run as a sheep farm by R.P. McGill of Carcass Island.
The island was established as a farm in the 1860s, by the Napier family.
Wildlife on West Point includes rockhopper penguin
s, black-browed albatross
es and Commerson's dolphin
s. The Felton Plant, which was named after the current owner's great uncle who discovered it, also grows here. It is fairly rare in the Falkland Islands, being found only in a few locations such as Tea Island
, but there is quite a lot of it here.
The island gardens have a fairly wide selection of introduced plants including rose
s, foxgloves, daisies, red hot pokers etc. Unusually for the Falklands, there are also a few trees. Other stands of trees can be found at Hill Cove
on West Falkland
and Carcass Island
.
at 337 metres (1,105.6 ft) while West Point Island Settlement with its 640 metres (2,099.7 ft) airstrip lie on Westpoint Cove in the north east.
It is separated from West Falkland by the Wooly Gut channel, named after a particularly strong form of westerly wind in the Falklands that affects this channel.
It is south east of the Jason Islands
, the nearest being South Jason Island
.
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...
, lying west of West Falkland
West Falkland
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by Falkland Sound. Its area is and its coastline is long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is .-Population:The island has fewer than 200...
. It has an area of 1255 hectares (4.8 sq mi) and is run as a sheep farm by R.P. McGill of Carcass Island.
History
Like many locations around the Falkland Islands, West Point was a popular site for slaughtering seals and penguins for oil, at the turn of the 19th century. Literal overkill helped to end this industry in the area.The island was established as a farm in the 1860s, by the Napier family.
Wildlife and plantlife
Rockhopper penguin
The rockhopper penguins are three closely related taxa of crested penguins that have been traditionally treated as a single species and are sometimes split into two or three species. Not all experts agree on the classification of these penguins...
s, black-browed albatross
Black-browed Albatross
The Black-browed Albatross or Black-browed Mollymawk, Thalassarche melanophrys, is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae, and it is the most widespread and common albatross.-Taxonomy:...
es and Commerson's dolphin
Commerson's Dolphin
Commerson's Dolphin is one of four dolphins in the Cephalorhynchus genus. The species has also the common names Skunk Dolphin, Piebald Dolphin and Panda Dolphin...
s. The Felton Plant, which was named after the current owner's great uncle who discovered it, also grows here. It is fairly rare in the Falkland Islands, being found only in a few locations such as Tea Island
Tea Island
Tea Island is one of the Falkland Islands. It is beside Staats Island, and is just to the south west of Weddell Island. It is shaped like an upside down "h". It has some of the few examples of Felton's Flower, a rare endemic Falkland species....
, but there is quite a lot of it here.
The island gardens have a fairly wide selection of introduced plants including rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s, foxgloves, daisies, red hot pokers etc. Unusually for the Falklands, there are also a few trees. Other stands of trees can be found at Hill Cove
Hill Cove
Hill Cove is the third largest settlement on West Falkland, in the Falkland Islands, in the north west. It is on the north coast, on the shore of Byron Sound, and overlooks Port Egmont on Saunders Island, the first British settlement in the islands...
on West Falkland
West Falkland
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by Falkland Sound. Its area is and its coastline is long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is .-Population:The island has fewer than 200...
and Carcass Island
Carcass Island
Carcass Island is the largest of the West Point Island Group of the Falkland Islands. It lies north west of West Falkland and south east of the Jason Islands...
.
Geography
West Point Island lies off the north west point of West Falkland. It is 3.7 miles (6 km) long with a maximum width of 2.5 miles (4 km) and dramatic west-facing cliffs are more than 350 metres (1,148.3 ft) high. Further east, the highest point is Mount MiseryMount Misery
-In the United States:* Mount Misery, a rocky hill in Pachaug State Forest, Connecticut* Mount Misery, a hill in the town of Auburn, New Hampshire* Mount Misery, or Valley Forge Mountain, in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania...
at 337 metres (1,105.6 ft) while West Point Island Settlement with its 640 metres (2,099.7 ft) airstrip lie on Westpoint Cove in the north east.
It is separated from West Falkland by the Wooly Gut channel, named after a particularly strong form of westerly wind in the Falklands that affects this channel.
It is south east of the Jason Islands
Jason Islands
The Jason Islands are an archipelago in the Falkland Islands, lying to the far north-west of West Falkland. Three of the islands, Steeple Jason, Grand Jason and Clarke's Islet are private nature reserves owned by the Wildlife Conservation Society, New York...
, the nearest being South Jason Island
South Jason Island
South Jason is one of the Jason Islands in the north west Falkland Islands . In Spanish it is considered one of"Islas las Llaves"...
.