King Edward Point

Thatcher Peninsula with King Edward Point and Grytviken

King Edward Point (also known as KEP) is the capital of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands with port facilities (wharf) on the northeastern coast of the island of South Georgia. It is located at 54°17′S 36°30′W / 54.283°S 36.500°W / -54.283; -36.500 in Cumberland East Bay. It is sometimes confusedly referred to as Grytviken, which is the site of the disused whaling station, nearby at the head of King Edward Cove.

History

Main articles: History of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Falklands War

The area was explored by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901-04 under Otto Nordenskiöld. It was named around 1906 after King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.

Since 1909, King Edward Point has been the residence of a British Magistrate administering the island.

In 1925, the government of the United Kingdom established a marine laboratory there as part of the Discovery Investigations. On 1 January 1950, the station ownership was assumed by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. The station was manned from 1 January 1952 to 13 November 1969.

The British Antarctic Survey provided the British presence at the station until 1982.

At the beginning of the Falklands War on 3 April 1982, Argentine forces occupied South Georgia and closed the station. They were soon expelled during Operation Paraquet and British military forces occupied the point.

A series of civilian Marine Officers was appointed to carry out customs and fisheries duties for the South Georgia Government from 1991, and were billeted with the small garrison.

On 22 March 2001, the British Antarctic Survey reopened the station on behalf of the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI). Most of the old, dilapidated (and arguably historic) buildings were destroyed to make way for new ones, with the exception of Discovery House (1925) and the Gaol (1912).

Present situation

King Edward Point in 2011

Currently nine BAS personnel overwinter at the station, rising to around 18 in summer. Two Government Officers plus partners are stationed on KEP, overlapping by about three months during the busy winter fishing season. Summer staff from the Museum at Grytviken are also accommodated at KEP.

The continued occupation of the station serves a political purpose as well: it helps to maintain British sovereignty against Argentina's claim for ownership of the territory.

The chief activities of the station are applied fisheries research on behalf of the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, to assist its policies for sustainable management of the commercial fishery, and to provide logistic support for the Government Officer(s).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to King Edward Point.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for King Edward Point.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Capital: King Edward Point (Grytviken)

General	Coat of arms Commissioner Flag Foreign relations History Languages List of South Georgians Operation "Paraquet" South Georgia Museum .gs Sovereignty Invasion of South Georgia

Settlements / Whaling stations	Grytviken Godthul Husvik Leith Harbour Ocean Harbour Prince Olav Harbour Rosita Harbour Stromness Corbeta Uruguay base

South Georgia islands	Annenkov Island Bird Island Black Rock Black Rocks Clerke Rocks Cooper Island Grass Island Grassholm Kupriyanov Islands Pickersgill Islands Prion Island Saddle Island Shag Rocks South Georgia Trinity Island Welcome Islands Willis Islands

South Sandwich islands	Bellingshausen Bristol Candlemas Cook Leskov Montagu Saunders Thule Vindication Visokoi Zavodovski Traversay Islands

Landmarks	Allardyce Range Fortuna Glacier Gold Harbour Larsen Harbour Mount Baume Mount Belinda Mount Cunningham Mount Paget Mount Roots Peggotty Bluff Salisbury Plain Salvesen Range Southern Thule Thatcher Peninsula Grace Glacier Lucas Glacier Bay of Isles Point Abrahamsen Sheep Point Stromness Bay Cumberland Bay Possession Bay Sheer Point Busen Point

Capitals of British administrative divisions

National capital: London

Constituent countries	Crown dependencies	British Overseas Territories

London, England Edinburgh, Scotland Cardiff, Wales Belfast, Northern Ireland	Saint Helier, Jersey Saint Peter Port, Guernsey Douglas, Isle of Man	Episkopi Cantonment, Akrotiri and Dhekelia The Valley, Anguilla Hamilton, Bermuda Rothera, British Antarctic Territory Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory Road Town, British Virgin Islands George Town, Cayman Islands	Stanley, Falkland Islands Gibraltar, Gibraltar Brades, Montserrat Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands Jamestown, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha King Edward Point, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands

Coordinates: 54°17′S 36°30′W / 54.283°S 36.500°W / -54.283; -36.500

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, February 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

King Edward Point

History

Present situation

See also

External links