Larsen Islands

The Larsen Islands are a small group of islands north-west of Moreton Point, the western extremity of Coronation Island, in the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica. The largest of the group, Monroe Island, lies about 10 km from Coronation. They were discovered by Captains George Powell and Nathaniel Palmer on the occasion of their joint cruise in December 1821. The islands were named on Petter Sørlle's chart, based upon his survey of the South Orkney Islands in 1912-1913, in honour of Carl Anton Larsen.

Important Bird Area

The Larsen Islands, together with Moreton Point and an adjacent area of ice-free land to the west, have been identified as a 1805 ha Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports large breeding colonies of seabirds, including some 125,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins and 125,000 pairs of southern fulmars. Snow petrels also nest there in smaller numbers.[1]

See also

References

  1. "Moreton Point, Monroe Island and Larsen Islands, western Coronation Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-11.

Coordinates: 60°36′S 46°04′W / 60.600°S 46.067°W / -60.600; -46.067


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