Petermann Island

For Petermann Ice Island, see Petermann Glacier#Ice loss.

Petermann Island
Geography
Petermann Island from a distance
Location	Antarctica
Coordinates	65°10′S 64°10′W / 65.167°S 64.167°W / -65.167; -64.167
Length	2 km (1.2 mi)
Country
Antarctica
Demographics
Population	0
Additional information
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System

Location of Petermann Island

Petermann Island is a small, low and rounded island, lying off the northwest coast of Kiev Peninsula in Graham Land, Antarctica, a short distance south of Booth Island and the Lemaire Channel. It is a popular tourist destination.

Description

The island is 1.8 km (1.1 mi) long and 1.2 km (0.75 mi) across. It rises steeply to elevations of up to 250 m from a rocky coastline with raised pebble beaches. It has volcanic origins, with about half the land surface covered by a permanent, crevassed icecap. Ice-free areas have a sparse vegetation of mosses and lichens.^[1]

Important Bird Area

The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 3000 pairs of gentoo penguins. Other birds nesting at the site in smaller numbers include Adélie penguins, imperial shags, Wilson's storm petrels and south polar skuas.^[1]

History

The island was discovered by a German expedition of 1873-74, who named it after geographer August Petermann. The French Antarctic Expedition of 1908-10 wintered over aboard ship in a cove on the southeast side of the island, named Port Circumcision because it was spotted 1 January 1909, the traditional day for the Feast of the Circumcision.

Huts built by the expedition are gone, although a cairn remains, along with a refuge hut built by Argentina in 1955, and a cross commemorating three members of the British Antarctic Survey who died in a 1982 attempt to cross the sea ice from Faraday Station to Petermann.

Panorama - penguin colonies, cruise ship and tourists, Petermann Island

Adélie penguin rookery on Petermann Island; their droppings make the grey rock pinkish

References

1 2 "Petermann Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-14.

External links

Personal photographic account from March 2007

Important Bird Areas of Antarctica

Graham Land	Apéndice Island Armstrong Reef Arthur Harbour Avian Island Bates Island Breaker Island Brown Bluff Cape Evensen Cape Wollaston Cierva Point Cockburn Island Cormorant Island Cuverville Island D'Urville Monument Danger Islands Devil Island Dion Islands Dream Island Duroch Islands Eden Rocks Elephant Rocks Gerlache Island Ginger Islands Gourdin Island Guépratte Island Hope Bay Humble Island Joubin Islands Litchfield Island Madder Cliffs Midas Island Moss Islands Murray Island Norsel Point Paulet Island Pearl Rocks Penguin Point Petermann Island Pursuit Point Snow Hill Island Stonington Island Torgersen Island Trinity Island Tupinier Islands Uruguay Island

South Shetlands	Admiralty Bay Ardley Island Aspland Island Baily Head Barnard Point Byers Peninsula Cape Bowles Cape Garry Cape Hooker Cape Lookout Cape Melville Cape Shirreff Cape Wallace Chinstrap Cove Davey Point Eadie Island East of Nelly Point Escarpada Point False Round Point Fur Seal Point Gibbs Island Half Moon Island Harmony Point Heywood Island Jameson Point Kellick Island Lions Rump Milosz Point Mount Elder North Foreland O'Brien Island Owen Island Penguin Island Point Wordie Potter Peninsula Pottinger Point Saddleback Point Seal Islands Stigant Point Stinker Point Tartar Island Vapour Col Yankee Harbour

South Orkneys	Atriceps Island Buchanan Point Cape Davidson Cape Geddes Cape Hansen Cape Robertson Cape Whitson Cheal Point Christoffersen Island Eillium Island Ferguslie Peninsula Ferrier Peninsula Fraser Point Fredriksen Island Gibbon Bay Gosling Islands Graptolite Island Grey Island Inaccessible Islands Larsen Islands Matthews Island Michelsen Island Moe Island Moreton Point Pirie Peninsula Point Martin Return Point Robertson Islands Signy Island Skilling Island Southern Powell Island Watson Peninsula

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