Everything about The South Orkney Islands totally explained
The
South Orkney Islands are a group of
islands in the
Southern Ocean. The islands have been administered as part of
British Antarctic Territory since 1962 and prior to this as a
Falkland Islands Dependency. Under the
Antarctic Treaty 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they're free for use by any signatory for non-military use. The islands are claimed by
Argentina which has maintained a permanent base there since 1904.
History
The South Orkney Islands were discovered in 1821 by two
sealers,
Nathaniel Brown Palmer and George Powell. The Islands were originally named
Powell's Group, with the main island named Coronation island as it was the year of the
coronation of
King George IV. In 1823,
James Weddell visited the Islands, gave the archipelago its present name (after the
Orkney Islands,
Scotland) and also renamed some of the islands. Interestingly, the South Orkney Islands are located at roughly the same latitude south as the Orkney Islands are north (60°S vs 59°N), although it isn't known if this was a factor behind the naming of the islands.
Subsequently, the Islands were frequently visited by sealers and
whalers, but no thorough survey was ever done until the expedition of
William Speirs Bruce on the
Scotia in 1903, which overwintered at Laurie Island. Bruce surveyed the islands, reverted some of Weddell's name changes, and established a
meteorological station, which was sold to the Argentinian Government upon his departure in 1904. This base, renamed
Orcadas in 1951, is still in operation
today and is thus the oldest research station continuously staffed in the Antarctic.
In 1908, the
United Kingdom declared sovereignty over all Antarctic and South American territories south of their colony in the 50° parallel, including the South Orkney Islands. The Islands were then regarded to be part of the Falkland Islands Dependency. A biological research station on
Signy Island was built in 1947 by the
British Antarctic Survey.
Geography and climate
The Islands are situated at
latitudes about 60°30' to 60°83' S, and
longitudes 44°25' to 46°25' W in the
Southern Ocean. As a group of islands, the South Orkney Islands are located at approximately .
The
archipelago comprises four main islands.
Coronation Island is the largest island; its highest point is
Mount Nivea and rises to 1266
m above sea level.
Laurie Island is the easternmost of the islands. The other islands are the smaller
Powell Island,
Signy Island and
Robertson Island, as well as a few tiny ones named
Saddle Islands. In total, these island have a surface of about 620
km², most of which is covered with ice.
The
Inaccessible Islands about 15
nm to the west are also considered part of the South Orkneys.
The climate of the South Orkneys is generally cold, wet, and windy. Summers are short and cold (December to March) when the average temperatures reach about 2
°C and fall to about -10°C in winter (for example, in July). The extrema reach about 12°C and -44°C, respectively. The seas around the islands are ice-covered from late April to November.
Research stations
The two claimant nations maintain research stations on the Islands.
Further Information
Get more info on 'South Orkney Islands'.
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