Other Peri-Antarctic Islands

OTHER PERI-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS 229 Île Amsterdam Îles Kerguelen © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Macquarie Island South Sandwich Islands Campbell Island ( p253 ) ( p253 ) Îles Îles ( p256 ) ( p256 ) Amsterdam Amsterdam Macquarie Macquarie

Île Campbell Island Campbell ( p235 ), now collapsed, ), now collapsed, p235 ( ( p244 ) Kerguelen against the dawn silhouetted world’s rarest birds at world’s rarest Island by the 2005 eruption in the land, created South Sandwich Islands ( p242 ) the boardwalk at rookery in Sandy Bay on

See the legendary Arched Rock at Try to catch a glimpse of one of the Overlook some of the world’s newest Stroll through ‘megaherb meadows’ on at the royal penguin Go ashore

„ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

No voyage – not even a circumnavigation of Antarctica a circumnavigation – will take in all the peri-AntarcticNo voyage – not even The peri-Antarctic islands are also interesting for their histories of discovery, exploita- for their histories of discovery, also interesting peri-Antarctic islands are The

are visited only rarely. visited are winter, or on the return south the following season. Bouvetøya, Peter I Øy and Scott Island Peter south the following season. Bouvetøya, or on the return winter, en route to the northern hemisphere, where the ships ply Arctic waters during the austral the ships ply Arcticwaters to the northern where en route hemisphere, take tourists. Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island are usually visited on ‘repositioning’ cruises, on ‘repositioning’ usually visited and Gough Island are da Cunha Tristan take tourists. islands. Resupply vessels visiting Îles Kerguelen, Îles Crozet, Île Amsterdam and Île St Paul and Île St Paul Île Amsterdam Îles Crozet, visiting Îles Kerguelen, Resupply vessels islands. Africa will often stop at Macquarie Island or Heard Island and New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic or Heard Island and New Zealand’s stop at Macquarie Island will often Africa islands. There are simply too many. Voyages sailing from Australia, New Zealand or South New Zealand simply too many. Voyages sailing from Australia, are There islands. benefits of modern life. are successfully balancing the traditions of their island community with the intrusions and successfully balancing the traditions of their are years and little trace remains of their stay. At Tristan da Cunha, however, the inhabitants however, Tristan da Cunha, At of their stay. years and little trace remains resilience and determination. In most cases, people lived on an island for a short cases, people lived In most period of and determination. resilience have lived – and died – on some of these lonesome isles are remarkable testaments to to remarkable testaments of these lonesome isles are – and died – on some lived have tion, scientific research and, in some cases, human settlement. The small communities that small communities human settlement. The and, in some cases, tion, scientific research go to breed and raise their young. go to breed vast numbers of seals, penguins and other seabirds, since there is nowhere else they can is nowhere penguins and other seabirds, since there vast numbers of seals, earth’s remotest islands. Inconsequential though they may appear, they are vital refuges for vital refuges may appear, they are Inconsequential though they islands. earth’s remotest Among the tiny islands scattered across the vast empty expanse of the Southern Ocean are Ocean are expanse of the Southern across the vast empty tiny islands scattered Among the

Islands Other Peri-Antarctic Peri-Antarctic Other OTHER PERI-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS volcano is dormant,there’s stillgeothermal out of the theSouthern Ocean,andalthough more than 1600km away. thenearest is west, Larsøya, land(Antarctica) Not countingitstinyneighbor tothesouth- 230 Bouvetøya isthemostisolated islandonearth. BOUVETØYA PERI-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS 16 Bouvetøya isthetipof avolcanothat rises 18 3 Island Scott Shetland Islands TE EIATRTCILNS • ovty OTHER PERI-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS••Bouvetøya South 19 Islas Diego Ramirez 150ºW Îles Crozet 15 90ºW 1 22 Bouvetøya 20 Rocks 19

120ºW Shag 18 22 17 21 23 Balleny Islands Edward 2 26 Islands Prince 24 Gough Island 0º 26

25 30ºW 10 11 16 5 13 McDonald 20 14 Islands 1 The Snares 12 15 Auckland 180º Islands 11 10 9

60ºS Falkland

Amsterdam 6 Islands 150ºE Bouvetøya’s western coast,probably asthe lying shelf of lava rockrubbleappeared on canic explosionin 1895 or 1896. tohavebelieved destroyedduringavol- been northeast ofcentury sealers Bouvetøya. It’s Thompson Island,wasfirst sighted by19th- activity ontheisland.Another island, Île

13 50ºS 30ºE 2 Sometime between 1955and1958,alow- Sometime between Antipodes Islands 12 3

40ºS 5 120ºE 8 7 St Paul 4 Île Campbell 90ºE Island 7 6 14 60ºE 23 4 8 Bounty Islands Heard Island Scale appliestoislandinsetsonly 725 17 Peter IØy 60miles 100km 0 0 21 South OrkneyIslands 24 lonelyplanet.com Sandwich 9 Islands South South Georgia Macquarie da Cunha Kerguelen Island Tristan Îles OTHER PERI-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS 231 , all that was left Transvaal expedition also claimed the expedition said that newly disclosed doc- hut was a cable, the leg of a of hut was a cable, the leg Norvegia Norvegia Second, seems a thermonuclear bomb test The the island a nature In 1971 Norway made Third, a newspaper in the Norwegian capi- set by a Norwegian up huts were Three Bouvetøya has only rarely been visited. been visited. has only rarely Bouvetøya When a 1955 South African expedition expedition When a 1955 South African five-member research team landed for a three- team research five-member month stay in December 2007, but found it sections of had vanished – along with major Nyrøysa nine itself. They built a small camp of a storm soon destroyed. which most of tents, a wooden extra timber, they enlarged Using The destruction of into a shack. shipping crate tive debris. In May 2006 the Israeli newspaper debris. In May tive Aharonot Yediot that Israel and South Africa uments revealed nuclear experiment.’ ‘ a had conducted in 1986 that US census reported Oslo tal of showed that, since 1959, 60 women records to the US from the and 26 men had emigrated uninhabited Bouvetøya! that spent four months expedition research now gone, on the island in 1978. They’re containerbut in 1994 a shipping brought to Nyrøysa, on the island’s windward coast, was sta- research to a small Norwegian converted tion, last used during the 2001–02 season. A Several events, however, are mysterious. First, First, Several mysterious. events, however, are were supplies and assorted lifeboat a sunken at Nyrøysa in 1964, but their origin discovered be determined. could not Bouvetøya to the west of occurred to have in 1979. Although no country ever admitted an orbiting satel- setting off a bomb there, light on of a brief, intense burst detected lite seismographic September 22, 1979. Magnetic, and ionospheric evidence to a nu- all pointed Antarctic at Australian clear blast. Personnel radiation and radioac- detected stations later enormous numbers of fin whales in the waters in the waters fin whales of numbers enormous recalled one man Bouvetøya; surrounding the him of blows reminded that their later a of chimneys coming from the many smoke the winter. town during Norwegian and on on December 1, island for Norway by it was formally annexed 23, 1928, January British royal proclamation. (The Norwegian upset an to get declined about such Parliament and renounced territory unpromising dot of in 1928.) later all claim to Bouvetøya in HMSAS visited of the some cement. and stove reserve. , , re- , first , first Otter Lively and Norvegia and made the first made the first Swan , which did not suc- , which Wasp Sprightly Valdivia ISLANDS •• Bouvetøya PERI-ANTARCTIC OTHER , first sighted it on January 1, sighted it on January , first Aigle The island is named for French navigator navigator French The island is named for Science, in the form of the Norwegian the Norwegian Science, in the form of This encouraged other sealers, who visited other sealers, who visited This encouraged An American sealing by expedition led Bouvetøya covers about 54 sq km. The km. The about 54 sq covers Bouvetøya ceed in landing. ceed the northwest coast. The expedition found month, 667 fur seals were taken, and a small taken, month, 667 fur seals were hut was built at Cap on de la Circoncision visited Bouvetøya in December 1927. Despite in December 1927. Despite Bouvetøya visited par- reef, the ship twice hitting an underwater on seven the days during put ashore ties were ocean ographic expedition in ographic ocean and named it Liverpool Island, taking posses-and named it Liverpool British crown. sion for the British sealing ships, on December 10, 1825, Bouvetøya discovered sporadically during the 19th century. Two sporadically during the 19th century. Two landing on December 8, 1822. They took 192 that the writing later skins, Fanning fur-seal so tameseals ‘that they would come up were skinning and play among the men who were their companions.’ was only pinned down 90 years later by the later was only pinned down 90 years German Deep Sea Exploration Expedition in 1898 sailing in island. Bouvetøya’s precise position, however, precise island. Bouvetøya’s British whaling captains James Lindsay and British whaling captains James Thomas Hopper, sailing in termine its position. It was not until 1808 that termine Jean-Baptiste-Charles Bouvet de Lozier, who, Bouvet Jean-Baptiste-Charles sailing in a good fix to de- to get 1739, but was unable offshore rocks make navigation hazardous. navigation rocks make offshore weather is nearly always cloudy Bouvetøya’s is -1°C; in or foggy.temperature The mean is 2.2°C. high summer, the average ings on the southern and eastern coasts, while eastern ings on the southern and steep cliffs as high to as 490m block access Landingsthe north, west and southwest. can places, and numerous be made in only a few known as the Wilhelm II plateau. Glaciers Glaciers II plateau. known as the Wilhelm land- and prevent the island 93% of cover landed on Bouvetøya in 1978 and measured measured in 1978 and landed on Bouvetøya 25°C. of temperature a below-ground about 500m wide and 2km long. Norwegian wide and 2km long. Norwegian about 500m named it Nyrøysa (New Rubble); discoverers Westwind Beach.it’s also called Scientists result of a landslide. This created the island’s the island’s This created a landslide. of result area any size, an of site only bird-nesting lonelyplanet.com resighted it and proved that it was indeed an it and proved resighted Benjamin in Morrell highest point is 780m Olavtoppen (Olav (Olav highest is 780m Olavtoppen point It and another high peak surround Peak). volcano an inactive of crater the ice-filled OTHER PERI-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS to 490m high onthesouthwesternto 490mhigh coast.At larger towering neighbor, withdramaticcliffs of bootsinone day’s time.’ cinders demoralizeanewpair ‘willthoroughly visited in1842noted thatMarion’s volcanic who captain asealing ples.’ Rugged, indeed: from northwardasacluster of rugged nip- Pilot hills; asthe1961editionof the small lakes andmore thanahundred small Good HopeProvince. sq kmandare partof of SouthAfrica’sCape Island, 22kmtothesouthwest.Theycover 316 Prince EdwardIslandandthelarger Marion summer, the Prince EdwardIslandsconsistof Bleak andbarren inwinter, lushandgreen in PRINCE EDWARDISLANDS breed onthe andmanyfurseals seals island. and waves experienced by Nyrøysa. all of hutsindicates theferocious these winds 232 Macaroni andchinstrap penguins,elephant Prince EdwardIsland Prince Dome-like of writingthatcan be donewithsuchatheme. a well-knownpublisher. Somenonexistent islandshave even appeared innovels –there isalot in1920,could stillbefoundina1995comprehensivefrom thecharts worldatlasproduced by this). The persistence ofnonexistent islandsisphenomenal:Swain’sIsland,ordered tobedeleted beforesubstantial hydrographicsurvey this was done(althoughthesatellite agehasnowsimplified other maritimeauthoritieswere very reluctant Itusuallytooka toexpungeitfrom the charts. possibility ofasupposedlysighted islandbeingahazardtonavigation,theBritishAdmiraltyand in thePacific.’ Greenland was probablyinvented toembellish abookbyanauthorknownas‘thegreatest liar Some ofthesealersmaywellhave deliberately ledothersonwildgoosechases. NewSouth locations ofgoodsealingdiscoveries, especiallynewislands,inordertoreduce thecompetition. too muchrum.Afew mayhave beendeliberate hoaxes: secret sealersalwaystriedto keep the anisland).Some sightings,however,can lookconvincinglylike were more theresult likely of rocks andmoraine. ice Acaptain,rightlyerringonthesideofsafety, these(dirty wouldreport existed. Manymightbeexplainedassightingsinbadweatheroficebergs thatwere carrying volcanic explosions. been seenmore thanonce,andthree mayoncehave existed butbecomesubmerged following southern limitsoftheadjoiningoceans,andallhave appeared Several onofficialcharts. have Rock andTrulsklippen.These have allbeenrecorded intheSouthern Oceanortheextreme Pagoda Rock,RoyalCompanyIsland,StrathfillanSwain’sThompson Island,Undine Island,NewSouthGreenland,Emerald Island,IslaGrande,Macey’sMiddle NimrodIsland, Island),Elizabethides, Island(alsocalledKeats Burdwood’s Island,The Chimneys,Dougherty’s of18 curious assortment nonexistent, butputatively similar,far-southern islands:Aurora Islands, Along withthegroupsofisolated there oceanicislandssurroundingAntarctica, are ofa reports NONEXISTENT ANTARCTIC ISLANDS picturesquely notes, theisland‘appears TE EIATRTCILNS • rneEwr sad OTHER PERI-ANTARCTIC EdwardIslands ISLANDS••Prince The problemwithallthesenonexistent islands hasbeengettingridofthem.Ifthere wasa Besides volcanoes,there are several reasons whypeoplemayhave supposedtheseislands Robert Headland is aseniorassociate attheScottPolarResearch Institute,Cambridge,Robert England Marion Island Marion ismore vertical thanits isdotted bymany Antarctic Robert Headland Robert no more thantwoor three days. threeonly onceevery tofive years, staying more thanfourpeopleispermitted toland Island isseverely restricted: agroupof not permitted. Even research onPrinceEdward in1995.Notouristvisitsare Nature Reserve covered by clouds. rain, andskiesusuallyatleastthree-quarters strong westerly winds,abundantsnowand ent: lowtemperatures year-round, extremely an average temperature rise. show alarge reduction inannualrainfalland noticeably drier,andmeteorological records climate change. Also,theisland’sbogsare now but recently thishasallbutdisappeared dueto President SwartPeak. Ithadasmalliceplateau, Mascarin Peak, formerlyknownasState African naval expeditionin January 1948. ous Champagnetoastmadebyasecret South groups of aswellanincongru- castaways isalargeCave Bay cave thathassheltered two The islands’ highest pointisMarion’s The islands’highest 1230m South Africadeclared theislandsaSpecial theweatherisfairlyconsist- Nevertheless, lonelyplanet.com