The Cotter Cliffs are a line of spectacular bare rock cliffs rising above the

Ross Sea The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land and within the Ross Embayment, and is the southernmost sea on Earth. It derives its name from the British explorer James Clark Ross who vi ...

and forming the seaward (eastern) face of the

Hallett Peninsula Hallett Peninsula () is a triangular, dome-shaped peninsula, long, with cliffs on its eastern seaboard side and on its west side. The peninsula extends from Cape Hallett to Cape Wheatstone and is joined to the mainland by a narrow ridge between ...

, in

Victoria Land Victoria Land is a region in eastern Antarctica which fronts the western side of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, extending southward from about 70°30'S to 78°00'S, and westward from the Ross Sea to the edge of the Antarctic Plateau. It ...

. A cape in this vicinity was named "Cape Cotter" in 1841 by

Sir James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer known for his explorations of the Arctic, participating in two expeditions led by his uncle John Ross, and four led by William Edwa ...

, after Pownall Pellew Cotter, master on HMS ''Terror''. No prominent cape exists along the east side of Hallett Peninsula, but the name Cotter has been retained for the cliffs in the same general area.

Important Bird Area

The site has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because it supports a colony of about 38,000 breeding pairs of

Adélie penguin The Adélie penguin (''Pygoscelis adeliae'') is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor p ...

References

External links

* Important Bird Areas of Antarctica Penguin colonies Cliffs of Victoria Land Borchgrevink Coast {{BorchgrevinkCoast-geo-stub