The Possession Islands are a group of small
islands and
rocks
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...
extending over an area of about , lying in the western part of the
Ross Sea, lying south-east of
Cape McCormick
The Adare Peninsula, sometimes called the Cape Adare Peninsula, is a high ice-covered peninsula, long, in the northeast part of Victoria Land, extending south from Cape Adare to Cape Roget. The peninsula is considered the southernmost point of ...
and east of
Cape Roget, in
Victoria Land,
Antarctica. The Possession Islands were named by Captain
James Clark Ross,
Royal Navy, in commemoration of the planting of the
British flag
The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag.
The design of the Union Jack dates back to the Act of Union 1801 which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in per ...
here on January 12, 1841.
Possession Island
Possession Island is a
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
y
island nearly long. The northernmost and largest of the group, it is located at .
[ ]Archer Peak
Archer Peak is a Summit (topography), peak, high, on the southwest extremity of Possession Island, Antarctica. It was named by the Southern Cross Expedition, British Antarctic Expedition, 1898–1900, either for A. Archer, Esq., of Australia, ...
is a mountain on the southernmost edge of the island.
Important Bird Area
A site comprising the whole island 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 about 111,000 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 ...
s, based on ground counts made from 1981 to 2012. A significant south polar skua colony is also present on the island.[ ]
See also
* Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
The Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (CGA) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is the authoritative international gazetteer containing all Antarctic toponyms published in national gazetteers, plus basic information about t ...
* List of Antarctic and Subantarctic islands
* List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
* SCAR
* Territorial claims in Antarctica
References
External links
*
Important Bird Areas of Antarctica
Penguin colonies
Seabird colonies
Islands of Victoria Land
Borchgrevink Coast
{{BorchgrevinkCoast-geo-stub