Return Point is a rocky slope forming the south-west extremity of

Coronation Island Coronation Island is the largest of the South Orkney Islands, long and from wide. The island extends in a general east–west direction, is mainly ice-covered and comprises numerous bays, glaciers and peaks, the highest rising to . History T ...

, in the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

. It lies 2 km west-north-west of

Cheal Point Cheal Point is a rocky headland east-south-east of Return Point, the south-western extremity of Coronation Island, in the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica. History The headland was first surveyed in 1933 by DI personnel, and named by the U ...

History

The point was discovered on 7 December 1821 by Captain George Powell, British sealer in the sloop ''Dove'', and Captain

Nathaniel Palmer Nathaniel Brown Palmer (August 8, 1799June 21, 1877) was an American seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, and ship designer. He gave his name to Palmer Land, Antarctica, which he explored in 1820 on his sloop ''Hero''. He was born in Stoning ...

, American sealer in the sloop ''James Monroe''. It was named by Powell who, after making a landing on this point of land, returned directly aboard ship after viewing the coast to the eastward.

Important Bird Area

A 194 ha tract of land, including both Return Point and Cheal Point, has been identified as 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 large breeding colony of about 38,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins which nest on places which are free of ice cover.

References

Headlands of the South Orkney Islands Important Bird Areas of Antarctica Penguin colonies {{SouthOrkneys-geo-stub