Weddell Settlement is the only settlement on
Weddell Island
Weddell Island ( es, Isla San José) is one of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, lying off the southwest extremity of West Falkland. It is situated west-northwest of South Georgia Island, north of Livingston Island, northeast of Ca ...
in the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
, situated on the east coast of the island at the head of the sheltered
Gull Harbour (formerly ''Great Harbour''.), part of
Queen Charlotte Bay
Queen Charlotte Bay (Spanish: ''Bahia San Julian' is a bay/fjord on the west coast of West Falkland. It is one of the two main bays on that coast, the other being King George Bay. Islands in the bay include Weddell Island
Weddell Island ( es ...
. It is located at , which is northeast of
Race Point
Race Point is the point on the north side of Smylie Channel forming the south extremity of Weddell Island in the Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean ...
, south by west of
Swan Point, west-southwest of
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
and west of
Fox Bay
Fox Bay ( es, Bahía Fox or ''Bahía Zorro'' ) is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island. It is often divided into Fox Ba ...
on
West Falkland
West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Its area is , 37% of the total area of the islands. Its coastli ...
.
Demographics
The settlement provides the logistic base for Weddell Island’s
sheep farming
Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin an ...
and
tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
industries. Sea transportation is serviced by a 50-meter pier. The island’s airfield is situated north of Weddell Settlement, and has two intersecting unpaved runways ( and long respectively) used by the
Falkland Islands Government Air Service
Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) is an airline based at Port Stanley Airport, Falkland Islands. It operates unscheduled passenger services throughout the Falkland Islands. It also undertakes aerial surveillance of the exclusive ...
(FIGAS)
Islander
Islander, Islanders, or The Islanders may refer to:
People
* Islander, referring to Jersey people
* Islander, New Zealand-English term usually meaning Pacific Islander
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''The Islander'' (Rylant novel), ...
aircraft operating out of
Stanley Airport
Stanley Airport is located in Stanley, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada, approximately northeast of Windsor.
History
World War II
Stanley was built as RCAF Station Stanley in March 1941 to train pilots as part of the British Commonwealth A ...
. There are two unpaved
earth roads on the island, both leaving Weddell Settlement. One of them, long, runs towards the airfield and further north to Loop Head Shanty and the headland ending up in Loop Head and
Swan Point. The other one leads in westerly direction, skirting the head of Chatham Harbour and turning north at Kelp Creek House to reach Chatham House at the southwest corner of the bay.
The tourist and farming infrastructure at Weddell Settlement is currently being renovated; in particular, the Weddell Lodge is being extended to provide additional tourist and workers accommodation during the summer period.
Extensions to the existing lodge accommodation.
Planning and Building Committee, Falkland Islands Government. Stanley, 19 July 2017
Maps
* ''The Falkland Islands''. Scale 1:401280 map. London: Edward Stanford, 1901
* Falkland Islands Explorer Map. Scale 1:365000. Ocean Explorer Maps, 2007
* Falklands Topographic Map Series. Scale 1:50000, 29 sheets. DOS 453, 1961-1979
Falkland Islands.
Scale 1:643000 Map. DOS 906. Edition 3-OS, 1998
''Map 500k--xm20-4''.
1:500000 map of Weddell Island and part of West Falkland. Russian Army Maps (for the world)
Scale 1:1500000 chart. Gps Nautical Charts, 2010
Illustrated Map of Weddell Island
Gallery
File:Weddell-Island-Map-1901.png, Old map of Weddell Island
John Hamilton, Weddell Island.jpg, Sheep farmer John Hamilton whose family owned the settlement and the island from 1923 to 1987
Sheep gathering on Weddell Island.jpg, Sheep gathering on Weddell Island
Lewis-Clifton.jpg, The brothers Lewis (pictured) and Stephen Clifton own the island since 2015
Weddell-Island-Map.png, Map of Weddell Island
Notes
References
* B. Stonehouse (ed.). ''Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans''. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. 404 pp.
* C.H. Barnard
''A Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Capt. Charles H. Barnard, in a Recent Voyage Round the World, Including an Account of His Residence for Two Years on An Uninhabited Island''.
New York: J.P. Callender, 1836
* P.P. King and R. Fitzroy
''The South America Pilot''.
''Part II. From the Rio de la Plata to the Bay of Panama, including Magellan Strait, the Falkland, and Galapagos Islands''. Fifth Edition. London: Printed for the Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, 1860. pp. 116–118
External links
Weddell Settlement.
Copernix satellite image
Weddell Island Official Website
Weddell Island from space.
NASA Johnson Space Center, 30 April 2005
Zoomable world map.
Features plans of Weddell Settlement and Weddell Island Airfield
{{Falkland Islands topics, state=collapsed
Populated places in the Falkland Islands
Ports and harbours of the Atlantic Ocean