The South Shetland Islands are a group of

Antarctic islands This is a list of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands. * Antarctic islands are, in the strict sense, the islands around mainland Antarctica, situated on the Antarctic Plate, and south of the Antarctic Convergence. According to the terms of the ...

located in the

Drake Passage The Drake Passage is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pa ...

with a total area of . They lie about north of the

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica. ...

, and between southwest of the nearest point of the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Treaty The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of A ...

of 1959, the islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories. According to British government language on the topic, "the whole of Antarctica is protected in the interests of peace and science." The islands have been claimed by three countries, beginning with the United Kingdom since 1908 (since 1962 as part of the equally unrecognized

British Antarctic Territory The British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories, of which it is by far the largest by area. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and betwee ...

). The islands are also claimed by the governments of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

(since 1940, as part of the Antártica Chilena province), and by Argentina (since 1943, as part of

Argentine Antarctica Argentine Antarctica ( or ) is an area on Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. It consists of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, delimited by the 25th meridian west, 25 ...

, Tierra del Fuego Province). Several countries maintain research stations on the islands. Most of them are situated on King George Island, benefitting from the airfield of the Chilean base Eduardo Frei. Sixteen research stations are in different parts of the islands, with Chilean stations being the greatest in number.

History

The islands were discovered by British mariner

William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to: Academics * William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic * William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...

, in , in 1819. Although Dutch mariner Dirck Gerritsz in 1599 or Spanish Admiral Gabriel de Castilla in 1603 might have sighted the South Shetlands, or North or South American sealers might have visited the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

before Smith. Smith's discovery was well documented and had wider historical implications beyond its geographic significance. Chilean scientists have claimed that

Amerinds The genetic history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas is divided into two distinct periods: the initial peopling of the Americas from about 20,000 to 14,000 years ago (20–14 kya), and European contact, after about 500 years ago. The ...

have visited the islands, due to stone artifacts recovered from bottom-sampling operations in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, and Discovery Bay,

Greenwich Island Greenwich Island (variant historical names ''Sartorius Island'', ''Berezina Island'') is an island long and from (average ) wide, lying between Robert Island and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The island's surface ...

; however, the artifacts – two arrowheads – were later found to have been planted. In 1818,

Juan Pedro de Aguirre Juan Pedro Julián Aguirre y López de Anaya (October 19, 1781 – July 17, 1837) was an Argentine revolutionary and politician. Aguirre was born in Buenos Aires, on October 19, 1781, to parents Cristobal Aguirre Hordenana Lecue and Maria ...

obtained permission from the

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

authorities to establish a base for sealing on "some of the uninhabited islands near the South Pole". Captain William Smith in the British merchant brig ''Williams'', while sailing to

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

, Chile, in 1819, deviated from his route south of

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

, and on 19 February 1819 sighted

Williams Point Williams Point is the point forming both the north extremity of Varna Peninsula and the northeast tip of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Separated from Zed Islands to the north by Iglika Passage. The discovery o ...

, the northeast extremity of

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...

. Thus, Livingston Island became the first land ever discovered farther than 60° south. Smith revisited the South Shetlands, landed on King George Island on 16 October 1819, and claimed possession for Britain. Meanwhile, the Spanish Navy ship ''

San Telmo San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''Barrios of Buenos Aires, barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. A well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis, it hosts some of its oldest buildings. One of the birthplace ...

'' sank in September 1819 whilst trying to go through the

. Parts of her presumed wreckage were found months later by sealers on the north coast of Livingston Island. The crew of ''San Telmo'' and the troops onboard, led by

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Rosendo Porlier (a total of 644 men), are believed to be the first known humans to land in Antarctica. From December 1819 to January 1820, the islands were surveyed and mapped by Lieutenant

Edward Bransfield Edward Bransfield ( – 31 October 1852) was a Royal Navy officer who served as a master on several ships, after being impressed into service in Ireland at the age of 18. He is noted for his participation in several explorations of parts of ...

on board the ''Williams'', which had been chartered by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. On 15 November 1819, the United States agent in Valparaíso, Jeremy Robinson, informed the

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

of Smith's discovery and Bransfield's forthcoming mission, and suggested dispatching a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

ship to explore the islands, where "new sources of wealth, power, and happiness would be disclosed and science itself be benefited thereby". The discovery of the islands attracted British and American sealers. The first sealing ship to operate in the area was the brig ''Espirito Santo'', chartered by British merchants in

. The ship arrived at Rugged Island off Livingston Island, where its British crew landed on Christmas Day 1819, and claimed the islands for King George III. A narrative of the events was published by the brig's master, Joseph Herring, in the July 1820 edition of the ''Imperial Magazine''. The ''Espirito Santo'' was followed from the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, 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 from Cape Dub ...

by the American brig ''Hersilia'', commanded by Captain James Sheffield (with second mate

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

), the first US sealer in the South Shetlands. The first wintering over in Antarctica took place on the South Shetlands, when at the end of the 1820–1821 summer season, 11 British men from the ship ''Lord Melville'' failed to leave King George Island, and survived the winter to be rescued at the beginning of the next season. Having circumnavigated the Antarctic continent, the

Russian Antarctic Expedition Russian Antarctic Expedition (; RAE) is a continuously operating expedition of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of Russia. The RAE involves winterers, who spend ab ...

Fabian von Bellingshausen Faddey Faddeyevich Bellingshausen or Fabian Gottlieb Benjamin von Bellingshausen ( – ) was a Russian cartographer, explorer, and naval officer of Baltic German descent, who attained the rank of admiral. He participated in the first Russian c ...

and

Mikhail Lazarev Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (; ) was a Russian fleet commander and explorer. Education and early career Lazarev was born in Vladimir city, a scion of the old Russian nobility from the Vladimir province. In 1800, he enrolled in Russ ...

arrived at the South Shetlands in January 1821. The Russians surveyed the islands and named them, landing on both King George Island and

Elephant Island Elephant Island is an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands, in the Southern Ocean. The island is situated north-northeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, west-so ...

. While sailing between

Deception Deception is the act of convincing of one or many recipients of untrue information. The person creating the deception knows it to be false while the receiver of the information does not. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Tort of ...

and Livingston Islands, Bellingshausen was visited by

, master of the American brig ''Hero'', who informed him of the activities of dozens of American and British sealing ships in the area. The name "New South Britain" was used briefly, but was soon changed to South Shetland Islands (in reference to the

Shetland Islands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the Uni ...

in the north of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

). The name South Shetland Islands is now established in international usage. The two island groups lie at similar distances from the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

; the Scottish Shetland Islands are 60°N, and warmed by the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

, but the South Shetlands at 62°S are much colder.

Seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of Pinniped, seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in nine countries: Canada, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Russia, the United States (above the Arctic Circle ...

and

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

were conducted on the islands during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The sealing era lasted from 1820 to 1908 during which time 197 vessels are recorded as having visiting the islands. Twelve of those vessels were wrecked. Relics of the sealing era include iron try pots, hut ruins, and inscriptions. Beginning in 1908, the islands were governed as part of the Falkland Islands Dependency, but they have only been permanently occupied by humans since the establishment of a scientific research station in 1944. The archipelago, together with the nearby

and

South Georgia Island South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...

, is an increasingly popular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

destination during the southern summer.

Geography

As a group of islands, the South Shetland Islands are located at . They are within the region 61° 00'–63° 37' South, 53° 83'–62° 83' West. The islands lie south of the

, and between (

Deception Island Deception Island is in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula with a large and usually "safe" natural harbour, which is occasionally affected by the underlying active volcano. This island is the caldera of an active volc ...

) and ( Clarence Island) northwest and north from the nearest point of the Antarctic continent,

Graham Land Graham Land is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula that lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee ...

. The South Shetlands consist of 11 major islands and several minor ones, totalling of land area. Between 80 and 90% of the land area is permanently

glaciated A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires d ...

. The highest point on the island chain is

Mount Foster Mount Foster is a peak rising to in the Imeon Range on Smith Island in the South Shetland Islands of the British Antarctic Territory. It is the highest point of the South Shetland Islands archipelago. Mount Foster has triple peaks of which Mou ...

on Smith Island at above sea level at 2-meter spatial resolution.Bulgarian Antarctic Gazetteer
/ref>I.M. Howat, C. Porter, B.E. Smith, M.-J. Noh and P. Morin. Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA). Polar Geospatial Center. University of Minnesota, 2022
Antarctic REMA Exlorer
The South Shetland Islands extend about from Smith Island and

Low Island A coral island is a type of island formed from coral detritus and associated organic material. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas, typically as part of a coral reef which has grown to cover a far larger area under the sea. The term low ...

in the west-southwest to

and Clarence Island in the east-northeast.

Volcanoes

Various volcanoes with activity in the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

exist in the islands. These volcanoes are associated with the

tectonics Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons. These processes ...

of Bransfield Rift. From west to east, the known volcanoes are Sail Rock, Deception Island,

Rezen Knoll Rezen Knoll (, ) is a knoll rising to 433 m in eastern Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The knoll is bounded to the east, north and west by Perunika Glacier, and linked to Burdick Ridge by Rezen Saddle. The fea ...

, Gleaner Heights,

Edinburgh Hill Edinburgh Hill is a narrow point projecting 650 m from the east coast of Varna Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica into McFarlane Strait and ending up in a conspicuous rocky hill of elevation 180 m whose bott ...

, Inott Point, Penguin Island, Melville Peak, and Bridgeman Island. Most of the

volcanic rock Volcanic rocks (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) are rocks formed from lava erupted from a volcano. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic rock is artificial, and in nature volcanic rocks grade into hypabyssal and me ...

and

tephra Tephra is fragmental material produced by a Volcano, volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, ...

is of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

basaltic andesite Basaltic andesite is a volcanic rock that is intermediate in composition between basalt and andesite. It is composed predominantly of augite and plagioclase. Basaltic andesite can be found in volcanoes around the world, including in Central Ameri ...

. An exception is the tephra of Deception Island, which is of

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava (or shallow intrus ...

and basaltic trachyandesite, richer in potassium and sodium. Quaternary volcanic products of the islands tend to have less potassium and sodium at a given silica range, and lower Nb/ Y ratios, than those associated with the

Larsen Rift __NOTOC__ Larsen may refer to: People * Larsen (surname) * Larsen Jensen (born 1985), American swimmer * Larsen Marape (born 1986), Papua New Guinea rugby league footballer * Larsen Thompson (born 2000), American actress, model, and dancer * Larsen ...

on the Antarctic Peninisula.

Climate

The islands are the same distance from the Equator as the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

, but their proximity to Antarctica means that they have a much colder climate. The sea around the islands is closed by

ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

from early April to early December, and the monthly average temperature is below for eight months of the year (April to November). The islands have experienced measurable

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

retreat during recent years, but despite this, they remain more than 80% snow- and ice-covered throughout the summer. The climate is cloudy and humid all year round, and very strong westerly winds blow at all seasons. Some of the sunniest weather is associated with outbreaks of very cold weather from the south in late winter and spring. Mean summer temperatures are only about and those in winter are about . The effect of the ocean tends to keep summer temperatures low and prevent winter temperatures from falling as low as they do inland to the south.

Flora and fauna

Despite the harsh conditions, the islands do support vegetation and are part of the

Scotia Sea The Scotia Sea is a sea located at the northern edge of the Southern Ocean at its boundary with the South Atlantic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the Drake Passage and on the north, east, and south by the Scotia Arc, an undersea ridge and is ...

Islands

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

, along with

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands known as the ...

, the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula Bouvet Island Bouvet Island ( ; ) is an uninhabited subantarctic volcanic island and dependency of Norway. It is a protected nature reserve, and situated in the South Atlantic Ocean at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is the world's most extre ...

. All of these islands lie in the cold seas below the

Antarctic Convergence The Antarctic Convergence or Antarctic Polar Front is a marine belt encircling Antarctica, varying in latitude seasonally, where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the relatively warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic. The line separate ...

. These areas support tundra vegetation consisting of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es,

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s, and

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

, while seabirds,

penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

s, and seals feed in the surrounding waters. An insect, ''Parochlus steinenii'', is the only flying insect living that far south.Records of Parochlus steinenii in the Maritime Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions
/ref>

Islands

From north to south, the main and some minor islands of the South Shetlands are: * Cornwallis Island (minor) *

(Mordvinova by Russia) * Clarence Island (Shishkova by Russia) * Rowett Island (minor) * Gibbs Island (minor) *

Eadie Island Eadie Island is an island long which lies between Aspland Island and O'Brien Island, in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. A strong marine channel, named Tasman Rip, runs between Eadie Island and O'Brien Island. The island was first c ...

(minor) * King George Island (the largest, called May 25 island by Argentina, or Vaterloo by Russia) * Bridgeman Island (minor) * Penguin Island (minor - one of several Penguin Islands in the Antarctic region) * Nelson Island (Leipzig by Russia) *

Robert Island Robert Island or Mitchells Island or Polotsk Island or Roberts Island is an island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being ...

(Polotsk by Russia) * The Watchkeeper (minor) *

Table Island Table Island is an uninhabited island within the Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. It lies in Norwegian Bay, north of Devon Island, and is also south Cornwall Island, separated by Belcher Channel. Ekins Island is a small islet ab ...

(minor) *

Aitcho Islands The Aitcho Islands (''‘Aitcho’'' standing for ''‘H.O.’'' i.e. ''‘Hydrographic Office’'') are a group of minor islands on the west side of the north entrance to English Strait separating Greenwich Island and Robert Island in the South ...

(minor) *

(Berezina by Russia) *

Half Moon Island Half Moon Island is a minor Antarctic island, lying in McFarlane Strait north of Burgas Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula region. Its surface area is . The Argentine Cámara Base is located o ...

(minor) * Desolation Island (minor) *

(second largest, Smolensk by Russia) * Rugged Island (minor - one of several in the Antarctic region) * Snow Island (one of several in the Antarctic region; Maly Yaroslavets by Russia) * Smith Island (Borodino by Russia) *

(Teylya by Russia) *

* Seal Islands (minor) * Middle Island (phantom) The Russian names above are historical, and no longer the official Russian names. (See the end of the article for a complete list of islands.)

Research stations

Several nations maintain research stations on the Islands: * – Cámara (since 1953, Summer only) * – Carlini (since 1953, Year-round) * – Base Decepción (since 1948, Summer only) * – St. Kliment Ohridski (since 1988, Summer only) * –

Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station The Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station () is a permanent Antarctic research station named after the Brazilian Navy Commander Luís Antônio de Carvalho Ferraz (1940–1982), who visited Antarctica many times with the British exploration team an ...

(since 1984, Year-round) * – Presidente Eduardo Frei Base (since 1969, Year-round) * – Profesor Julio Escudero Base (since 1994, Year-round) * –

Captain Arturo Prat Base Captain Arturo Prat Base (Spanish: Base Naval Antártica "Arturo Prat") is a Chilean Antarctic research station located at Iquique Cove, Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Opened February 6, 1947 by the First Chilean An ...

(since 1947, Year-round) * – Dr. Guillermo Mann Base (since 1991, Summer only) * – Chang Cheng / Great Wall (since 1985, Year-round) * – Pedro Vicente Maldonado Base (since 1990, Summer only) * –

Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base Juan Carlos I Antarctic Base, named after the former king of Spain, Juan Carlos I (), is a seasonal (November to March) scientific station operated by Spain, opened in January 1988. Situated on Hurd Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetla ...

(since 1988, Summer only) * – Gabriel de Castilla Base (since 1989, Summer only) * –

King Sejong Station The King Sejong Station () is a research station for the Korea Antarctic Research Program that is named after King Sejong the Great of Joseon (1397–1450). Established on February 17, 1988, it consists of 11 facility buildings and two obser ...

(since 1988, Year-round) * – Machu Picchu Research Station (since 1989, Summer only) * –

Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station ( Polish: ''Polska Stacja Antarktyczna im. Henryka Arctowskiego'') is a Polish research station on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica. History The station is named for Henryk Arctowski (18 ...

(since 1977, Year-round) * –

Bellingshausen Station Bellingshausen Station () is a Russian Antarctic station at Collins Harbour, on King George Island of the South Shetland Islands. It was one of the first research stations founded by the Soviet Antarctic Expedition in 1968. It is also the loca ...

(since 1968, Year-round) * – Shirreff Base (since 1996, Summer only) * –

Artigas Base The General Artigas Station (), also referred to as the Artigas Base is the larger of the two Uruguayan scientific research stations in Antarctica, the other one being Elichiribehety Base. It is one of the 68 bases in Antarctica. Organizati ...

(since 1984, Year-round)

Field camps

* –

Camp Livingston Camp Livingston was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II. It was located on the border between Rapides and Grant Parishes, near Pineville, north of Alexandria, Louisiana. History Camp Livingston was open from 1940 to 1945, and was ...

* –

Camp Academia Camp Academia (, ) is a geographical locality in eastern Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, named for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in appreciation of the Academy’s contribution to Antarctic exploration. The site was fir ...

* –

Camp Byers Camp Byers () is a Spanish seasonal base camp on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The locality is also designated for use as an International Field Camp. When necessary for scientific research purpos ...

Maps

Chart of South Shetland including Coronation Island
from the exploration of the sloop Dove in the years 1821 and 1822 by George Powell Commander of the same. Scale ca. 1:200000. London: Laurie, 1822.
King George Island Geographic Information System
* L. L. Ivanov et al. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands (from English Strait to Morton Strait, with illustrations and ice-cover distribution). Scale 1:100000 topographic map.

Antarctic Place-names Commission The Antarctic Place-names Commission was established by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute in 1994, and since 2001 has been a body affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bulgaria), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria. The Commis ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, 2005. * L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2010. (First edition 2009 ) * L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Smith Island. Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2017,
Antarctic Digital Database (ADD)
Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly upgraded and updated.

In fiction

* ''Away with the Penguins'' by Hazel Prior (2020) is set in a penguin research base on the

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

island of "Locket Island", but which the author states is based on the South Shetland Islands.

References

External links

Commonwealth Secretariat Website describing BAT

United Kingdom, British Antarctic Territory Government

Argentine Government Website with a map of the South Shetland Islands

Argentine Government website about the history of Antarctica

Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica

Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria
{{Authority control Falkland Islands in World War II Archipelagoes of the Southern Ocean Seal hunting

History

Geography

Volcanoes

Climate

Flora and fauna

Islands

Research stations

Field camps

See also

Maps

In fiction

References

Further reading

External links