Shag Rocks, South Georgia
The Shag Rocks ( shag in German means dab or cormorant ) form an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 250 kilometers west of Georgia and located about 1,000 kilometers east of the Falkland Islands. They extend over an area of approximately 200 km ². The group consists of six rocky islands and belongs politically to the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. 16 km southeast of the Shag Rocks of the Black Rock is located at 53 ° 39 ' S, 41 ° 48 ' W - 53.65 - 41.8.
Geography, geology, climate
The six rocky islands rise steeply out of the water and reach a height of nearly 75 meters. The total land area of the islands is only 20 acres ( 0.2 km ²).
Shag Rocks and Black Rock, like many islands in the Southern Antilles, which Tierra del Fuego connect to the Antarctic Peninsula, of volcanic origin.
The islands are no human settlements. From science and tourism reasons, the islands are occasionally driven. Here are tourist visits because of the very harsh climate, however, very rare. Temperatures range from -5 to 15 ° C. The location in the southern Atlantic Ocean in the so-called Furious Fifties ensures year-round, violent and cold westerly winds.
Flora and Fauna
On the rocky ground of the island do not grow larger plants; Mosses and lichens cover the ground. The bird life is well represented, especially with prions and albatrosses. Are named the islands after the occurring there Königsscharben, English Imperial Shags, a species of cormorants.
History
The islands may have been discovered in 1762 by José de la Llama and named after the name of the ship Aurora. To date, however, is not certain whether the Aurora Islands Shag Rocks were actually meant. The archipelago was rediscovered in 1819 by the American sealers James Sheffield aboard the Hersilia; he gave the archipelago its present name. The first landing on the islands was in 1956 by an Argentine helicopter. Argentina raises claims on referred to as the Islas Aurora archipelago, the rocks themselves were not occupied during the Falklands War in 1982.