Balleny Islands

The Balleny Islands (English Balleny Islands ) are a more than 190 km from northwest to southeast elongated group of uninhabited islands in the Somov Sea in the Southern Ocean about 2,300 kilometers south of New Zealand. The archipelago is located 240 km from the Antarctic mainland ( Oatesland ) and is a part of the Ross Dependency area, the claimed by New Zealand Antarctic Territory. However, since claims south of 60 degrees south latitude according to the Antarctic Treaty are not recognized, the islands are so far no state belonging.

Geography

The 95% glaciated islands have a total area of approximately 800 km ² and are of volcanic origin. The archipelago consists of three main islands Young Iceland, Iceland Buckle and Sturge Iceland and numerous, much smaller islands and rocks.

The southern polar circle intersects the island group between the Young and Buckle Iceland near Borradaile Iceland. The highest elevation of the island group, the unclimbed Brown Peak 1524 m above sea level, is located on Sturge Iceland. On two islands are small shelters: " Swan Base" on Borradaile and " Sabrina Refuge " on Sabrina Iceland.

History

The archipelago was discovered in 1839 by the whaling captains John Balleny the schooner Eliza Scott and Thomas Freeman († 1839) with the cutter Sabrina. Thomas Freeman entered on February 12, 1839 for the first time one of the islands - this was also the first landing beyond the Antarctic Circle.

Since 1982, part of the archipelago since 2002 is ( Sabrina Iceland, The Monolith and Chinstrap Iceland ) under the protection of the Antarctic Treaty, as a special protection area No. 104

Wildlife

For seven bird species is demonstrated that they breed on the Balleny Islands. The colonies of silver Petrel on the northwest coast of Iceland Sturge consist of an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 pairs, while the western cliffs are inhabited by about 10,000 pairs of snow petrel. 6,000 pairs of silver petrel breed on Row Iceland. The most common is the Adelie penguin. Alone on Sabrina Iceland brood 3,500 pairs. The rarer the Balleny Islands Chinstrap Penguin is found in three colonies from a total of 1350 pairs on Buckle Iceland. The other breeding birds of the Cape Petrel, the White-winged Petrel and Wilson's Storm Petrel.