Devil Island

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / image missing

Devil Iceland (Spanish Isla del Diablo, German and Devil's Island ) is an island in the Weddell Sea. It lies in a bay on the north coast of Vega Island in Prince Gustav Channel southeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Geography

The narrow island is about two miles long, but less than a kilometer wide. At its two ends fall two up to 207 m high and separated by a valley steep rocky hills down into the sea. Of these two " horns " is derived from her name. The island is not glaciated.

Flora and Fauna

In December 2008 14.900 breeding pairs were counted on the Adeliepinguins Devil Iceland. BirdLife International, the island therefore made ​​as Important Bird Area ( Ant033 ). Radiocarbon tests have shown that the colony has existed since the 15th century. On the island also breed Subantarktikskuas and maybe snow petrels, whose nests were 1945/46, have been found. Also to be found, but not as a breeder are Wilson petrels and kelp gulls.

The vegetation is dominated by lichens of the genus Xanthoria. In addition there are Caloplaca lichen and algae of the genus Prasiola.

History

Devil Iceland was discovered on October 12, 1903 by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition and mapped. Its director Otto Nordenskjold gave the island its name (Swedish Djävulsön ).

Tourism

Devil Iceland is regularly visited by tourists. In the southern summers from 2005 /06 to 2009/10, annually attended about 2500 people the island. In the season 2011/12 there were 1472. Going ashore is strictly regulated by the Antarctic Treaty of nature conservation reasons.

In the Senckenberg Research Institute in Görlitz, the influence of man is examined for Antarctic ecosystems based on soil samples since 2010, which have been taken, among other things Devil Iceland.