Gough Island
( Also referred to as Gonçalo Álvares ) Gough [ gɔf - ] is a high volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, the da Cunha belongs to the archipelago of Tristan. It is located about 400 km southeast of the main island of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, whose capital Jamestown is around 2700 miles away on the island of St. Helena.
The island is located about 2778 km from Cape Town ( South Africa ) and about 3333 km from the South American mainland.
Geography
The island is 65 km ², 13.9 km long and up to 8 km wide. The highest elevation is the Edinburgh peak with an altitude of 910 m. Due to its location in the so-called Roaring Forties, there is almost all year strong westerly wind and rainfall can reach 3397 mm annual average, the air temperature is 11.9 ° C on average.
Discovery
The island may have been, discovered by the Portuguese navigator Gonçalo Álvares in the early 16th century, in 1505 or 1506, but their position is not initially determined exactly. That was in 1731, when it was rediscovered by the British Captain Charles Gough, after whom it is named. Was first entered it was already in 1675 by the English merchant Anthony de la Roché (see de la Roche's landing on the Gough Island ), after he had been driven by a storm of its route and had discovers South Georgia.
Wildlife
The island is home to two endemic bird species: the Gough Moorhen ( Gallinula comeri ) and the Gough Bunting ( Rowettia goughensis ). The house mouse (Mus musculus) was introduced by whalers in the 19th century. Due to their predatory behavior, they are now threatened the continued existence of native bird species. It is also known colony of fur seals Subantarctic (Arctocephalus tropicali ), live in the three-quarters of the world's stocks of these species.
Other Information
On the remote and deserted island, which lies about 3200 km from Cape Town, South Africa since 1956, operates a continuously manned weather station ( 40 ° 20 ' 58 "S, 9 ° 52' 49 " W 40.349352777778 - 9.8803666666667 ).
From August to September 1958 tested the United States near the island with the Argus experiment, the defense against ballistic missiles by explosion of nuclear warheads in about 480 km altitude. There were three tests carried out, inter alia, from the USS Norton Sound.
The island since 1995 as part of Inaccessible World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
In 2011, the island was used as a mark of round the world regatta Barcelona World Race, which had to circumnavigate the participants boats on their way from Europe to the Cape of Good Hope ( South Africa).