Haswell Island

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The Haswell Island is an island in the Southern Ocean about three miles off the coast of Antarctica in the vicinity of Mirny station in Ostantarktika. The approximately 1 km ² largest island in the archipelago of the Haswell Islands is less than 300 kilometers west of the Shackleton Ice Shelf and about 80 kilometers south of the Drygalski island. The closest islands are the Tokarev, the Gorev and the Buromski Island. The Haswell Island is partially free of ice, has rocky ground and reaches a height of almost 100 meters. The island was discovered in 1912 by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-1914.

The Haswell Island is a breeding place of different seabird species whose populations have declined but in recent decades. The most numerous is the Adelie Penguin with 27,000 adult animals in the Antarctic summer 2009/2010. Furthermore breed here the silver Petrel, the White-winged Petrel, Cape Petrel of the snow petrel, the Wilson's Storm Petrel and the Antarktikskua. Southeast of the island there are on the Küsteneis a breeding colony of emperor penguin. Mammals are represented mainly by the Weddell seal, but there are four other species of seals before, including the rare Ross seal. In the waters around the island minke whales and killer whales are found.

The Haswell Island is recognized in accordance with the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty as a special protection area of ​​Antarctica No. 127 ( Antarctic Specially Protected Area no. 127).