South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a sub-antarctic archipelago in the Southern Ocean, located west of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Geography
The South Shetland Islands are a group of eleven large and several small islands that extend over 508 km in northeast -southwest direction. The islands are separated from the Antarctic continent by a 150- kilometer-wide strait ( Bransfield Strait ). They are of continental origin and include a number of active and extinct volcanoes. 80 percent of the land mass is glaciated. The highest elevation of the island chain is Mount Irving with 2300 meters to Clarence Iceland. Mount Foster 2105 meters on Smith Iceland is the highest elevation in the southern group of the archipelago. The islands have a combined area of about 4,700 km ².
The individual islands from north to south
- Cornwallis Iceland
- Elephant Iceland
- Clarence Iceland
- Rowett Iceland
- Gibbs Iceland
- King George Iceland
- Bridgeman Iceland
- Penguin Iceland
- Nelson Iceland
- Robert Iceland
- Greenwich Iceland
- Half Moon Iceland
- Livingston Iceland
- Rugged Iceland
- Snow Iceland
- Smith Iceland
- Deception Iceland
- Low Iceland
Climate
The climate on the islands is relatively mild for Antarctic conditions. The winter that falls on our summer is characterized by permafrost ( -10 ° C) and darkness. It was not until August, makes the sun look more frequently and leaves in September notice a clear warming. As of November, the temperatures rise gradually over the zero - degree mark. The short summer is always pretty cool with maximum temperatures 2-3 ° C, with the sun in December disappears for a few hours behind the horizon. From December to March the sea is temporarily ice-free, but the end of April again formed pack ice, which can hold on until well into December. On land located at 6 to 10 months in snow at higher elevations throughout the year. There are year-round rainfall (~ 500 mm), mostly in the form of snow (only in summer as rain or snow - rain ) with a small minimum in the summer.
Discovery and colonization
Maybe the South Shetland Islands were discovered in 1599 by Dirk Gerritz; also Gabriel de Castilla might on his journey to the Southern Ocean in 1603 the archipelago have spotted for the first time. The first confirmed sighting dates back to the Englishman William Smith, who was blown off course at the outlining of Cape Horn and thereby constituted the Livingston Island, but did not enter. After one wanted to give him no faith, he returned in October of the same year and entered King George Iceland. Smith returned to Valparaíso and claimed the islands for his country under the name of New Shetland Islands.
1820 Edward Bransfield traveled with William Smith as pilot, to command the Royal Navy to the islands to map them and perform scientific work. He also explored the surrounding waters and discovered Antarctica. ( Whether Bransfield is actually the first explorers of the Antarctic continent, is debatable. Refer to the discovery of the Antarctic. ) In the 19th and 20th centuries, the islands of whale and seal hunters and several scientific expeditions have visited. First permanent residents there from 1944.
Residents and stations
Today, located on the South Shetland Islands, numerous scientific stations. The islands are popular because of their relatively mild climate and its proximity to the South American mainland as a base and research base.
Possession claims
The island group is part of the Argentine, British and Chilean Antarctic territory, but falls under the Antarctic Treaty that prohibits the state sovereignty.
Outside world contacts and Conservation
The island group is driven in the summer months every year by some cruise ships, several areas are, however, on the basis of the Antarctic Treaty strictly protected and are therefore not accessible to tourists.