Map of King George Island, Antarctica |
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Location of King George Island |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Archipelago | South Shetland Islands |
| Area | 1,150 km2 (444 sq mi) |
| Length | 95 km (59 mi) |
| Width | 25 km (15.5 mi) |
| Country | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | around 500 |
| Additional information | |
| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
King George Island (Argentina: Isla 25 de Mayo, Chile: Isla Rey Jorge, Russian: Vaterloo (Waterloo)) is the largest of the South Shetland Islands, situated at , 120 kilometres (75 mi) off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. The Island was named after King George III. It is not to be confused with King George Island, a small uninhabited island off south-eastern Tasmania, nor with George Island in the Falkland Islands.
The island was first claimed for Britain on 16 October 1819, formally annexed[1][2][3] by Britain as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies in 1908, and now as part of the separate British Antarctic Territory. The Island was claimed by Chile in 1940, as part of the Chilean Antarctic Territory. It was claimed also by Argentina in 1943, now as part of Argentine Antarctica, called by the Argentines Isla Veinticinco de Mayo in honour of their National day. The US and Russia do not recognize these claims, and have formally reserved their right to claim Antarctic territories.
The island was discovered and named by the British explorer William Smith in 1819.[4] It is approximately 95 km (59 mi) long and 25 km (16 mi) wide with a land area of 1,150 square kilometres (444 sq mi). Over 90% of the island's surface is permanently glaciated.[4] In 1821, 11 men of the sailing vessel Lord Melville survived the winter on the island, the first men to do so in Antarctica.[5]
The coastal areas of the island are home to a comparatively diverse selection of vegetation and animal life, including Elephant, Weddell and Leopard seals, and Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins.
Human habitation of King George Island is limited to research stations belonging to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, South Korea, Peru, Poland, Russia, and Uruguay. Most of these stations are permanently staffed, carrying out research into areas as diverse as biology, ecology, geology, and palaeontology. Teniente Marsh, the Chilean Station on the Fildes Peninsula, is operated as a permanent village with an airstrip, a bank, a post office and comfortable ranch-style family homes with children. Chile (like Argentina and Great Britain) regards all of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands as part of that country's territory, however the terms of the Antarctic Treaty allow Chile to colonize the Fildes Peninsula without overtly pursuing its territorial claims.[6]
In 2004, a Russian Orthodox church, Trinity Church, was opened on the island near Russia's Bellingshausen Station. The church, one of the southernmost in the world and one of the few permanent structures in Antarctica, is permanently manned by a priest.
A small amount of specialised tourist activity also takes place during summer, including an annual marathon, known as the Antarctic marathon.
The Fildes Peninsula 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long, forms the SW extremity of the island. It was named from association with nearby Fildes Strait by the UK-APC in 1960.
Arctowski lighthouse at Arctowski Station is the most southerly lighthouse of the world.[7]
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