The South Sandwich Islands is a subantarctic archipelago located in the South Atlantic 570 km southeast of South Georgia , consisting of 11 small islands of volcanic origin and many small islands and rocks . The archipelago, the area of which is sometimes referred to as the Southern Ocean , is the eastern border of the Skosha Sea .
| South Sandwich the islands | |
|---|---|
| English South sandwich islands | |
| Specifications | |
| Number of islands | eleven |
| Largest island | Montagu |
| total area | 310 km² |
| Highest point | 1310 m |
| Population | 0 pax (2012) |
| Location | |
| Water area | Atlantic Ocean |
| A country |
|
Administratively part of the overseas territory of Great Britain, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (that is, they belong to the UK, but are not part of it). Argentina makes territorial claims on the islands, but together with the Falklands and South Georgia (never separately).
General information
The southern Sandwich Islands occupy an area of 310 km², the length of about. Zavadovsky to the islands of Southern Tula is 410 km. The islands are composed mainly of young volcanic rocks. The highest point is Belinda (mountain) (1372 m ) on Montagu , the largest island of the archipelago. [2]
The islands are mountainous, constantly covered with snow and glaciers . The archipelago is located along the South Sandwich Trench and is part of the South Antilles Range . [3] The island arc is located in a seismically active zone. So, on June 30, 2008, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 occurred, the epicenter of which was 280 km east-northeast of Fr. Bristol According to the US Geological Survey, on July 15, 2013, an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 occurred, the epicenter of which was located 216 km southeast of Fr. Bristol There are also active volcanoes on the islands.
The climate is subantarctic , the weather is windy , overcast with frequent rainfall throughout the year. Sometimes cold air masses from Antarctica invade the islands. The temperature throughout the year is about 0 ° C. The absolute maximum is +17.7 ° C, the absolute minimum is −29.8 ° C (according to meteorological observations conducted on the islands of Southern Tula). Drifting sea ice surrounds the islands from mid-May to late November. Flowering plants are practically not common, mainly mosses and lichens .
On the islands - colonies of birds (including penguins ), rookeries of seals .
List of islands of the South Sandwich Islands archipelago:
| No. | Isle (Russian) | Isle (eng.) | Square, km² | Highest point, m | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traversay Islands Archipelago | |||||
| one | Sandbank Protector (Seamount) | Protector shoal | - | -27 m (89 ft ) | |
| 2 | Zavadovsky Island | Zavodovski island | 25 km 2 (9.7 sq. Miles) | Mount Asphyxia 550 m (1800 ft ) | |
| 3 | Leskova Island | Leskov island | 0.3 km 2 (0.12 sq. Miles) | Rudder Point 190 m (620 ft ) | |
| four | High Island | Visokoi island | 35 km 2 (14 sq. Miles) | mount hodson 915 m (3,002 ft ) | |
| Candlemas Islands | |||||
| five | Kandlmas | Candlemas island ( Candelaria ) (Spanish) | 14 km 2 (5.4 sq. Miles) | mount Andromeda 550 m (1800 ft ) | |
| 6 | Windshield | Vindication island ( Vindicación ) (Spanish) | 5 km 2 (1.9 sq. Miles) | Quadrant Peak 430 m (1,410 ft ) | |
| Central (Central islands) | |||||
| 7 | Saunders | Saunders island | 40 km 2 (15 sq. Miles) | mount maikl 990 m (3,250 ft ) | |
| eight | Montagu | Montagu island ( Jorge ) (Spanish) | 110 km 2 (42 sq. Miles) | Belinda 1,370 m (4,490 ft ) | |
| 9 | Bristol | Bristol island ( Blanca ) (Spanish) | 46 km 2 (18 sq. Miles) | mount darnley 1,100 m (3,600 ft ) | |
| Southern Thule | |||||
| ten | Bellingshausen Island | Bellingshausen island | 1 km 2 (0.39 sq. Miles) | Basilisk peak 255 m (837 ft ) | |
| eleven | Cook | Cook island | 20 km 2 (7.7 sq. Miles) | mount harmer 1,115 m (3,658 ft ) | |
| 12 | Thule | Thule island | 14 km 2 (5.4 sq. Miles) | mount Larsen 710 m (2,330 ft ) | |
| 13 | Bank High | Vysokaya bank | - | - | |
| Total | 310 km 2 (120 sq. Miles) | Belinda 1,370 m (4,490 ft ) | |||
The islands of the archipelago are divided by the following straits (from north to south): Zavadovsky Island - Traverse Strait (46 km) - High Island - Brown Strait (46 km) - Kandlmas Islands - Shackleton Strait (73 km) - Saunders - Larsen Strait (65 km) - Montagu - Bisco Strait (55 km) - Bristol - Forster Strait (49 km) - Southern Thule .
History
Who first discovered the archipelago is not known for certain. The first study is dated 1775 during the expedition of J. Cook , who called them Sandwich Land in honor of the First Lord of the Admiralty [4] . In 1819, the islands were explored by an expedition led by F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev . Going around it on the east side, they established that it was an archipelago, so they decided to rename the “land” in the South Sandwich Islands. In the group of these islands, the islands of Leskov , Zavadovsky and Torson were discovered, which were named in honor of the expedition members Lieutenant A. Leskov , Captain-Lieutenant I. Zavadovsky and Captain-Lieutenant K. Torson (the latter was later renamed Vysoky Island in connection with Thorson's participation in the Decembrist uprising). A group of three newly discovered islands was named after the then Minister of the Sea by the Marques de Traverse Islands.
Population
There is no permanent population ; in the summer, scientific expeditions visit the islands.
Interesting Facts
- The island of Thule , although geologically related to the Antarctic , is sometimes attributed to South America . In this case, it is the southernmost point of this part of the world .
See also
- Volcanoes of the South Sandwich Islands
Notes
- ↑ Disputed by Argentina as part of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands .
- ↑ South Sandwich Islands - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .
- ↑ South Antilles Range - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .
- ↑ South Sandwich Islands // Dictionary of Modern Geographical Names / Rus. geo about . Mosk. Centre; Under the total. ed. Acad. V.M. Kotlyakova . Institute of Geography RAS . - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria, 2006.
Links
- Sandwich Islands South : Wikimedia Commons thematic media files