Danger Islands
Danger Islands Location in Antarctica | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Antarctica |
Coordinates | 63°25′S 54°40′W / 63.417°S 54.667°WCoordinates: 63°25′S 54°40′W / 63.417°S 54.667°W |
Administration | |
None | |
Demographics | |
Population | Uninhabited |
Additional information | |
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System |
The Danger Islands are a group of islands lying 24 km (13 nmi) east-south-east of Joinville Island. They were discovered on 28 December 1842 by a British expedition under James Clark Ross, who so named them because, appearing among heavy fragments of ice, they were almost completely concealed until the ship was nearly upon them.[1]
Important Bird Area
The Danger Islands group has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports large numbers of Adelie penguins, with about 300,000 nests having been recorded in at least five distinct colonies. Other birds thought to breed in the group include gentoo penguins, snowy sheathbills, kelp gulls and Antarctic shags.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ "Danger Islands". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
- ↑ "Danger Islands". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Danger Islands" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).