Cormorant Island (Cormorant Island)
Cormorant Island is a 10 ha island lying in Bismarck Strait 1 km south of Anvers Island, 4 km east-south-east of Bonaparte Point, in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica. It lies some 5 km to the south-east of the United States' Palmer Station in Arthur Harbour on Anvers Island. It was shown on an Argentine government chart of 1954, but not named. It was named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-names Committee (UK-APC) in 1958 because of the large number of cormorants (shags) seen there.
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of over 700 pairs of Antarctic shags, one of the largest such colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Other birds nesting at the site include Adélie penguins and southern giant petrels. The IBA is defined by the border of a Restricted Zone, under the Management Plan for ASMA 7 - Southwest Anvers Island and Palmer Basin, which includes, as well as the island, the surrounding marine area up to 50 m from the shoreline.
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of over 700 pairs of Antarctic shags, one of the largest such colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Other birds nesting at the site include Adélie penguins and southern giant petrels. The IBA is defined by the border of a Restricted Zone, under the Management Plan for ASMA 7 - Southwest Anvers Island and Palmer Basin, which includes, as well as the island, the surrounding marine area up to 50 m from the shoreline.
Map - Cormorant Island (Cormorant Island)
Map
Country - Antarctica
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14200000 km2. Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.