Duke of York Island (Duke of York Island)
Duke of York Island is a mountainous ice-free island, 2.5 mi long, lying in the southern part of Robertson Bay, Antarctica, along the northern coast of Victoria Land. It was first charted in 1899 by the British Antarctic Expedition, under Carsten Borchgrevink, who named it for the then Duke of York, later George V. This island lies situated within the borders known as the Pennell Coast, a portion of Antarctica lying between Cape Williams and Cape Adare.
A 680 ha site comprising the whole island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of Adélie penguins, with an estimate of some 16,000 breeding pairs based on 2011 satellite imagery. Snow petrels are also reported to breed on the island.
A 680 ha site comprising the whole island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of Adélie penguins, with an estimate of some 16,000 breeding pairs based on 2011 satellite imagery. Snow petrels are also reported to breed on the island.
Map - Duke of York Island (Duke of York 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.