Seal Islands (South Shetland Islands)

Islands of Antarctica

Seal Islands

Location of Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands

Seal Islands

Location of Seal Islands

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Seal Islands

Seal Islands (Antarctica)

Show map of Antarctica

Geography
Location| Antarctica
Coordinates| 60°58′S 55°24′W﻿ / ﻿60.967°S 55.400°W﻿ / -60.967; -55.400
Archipelago| South Shetland Islands
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Population| uninhabited
Additional information
CEMP Site No.1.

The Seal Islands (also known as Îles des Phoques, Islas Foca, Islotes Foca and Seal Rocks) are a group of small islands and rocky islets lying about 7 km north and north-west of Elephant Island, in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. They extend east–west for about 5 km,[1] and are separated from Elephant Island by Sealers Passage. The group takes its name from the largest island, which Captain William Smith named Seal Island in 1820 because of the number of seals killed there.

## Description

[edit]

Seal Island, the largest in the group, has a coastline of precipitous cliffs, with a sandy beach on the western shore and some small coves. It rises to 125 m in height. It is constituted of poorly consolidated sedimentary rocks which are susceptible to wave and runoff erosion. Other islands in the group are also rocky with steep cliffs and few beaches. Ice-cover is seasonal.[1]

## Important Bird Area

[edit]

The islands, with the intervening marine zone, have been identified as a 514 ha Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support several breeding colonies, totalling some 20,000 pairs, of chinstrap penguins. Other birds nesting in the group in smaller numbers include macaroni penguins (350 pairs), southern giant petrels, imperial shags, Cape petrels, Wilson's storm petrels, snowy sheathbills and kelp gulls. Antarctic fur seals breed on the islands, with around 600 seal pups born each year. Southern elephant, Weddell, leopard and crabeater seals haul out there.[1]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Seal Islands". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.

Portals:

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South Shetland Islands

Main islands|

* Clarence
* Deception
* Elephant
* Greenwich
* King George
* Livingston
* Low
* Nelson
* Robert
* Smith
* Snow

Other islands|

* Afala
* Aitcho
* Barrientos
* Bilyana
* Cecilia
* Emeline
* Jorge
* Kilifarevo
* Pasarel
* Riksa
* Akin
* Alfeus
* Araguez
* Astor
* Aurelia
* Barlow
* Basso
* Beslen
* Biruni
* Boatin
* Borceguí
* Bridgeman
* Cacho
* Chiprovtsi
* Cornwall
* Cornwallis
* Craggy
* Dee
* Desolation Island (South Shetland Islands)
* Dinea
* Dioptra
* Dufayel
* Dunbar
* Aspis
* Balsha
* Melyane
* Pogledets
* Zavala
* Eadie
* Express
* Fregata
* Gergini
* Gibbs
* Glumche
* Gnomon
* González
* Half Moon
* Heywood
* Kabile
* Kaliman
* Kondor
* Korsis
* Låvebrua
* Meade
* Cave
* Pisanitsa
* Zverino
* Miladinovi
* Montufar
* Ogygia
* Ongley
* Onogur
* Churicheni
* Grod
* Kovach
* Leeve
* Oescus
* Osenovlag
* Redina
* Svetulka
* Vilare
* Penguin
* Pindarev
* Pordim
* Presnakov
* Prisad
* Prosechen
* Pyramid
* Rogozen
* Romeo
* Rotalia
* Rowett
* Rugged
* Saffar
* San Telmo
* Seal
* Sierra
* Square End
* Stoker
* Sugarloaf
* Table
* Tatul
* Tirizis
* Toledo
* Treklyano
* Two Summit
* Valchedram
* Window
* Withem
* Wood
* Yrvind
* Zebil
* Zed
* Esperanto
* Koshava
* Lesidren
* Phanagoria

Rocks, stacks, reefs
spits and banks

* Aim Rocks
* Alepu
* Avren
* Baktriana
* Ballestilla
* Bekas
* Belchin
* Besson
* Bizone
* Bonert
* Borda
* Bowler
* Brahe
* Bris
* Buchino
* Caraquet
* Chabrier
* Channel
* Chaos
* Chapman
* Cheshire
* Chorobates
* Cone
* Cosmolabe
* Cove
* Cutler
* Dlagnya
* Dovizio
* Dzhegov
* Eddystone
* Elemag
* Eliza
* Emm
* Enchantress
* Folger
* Frederick
* Galiche
* Glozhene
* Goritsa
* Grace
* Graovo
* Groma
* Growler
* Habermehl
* Hauken
* Henfield
* Hetty
* Hole
* Holmes
* Ibar
* Indian
* Keep
* Kianida
* Knight
* Koynare
* Lenoir
* Letelier
* Liberty
* Lientur
* Limit
* Livonia
* Long
* Low
* Lynx
* Lyutibrod
* Maglizh
* Makresh
* Martello Tower
* Meldia
* Mellona
* Milev
* Mónica
* Morris
* Nancy
* Napier
* Nessie
* Nikudin
* Odometer
* Okol
* Opaka
* Ørnen
* Orsini
* Orsoya
* Parry Patch
* Passage
* Patresh
* Perivol
* Pig
* Pingvin
* Potmess
* Asses Ears
* Priboy
* Rabisha
* Ramsden
* Raquelia
* Reyes
* Ritchie
* Rongel
* Rosales
* Rusokastro
* Sail Rock
* Salient
* Sally
* Sewing-Machine Needles
* Shearer
* Simms
* Simpson
* Sinbad
* Skrino
* Stackpole
* Stewart
* Suhache
* Syrezol
* Telefon
* Telish
* Tenorio
* The Pointers
* Tooth
* Triznatsi
* Troughton
* Tu
* Turmoil
* Tvarditsa
* Twin Pinnacles
* Upton
* Vardim
* Vergilov
* Vidal
* Vietor
* Vodoley
* Voluyak
* Waldseemüller ‎ ‎
* Weeks

Straits|

* Boyd
* English
* Fildes
* Glogovo
* Hell Gates
* Iglika
* Izgrev
* Klimash
* McFarlane
* Morton
* Mugla
* Neck or Nothing
* Nelson
* Orión
* Osmar
* Smolensk
* Villalón

Undersea and
subglacial features

* Bransfield Trough
* Macheret Trench
* Orca Seamount
* Quiroga Ridge
* South Shetland Trough
* Vergilov Ridge
* Wordie Seamount

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Antarctica

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* Antarctic Peninsula
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* ice sheet
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History|

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Famous explorers|

* Roald Amundsen
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Important Bird Areas of Antarctica

Queen Elizabeth Land|

* Berkner Island

Coats Land|

* Coalseam Cliffs
* Mount Faraway
* Stewart Buttress
* Dawson-Lambton Glacier
* Luitpold Coast
* Stancomb-Wills Glacier

Queen Maud Land|

* Atka Iceport
* Drescher Inlet
* Gruber Mountains
* Jutulsessen
* Muskegbukta
* Princess Ragnhild Coast
* Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf
* Riiser-Larsen Peninsula
* Svarthamaren Mountain

Enderby Land|

* Cape Batterbee
* Mount Biscoe

Kemp Land|

* Kloa Point

Mac. Robertson Land|

* Andersen Island
* Auster rookery
* Cape Darnley
* Gibbney Island
* Kirton Island
* Klung Island
* Macklin Island
* Murray Monolith
* Rookery Islands
* Scullin Monolith
* Taylor Rookery
* Welch Island

Princess Elizabeth Land|

* Amanda Bay
* Bluff Island
* Boyd Island
* Caro Island
* Donskiye Islands
* Filla Island
* Gardner Island
* Hop Island
* Kazak Island
* Lucas Island
* Lugg Island
* Magnetic Island
* Rookery Lake
* Tryne Islands
* Turner Island
* Warriner Island
* Waterhouse Island
* West Ice Shelf
* Zolotov Island

Queen Mary Land|

* Haswell Island
* Shackleton Ice Shelf

Wilkes Land|

* Ardery Island
* Beall Island
* Berkley Island
* Cameron Island
* Clark Peninsula
* Dibble Glacier
* Holl Island
* O'Connor Island
* Odbert Island
* Peterson Island
* Shirley Island

Adélie Land|

* Cape Bienvenue
* Cape Jules
* Curzon Islands
* Empereur Island
* Géologie Archipelago

George V Land|

* Cape Denison
* Cape Hunter
* Cape-Pigeon Rocks
* Greater Mackellar Island
* Lesser Mackellar Island
* Mackellar Islands
* Mertz Glacier
* Way Archipelago

Oates Land|

* Arthurson Ridge
* Kartografov Island
* Mount Archer
* Sturge Island

Victoria Land|

* Adélie Cove
* Blue Glacier to Cape Chocolate
* Cape Adare
* Cape Main
* Cape Roget
* Cape Wadworth
* Cape Washington
* Cotter Cliffs
* Dailey Islands
* Depot Island
* Downshire Cliffs
* Duke of York Island
* Dunlop Island
* Edmonson Point
* Foyn Island
* Gregory Island
* Inexpressible Island
* Mandible Cirque
* Possession Islands
* Seabee Hook

Ross Sea|

* Beaufort Island
* Bernacchi Head
* Cape Crozier
* Caughley Beach
* Franklin Island southwest
* McDonald Beach
* Rocky Point

King Edward VII Land|

* Cape Colbeck

Marie Byrd Land|

* Brownson Islands
* Edwards Islands
* Hummer Point
* Lindsey Islands
* Maher Island
* Mathewson Point
* Mount Paterson
* Thurston Glacier
* Worley Point

Ellsworth Land|

* Schaefer Islands
* Sikorski Glacier

Palmer Land|

* Sims Island
* Smith Peninsula
* Smyley Island

Graham Land|

* Ambush Bay
* Apéndice Island
* Armstrong Reef
* Avian Island
* Bates Island
* Brash Island
* Brown Bluff
* Cape Evensen
* Cape Wollaston
* Cierva Point
* Cockburn Island
* Cormorant Island
* Cuverville Island
* D'Urville Monument
* Danger Islands
* Devil Island
* Dion Islands
* Dodman Island
* Dream Island
* Duroch Islands
* Earle Island
* Eden Rocks
* Emperor Island
* Gerlache Island
* Ginger Islands
* Gourdin Island
* Guépratte Island
* Hope Bay
* Joubin Islands
* Lagotellerie Island
* Litchfield Island
* Madder Cliffs
* Midas Island
* Moss Islands
* Murray Island
* Paulet Island
* Pearl Rocks
* Penguin Point
* Petermann Island
* Pursuit Point
* Rosenthal Islands
* Ryder Bay Islands
* Snow Hill Island
* Stonington Island
* Trinity Island
* Tupinier Islands
* Uruguay Island

South Shetland Islands|

* Admiralty Bay
* Ardley Island
* Aspland Island
* Baily Head
* Barnard Point
* Byers Peninsula
* Cape Bowles
* Cape Garry
* Cape Hooker
* Cape Lookout
* Cape Melville
* Cape Shirreff
* Cape Wallace
* Chinstrap Cove
* Eadie Island
* East of Nelly Point
* Eastern Litwin Bay
* Escarpada Point
* False Round Point
* Fur Seal Point
* Gibbs Island
* Half Moon Island
* Harmony Point
* Heywood Island
* Jameson Point
* Kellick Island
* Lions Rump
* Milosz Point
* Mount Elder
* North Foreland
* O'Brien Island
* Owen Island
* Penguin Island
* Point Hennequin
* Point Wordie
* Potter Peninsula
* Pottinger Point
* Saddleback Point
* Seal Islands
* Stinker Point
* Sugarloaf Island
* Tartar Island
* Vapour Col
* Walker Point
* Yankee Harbour

South Orkney Islands|

* Atriceps Island
* Buchanan Point
* Cape Davidson
* Cape Hansen
* Cape Robertson
* Cape Whitson
* Cheal Point
* Christoffersen Island
* Eillium Island
* Ferguslie Peninsula
* Ferrier Peninsula
* Fraser Point
* Fredriksen Island
* Gibbon Bay
* Gosling Islands
* Graptolite Island
* Grey Island
* Inaccessible Islands
* Larsen Islands
* Matthews Island
* Michelsen Island
* Moe Island
* Moreton Point
* Pirie Peninsula
* Point Martin
* Return Point
* Robertson Islands
* Shingle Cove
* Signy Island
* Skilling Island
* Southern Powell Island
* Watson Peninsula
* Weddell Islands

60°58′S 55°24′W﻿ / ﻿60.967°S 55.400°W﻿ / -60.967; -55.400

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