Island in Antarctica
Place
Peter I Island
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December 2022 satellite image of Peter I Island
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Location of Peter I Island (circled in red, relative to Antarctica)
|
claimed by Norway
| 6 March 1931
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Antarctic Treaty
| 23 June 1961
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|
? Total
| 154 km
2
(59 sq mi)
|
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| 95%
|
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Highest elevation
| 1,640 m (5,380 ft)
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ISO 3166 code
| AQ
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Internet TLD
| |
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Peter I Island
(
Norwegian
:
Peter I Øy
)
[1]
is an uninhabited
volcanic island
in the
Bellingshausen Sea
, 450 kilometres (240 nmi) from continental
Antarctica
. It is
claimed
as a
dependency
of
Norway
and, along with
Bouvet Island
and
Queen Maud Land
, composes one of the
three Norwegian dependent territories
in the
Antarctic
and
Subantarctic
. The island measures approximately 11 by 19 kilometres (7 by 12 mi), with an area of 156 km
2
(60 sq mi); its highest point is the
ultra-prominent
, 1,640-metre-tall (5,380 ft)
Lars Christensen Peak
. Nearly all the island is covered by a
glacier
, and it is surrounded most of the year by
pack ice
, making it inaccessible during these times. There is little
vertebrate
animal life on the island, apart from some seabirds and
seals
.
The island was first sighted by
Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
on 21 January 1821 and was named for
Peter I of Russia
. Not until 2 February 1929 did anyone set foot on the island, when
Nils Larsen
and
Ola Olstad
's
Second
Norvegia
Expedition
, financed by
Lars Christensen
, was successful. They claimed it for Norway, which annexed it in 1931 and made it a dependency in 1933. The next landing occurred in 1948, and the island has been subject to some scientific research and a limited amount of tourism. The island became subject to the
Antarctic Treaty
in 1961. Since 1987, there has been an automated meteorological station on the island. Three amateur radio
DX-peditions
have visited the island, and there are sporadic landings by tourists.
History
[
edit
]
The first sighting of Peter I Island was made on 21 October 1821 by
Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
's expedition,
[2]
who commanded the ships
Vostok
and
Mirny
under the Russian flag. He named the island for Tsar
Peter I
of Russia.
Drift ice
made it impossible for Bellinghausen to come nearer than 25 kilometers (16 mi) from the island. It was the first land to have been spotted south of the
Antarctic Circle
, and was thus also the southernmost sighted land at the time of its discovery.
[3]
In January 1910, the French expedition led by
Jean-Baptiste Charcot
and his ship
Pourquoi-Pas
confirmed Bellingshausen's discovery, but they also did not land, being stopped 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from the island by pack ice.
[3]
In 1926 and 1927, the Norwegian sailor Eyvind Tofte
circumnavigated
and surveyed the island from
Odd I
. However, he was also prevented from landing.
[3]
The Norwegian whale-ship owner
Lars Christensen
financed several expeditions to the Antarctic, in part for research and in part to claim land for Norway. The latter was motivated by the British taxation of
whaling stations
in the Antarctic, and Christensen hoped to be able to establish stations on Norwegian territory to gain better privileges and so at least the taxes went to his home country.
[4]
The first expedition to land on the island was the Christensen-financed second
Norvegia
expedition, led by Nils Larsen and Ola Olstad. They landed on 2 February 1929 and claimed the island for Norway. Larsen attempted to land again in 1931, but was hindered by pack ice.
[3]
On 6 March 1931, a Norwegian royal proclamation declared the island under Norwegian
sovereignty
[4]
and on 23 March 1933 the island was declared a dependency.
[3]
[5]
The next landing occurred on 10 February 1948 by Larsen's ship
Brategg
.
Biological
,
geological
and
hydrographic surveys
underwent for three days, before the pack ice forced the expedition to leave. The expedition built a hut and placed a copy of the document of occupation from 1929 inside. On 23 June 1961, Peter I Island became subject to the
Antarctic Treaty
, after Norway's signing of the treaty in 1959.
[6]
[7]
Since then, there have been several landings on the island by various nations for scientific investigations,
[3]
as well as a limited number of ships that have successfully landed
tourists
on the island.
[2]
In 1987, the
Norwegian Polar Institute
sent five scientists to spend eleven days on the island. The main focuses were
aerial photography
and
topographical
measurements to allow an accurate map of the island to be produced. The second important area was marine biological investigations, although also geological, biological and other surveys were conducted. The team also built an automatic
weather station
.
[8]
Three
DX-peditions
have been sent to the island, in 1987, 1994 and 2006.
[9]
[10]
[11]
Geography
[
edit
]
Peter I Island is a
volcanic island
located 450 kilometres (280 mi) off the coast of
Ellsworth Land
of continental Antarctica, and about 1,400 km (870 mi) to the south-west of
Smith Island
, the nearest of the
South Shetland Islands
. It has an area of 154 square kilometres (59 sq mi). The island is almost entirely covered by
glacier
,
[1]
with about 95% of the surface covered by ice.
[12]
Surrounding the island is a 40-meter (130 ft) tall
ice front
and vertical cliffs.
[13]
The long stretches of ice caps are supplemented with rock outcrops.
[12]
Landing is only possible at three points, and only during the short period of the year in which the island is not surrounded by pack ice.
[13]
These landings take place on the west side at
Kapp Ingrid Christensen
, a peninsula which divides the bays
Norvegiabukta
and
Sandefjordbukta
. On the cape are some narrow strips of beach, which are suitable for landing.
[12]
The beach in Norvegiabukta is just 4 meters (13 ft) wide and is entered via the natural arch Tsarporten.
[2]
On the west side is a plateau, while the north and south coasts feature ice shelves. The eastern side is the steepest and features two rock columns with flat tops in the sea.
[14]
The island is a
shield volcano
, although it is not known if it is still active, and it has been categorized as either
Holocene
or historic, based on date samples ranging from
0.1 to 0.35 million
years ago. The summit,
Lars Christensen Peak
, is a 100-metre (330 ft) wide circular crater.
[15]
An
ultra-prominent peak
at 1,640 metres (5,380 ft) elevation, it is named after Lars Christensen. It is not known whether this volcano is extinct or not, because the upper part is apparently unmodified by glaciation, indicating an eruption several centuries ago.
[16]
Environment
[
edit
]
The island's vegetation consists exclusively of
mosses
and
lichens
which have adapted to the extreme
Antarctic climate
.
[13]
The island has a very harsh climate with strong winds and freezing temperatures. The steady snowfall keeps vegetation to a minimum.
[14]
The island is a
breeding ground
for a few
seabirds
, particularly
southern fulmars
,
[13]
but also
Wilson's storm petrels
and
Antarctic terns
.
Penguins
, including
Adelie
and
chinstrap penguins
, visit the island infrequently.
[14]
There are numerous
seals
, particularly
crabeater seals
,
leopard seals
[13]
and smaller numbers of
southern elephant seals
.
[14]
Politics
[
edit
]
Peter I Island is one of Norway's two
territorial claims in Antarctica
, the other being Queen Maud Land.
[1]
Norway, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have all mutually recognized each other's claims in Antarctica.
[17]
Other countries however, including the
United States
, do not recognize this claim. Peter I Island is the only claim within 90°W and 150°W and is also the only claim which is not a
sector
.
[18]
Being south of 60°S, the island is subject to the Antarctic Treaty.
[12]
The treaty ensures free access to the island for any scientific investigation, and states that it can be used only for peaceful purposes.
[
citation needed
]
Norwegian administration of the island is handled by the Polar Affairs Department of the
Ministry of Justice and Public Security
, located in
Oslo
.
[19]
The annexation of the island is regulated by the Dependency Act of 24 March 1933. It establishes that Norwegian
criminal law
,
private law
and
procedural law
applies to the island, in addition to other laws that explicitly state they are valid on the island. It further establishes that all land belongs to the state, and prohibits the storage and detonation of nuclear products.
[5]
Since 5 May 1995,
Norwegian law
has required all Norwegian activity in Antarctica, including Peter I Island, to follow international environmental law for Antarctica. All Norwegian citizens who plan activities on Peter I Island must therefore report to the Norwegian Polar Institute, who may deny any non-conforming activity. All people visiting the island must follow laws regarding protection of nature, treatment of waste, pollution and insurance for
search and rescue
operations.
[20]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
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]
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Claims
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Former claims
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Unclaimed
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Unrecognized and
Proposed claims
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Outlying territories of European countries
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Denmark
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France
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Netherlands
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Norway
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Portugal
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Spain
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United Kingdom
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Geography
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Life
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International
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National
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Geographic
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68°51′00″S
90°35′00″W
/
68.85000°S 90.58333°W
/
-68.85000; -90.58333