Aspland Island

Aspland Island
Aspland Island is located in Antarctica
Aspland Island
Aspland Island
Location in Antarctica
Geography
LocationAntarctica
Coordinates61°28′S 55°55′W / 61.467°S 55.917°W / -61.467; -55.917
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Aspland Island is a small island 7.4 km (4 nmi) west of Gibbs Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. The name dates back to at least 1821.

Moonlight Point (61°27′S 55°56′W / 61.450°S 55.933°W / -61.450; -55.933) is the northwest point of Aspland Island. It was so named by a Joint Services Expedition to the Elephant Island Group (JSEEIG) party canoeing from O'Brien Island to Aspland Island on January 3, 1977, because the point appeared silhouetted against a full moon. The name was approved by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1980.[1]

Birds

The island forms part of the Aspland Island and Eadie Island Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because both islands support large colonies of chinstrap penguins and southern fulmars.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Moonlight Point". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Aspland Island and Eadie Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2012.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from "Aspland Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.