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Difference between revisions of "Balleny Islands"
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* northeast of Young Island: Seal Rocks, Pillar | * northeast of Young Island: Seal Rocks, Pillar | ||
* southeast of Young Island: Row Island, Borradaile Island | * southeast of Young Island: Row Island, [[Borradaile Island]] | ||
* south of Buckle Island: Scott Cone, [[Chinstrap Island]], [[Sabrina Island]] | * south of Buckle Island: Scott Cone, [[Chinstrap Island]], [[Sabrina Island]], and [[The Monolith]] | ||
Although claimed by New Zealand, the Balleny Islands were annexed by [[Westarctica]] in 2005. The islands are one of two areas claimed by Westarctica that are not contiguous with its primary territory. | Although claimed by New Zealand, the Balleny Islands were annexed by [[Westarctica]] in 2005. The islands are one of two areas claimed by Westarctica that are not contiguous with its primary territory. | ||
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==Description== | |||
The islands are rocky, covered by ice, and extremely difficult to access. In his 2007 book, ''Below the Convergence'', author Alan Gurney describes the Balleny Islands as: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
Girded and guarded by pack ice, shrouded in fogs, virtually inaccessible to any landing from the sea, they present an impregnable fortress face to the Southern Ocean. If Antarctica had a mythology, these bleak and unwelcoming islands would be the home of evil-spirited trolls, wicked goblins, hunchbacked warlocks, and malignant dwarves. There is no joy in them. | |||
</blockquote> | |||
The English [[whaling]] captains [[John Balleny]] and Thomas Freeman first sighted the group during 1839: Freeman was the first person to land on any of the islands on 9 February 1839, and it was the first landing south of the Antarctic Circle. The islands' area totals 400 km2 (154 sq mi) and the highest point has been measured as 1,705 m (5,594 ft) or approximately 1500m (5000 feet) (the unclimbed Brown Peak on [[Sturge Island]]). | [[Borradaile Island]] is close to the [[Antarctic Circle]], in the eight kilometer channel between Young and Buckle Islands. [[Buckle Island]], [[Chinstrap Island]] and nearby [[Sabrina Island]] are home to colonies of [[Adélie penguin|Adélie]] and [[chinstrap penguin|chinstrap penguins]]. | ||
==Discovery== | |||
The English [[whaling]] captains [[John Balleny]] and Thomas Freeman first sighted the group of islands during 1839: Freeman was the first person to land on any of the islands on 9 February 1839, and it was the first landing south of the Antarctic Circle. The islands' area totals 400 km2 (154 sq mi) and the highest point has been measured as 1,705 m (5,594 ft) or approximately 1500m (5000 feet) (the unclimbed Brown Peak on [[Sturge Island]]). | |||
[[File:Balleny Islands - 1839 Enderby copy.jpg|thumb|600px|center|1839 etching of the Balleny Islands]] | [[File:Balleny Islands - 1839 Enderby copy.jpg|thumb|600px|center|1839 etching of the Balleny Islands]] | ||