Peter I Island

Geography
Location	Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
Coordinates	68°50′S 90°35′W / 68.833°S 90.583°W / -68.833; -90.583Coordinates: 68°50′S 90°35′W / 68.833°S 90.583°W / -68.833; -90.583
Area	243 km²
Highest point	Lars Christensen Peak (1,755 m/5,758 ft)
Country
Norway
Demographics
Population	none

Peter I Island (Norwegian: Peter I Øy) is a volcanic island located near Antarctica. It was discovered by Fabian von Bellingshausen off West Antarctica on 21 January 1821. It takes its name after the Russian emperor Peter I (the Great). Ola Olstad made the first successful landing on 2 February 1929 and claimed the island for Norway. The other Antarctic territory claimed by Norway is Queen Maud Land. Peter I Island is the only Antarctic claim area under the Antarctic Treaty that is not a sector, and the only claim area in the otherwise unclaimed sector between 90°W and 150°W, just west of the Chilean Antarctic Claim.

[edit] Geography

The island has an area of 243 km² and reaches a height of 1755 metres on Lars Christensen Peak, which is a volcano. It is not known whether it is extinct or not, for the upper part is apparently unmodified by glaciation. It lies approximately 450 km north of Eights Coast. It is surrounded by pack ice except for a brief period in late summer, and is 95% glaciated.

The island is so remote and access is so difficult (typically requiring a helicopter) that it has been reported that more people have set foot on the Moon than on Peter I^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] History

[edit] See also

• List of volcanoes in Antarctica
• Sub-antarctic islands
• List of islands of Norway

[edit] References

• LeMasurier, W. E.; Thomson, J. W. (eds.) (1990). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical Union. pp. 512 pp. ISBN 0-87590-172-7. 
• "Peter I Island". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1900-029. Retrieved 2008-12-25. 

[edit] External links

• 2006 Peter I Island amateur radio expedition (3YØX)
• 1994 Peter I Island amateur radio expedition (3YØPI)
• 1987 Peter I Island amateur radio expedition (3Y1EE, 3Y2GV)

v • d • e Antarctic territorial claims Current Adélie Land · Argentine Antarctica · Australian Antarctic Territory · British Antarctic Territory · Chilean Antarctica · Ross Dependency · Queen Maud Land · Peter I Island Potential Brazilian Antarctica · Russian rights to Antarctic claims  · United States' rights to Antarctic claims Former New Swabia · South African territorial claims to Antarctica · Swedish territorial claims to Antarctica

v • d • e Integral overseas areas and dependencies of Norway Integral territories Svalbard (and Bear Island) · Jan Mayen Dependent territories Bouvet Island · Peter I Island · Queen Maud Land

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