Curzon Islands
Wilson's storm petrels breed in the islands
Curzon Islands is located in Antarctica
Curzon Islands
Curzon Islands
Location in Antarctica
Geography
LocationAntarctica
Coordinates66°46′S 141°35′E / 66.767°S 141.583°E / -66.767; 141.583
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

The Curzon Islands are a small group of rocky islands lying close off Cape Découverte, Adélie Coast. They were probably sighted in January 1840 by a French expedition under Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville, though not identified as islands on d'Urville's maps. The islands were roughly charted in 1912 by Captain J.K. Davis of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition ship Aurora and named by Mawson for Lord Curzon, the President of the Royal Geographical Society, 1911–14. The islands were mapped in detail by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1950–52.[1][2]

Important Bird Area

A 359 ha site comprising the island group and the intervening marine area has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports about 13,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins, mainly on Retour Island, the largest of the group. South polar skuas and Wilson's storm-petrels also breed in the islands. The closest permanent station is the French Dumont d'Urville, some 70 km to the west.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Curzon Islands". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  2. ^ "Curzon Islands". Gna-GeographicNamesOfTheAntarctic1stEdition1981_djvu. p. 488. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  3. ^ "Curzon Islands". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2020.

External links


Important Bird Areas of Antarctica
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