Edwards Islands

Adélie penguins breed on the islands
Edwards Islands Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location	Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica
Coordinates	73°53′00″S 103°08′00″W / 73.88333°S 103.13333°W / -73.88333; -103.13333
Total islands	20
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

The Edwards Islands are a group of about 20 small islands, mostly ice free in summer, lying off the south-western tip of the Canisteo Peninsula, which projects into the eastern Amundsen Sea between Cranton and Ferrero Bays, on the Walgreen Coast of Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica.^[1] They were plotted from air photos taken by U.S. Navy Squadron VX-6 in January 1960, and were named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Z T Edwards, chief quartermaster on the USS Glacier during the U.S. Navy Bellingshausen Sea Expedition to this area in February 1960.^[2][3]

Important Bird Area

A 178 ha site, comprising the larger ice-free islands of the Edwards group and the intervening marine area, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 58,000 Adélie penguins, estimated from 2010 satellite imagery.^[1]