Gibbs Island

A map of the South Shetland Islands
Gibbs Island Location of Gibbs Island Show map of Antarctic Peninsula Gibbs Island Gibbs Island (Antarctica) Show map of Antarctica
Geography
Location	Antarctica
Coordinates	61°28′S 055°34′W / 61.467°S 55.567°W / -61.467; -55.567
Archipelago	South Shetland Islands
Area	22 km2 (8.5 sq mi)
Length	13 km (8.1 mi)
Width	2 km (1.2 mi)
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited
Ethnic groups	None

Gibbs Island (Russian: остров Рожнова) lies 25 km (16 mi) southwest of Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. James Weddell, whose chart of the islands appeared in 1825, was apparently the first to use the current name of this island, discovered in 1821 by Russians who then named it Rozhnov Island (as it is known in Russia today).

Description

Gibbs is a slender, east-west aligned island, some 13 km (8.1 mi) long, 2 km (1.2 mi) wide and 22 km² (8 sq mi) in area. It is bordered to the south by Bransfield Strait and to the north by the Loper Channel. The isthmus of The Spit joins the main part of Gibbs Island in the west to Furse Peninsula in the east.^[1]

Important Bird Area

A 369 ha tract of land comprising Furse Peninsula, The Spit and a small ice-free area on Gibbs Island west of The Spit has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of about 1700 pairs of macaroni and 190 pairs of chinstrap penguins, as well as over 18,000 pairs of southern fulmars.^[1]