Cooper Island (South Georgia)
Cooper Island | ||
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Waters | South Atlantic | |
Archipelago | South Georgia | |
Geographical location | 54 ° 48 ′ 51 ″ S , 35 ° 47 ′ 26 ″ W | |
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length | 2.5 km | |
width | 1.2 km | |
surface | 3 km² | |
Highest elevation | 416 m | |
Residents | uninhabited | |
The Cooper Island ( English Cooper Island ) is an uninhabited island in the South Atlantic and belongs to the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands .
The rocky, rugged island is part of the South Georgia archipelago , from the south-eastern tip of which the main island South Georgia is only separated by the 1.6 km wide Cooper Sound . The highest point is at 416 m .
The island was discovered by James Cook on January 18, 1775 and was once named Cooper's Isle . It is named after Robert Palliser Cooper (≈1743–1805), lieutenant colonel on board Cook's ship Resolution .
Cooper Island is one of the few rat-free islands in the archipelago and is therefore a popular breeding ground for various sea birds , such as the black- browed albatross ( Thalassarche melanophris ), the snow petrel ( Pagodroma nivea ) or the golden crested penguin ( Eudyptes chrysolophus ). The island is also a retreat for the Antarctic fur seal ( Arctocephalus gazella ).
Web links
- Cooper Island ( memento of January 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) on the official website of South Georgia (English)
- Cooper Island on geographic.org (English)