Cooper Island (South Georgia)

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Cooper Island
Cooper Island (15956633628) .jpg
Waters South Atlantic
Archipelago South Georgia
Geographical location 54 ° 48 ′ 51 ″  S , 35 ° 47 ′ 26 ″  W Coordinates: 54 ° 48 ′ 51 ″  S , 35 ° 47 ′ 26 ″  W
Cooper Island (South Georgia) (South Georgia)
Cooper Island (South Georgia)
length 2.5 km
width 1.2 km
surface 3 km²
Highest elevation 416  m
Residents uninhabited
Drygalski-Fjord-Map.png

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 ).

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