Saunders Island (Falkland Islands)
Saunders Island | |
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The Neck and the northwestern peninsula of Saunders Island with the mountain "Mount Harston". | |
Waters | South Atlantic |
Archipelago | Falkland Islands |
Geographical location | 51 ° 21 ′ S , 60 ° 11 ′ W |
length | 22.4 km |
width | 19.2 km |
surface | 131.6 km² |
Highest elevation | Mount Richards 457 m |
Residents | 2 <1 inh / km² |
main place | Saunders Island Settlement |
Gentoo penguins on Saunders Island |
Saunders Island ( Spanish : Isla Trinidad ) is the fourth largest of the Falkland Islands . It has a size of 132 km² and is located northwest of West Falkland . It is used for sheep breeding. Today's settlement on the east side of the island is called Saunders Island Settlement and has a runway.
history
Without being aware of the presence of France in Port Louis , in 1765 the British captain John Byron took possession of Saunders Island and other islands in the Falkland archipelago for King George III. The following year he founded the port of Port Egmont on Saunders Island . In the same year Spain acquired the French colony and placed it under its own administration in 1767.
During the Falklands Crisis in 1770, a Spanish flotilla occupied the port and drove the British out, bringing Spain and Great Britain closer to war. Spain finally agreed to give up Port Egmont in favor of the British. In 1774 the British gave up Port Egmont for economic reasons. At that time they left a plaque on which they maintained their sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
fauna
Rockhopper penguins , gentoo penguins , Magellanic penguins , king penguins , black -browed albatross and many other birds live and breed on the island .
See also
Web links
- Luciano Napolitano : Tour to Saunders Island (Falkland Islands) . Travel Tour Guide , January 25, 2006, accessed February 3, 2016 .