Speedwell Island
| Speedwell Island | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | South Atlantic | |
| Archipelago | Speedwell Island group | |
| Geographical location | 52 ° 13 ′ S , 59 ° 44 ′ W | |
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| length | 17.5 km | |
| width | 5 km | |
| surface | 51.5 km² | |
| Residents | approx. 2 <1 inh / km² |
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| main place | Speedwell Island Farm | |
Speedwell Island ( Spanish : Isla Águila ) is one of the Falkland Islands . The island is located southwest of East Falkland in Falklandsund and has an area of 51.5 km². The original name of the island was Eagle Iceland ( German Eagle Island ). The strait that separates it from East Falkland is still called the Eagle Passage today.
geography
The island is the largest and most northerly of the Speedwell Group, which also includes George Island , Barren Island, and Annie Island. It is shallow and has several ponds inside. Its coast consists of gravel beaches and sandy bays. Speedwell Island has been used as a sheep pasture for more than a hundred years . The coastal areas in the south and the center of the island have been severely eroded by overgrazing .
fauna
There are no rats on Speedwell Island , which benefits the abundance of bird life. Forty species have been counted, including songbirds such as the endemic falconry wren ( Troglodytes cobbi ). The ponds provide a habitat for numerous water birds . Gentoo penguins breed in four colonies with a total of over 2,200 pairs. The Speedwell Group is designated by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (FK016).
At the Eagle Passage there is a colony of the maned seal that produces around 90 pups a year. The southern elephant seal also visits the island.
history
On February 8, 1813, the British Isabella shipwrecked off the island . On April 5, the survivors were from the American sealers Nanine discovered under Captain Charles Barnard and saved. While Barnard was ashore with three men to replenish the provisions, the British took possession of the ship and left the Americans on the island. These had to hibernate here twice before they were rescued in November 1814.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Speedwell Island Group on the BirdLife International website, accessed May 15, 2019.
- ↑ Nic Huin: Falkland Islands Penguin Census 2005/06 (PDF; 3.8 MB) at www.falklandsconservation.com (English), accessed on November 2, 2017.
- ↑ Charles. H. Barnard: A narrative of the sufferings and adventures of Capt. Charles H. Barnard, in a voyage round the world, during the years 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, & 1816, embracing an account of the seizure of his vessel at the Falkland Islands, by an English crew whom he had rescued from a shipwreck and of their abandoning him on an uninhabited island, where he resided nearly two years . J. Lindon, New York 1829 (English).
- ↑ Charles. H. Barnard: A narrative of the sufferings and adventures of Capt. Charles H. Barnard, in a recent voyage round the world, including an account of his residence for two years on an uninhabited island . JP Callender, New York 1836 (English).