Balleny Islands

Balleny Islands
Map of the Balleny Islands
Balleny Islands is located in Antarctica
Balleny Islands
Balleny Islands
Location in Antarctica
Geography
LocationAntarctica
Coordinates66°55′S 163°45′E / 66.917°S 163.750°E / -66.917; 163.750
ArchipelagoBalleny Islands
Area800 km2 (310 sq mi)
Highest elevation1,705 m (5594 ft)
Highest pointBrown Peak[1][2]
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited
The Balleny Islands (top) and Antarctic coast (bottom) from space, December 2007. Dark patches are ice-free sea surface.

The Balleny Islands (66°55′S 163°45′E / 66.917°S 163.750°E / -66.917; 163.750) are a series of uninhabited islands in the Southern Ocean extending from 66°15' to 67°35'S and 162°30' to 165°00'E. The group extends for about 160 km (99 mi) in a northwest-southeast direction. The islands are heavily glaciated and of volcanic origin. Glaciers project from their slopes into the sea. The islands were formed by the so-called Balleny hotspot.

The group includes three main islands: Young, Buckle and Sturge, which lie in a line from northwest to southeast, and several smaller islets and rocks:

  • northeast of Young Island: Seal Rocks, Pillar
  • southeast of Young Island: Row Island, Borradaile Island (with Swan Base shelter hut)
  • south of Buckle Island: Scott Cone, Chinstrap Islet, Sabrina Islet (with Sabrina Refuge shelter hut), and the Monolith

The islands are claimed by New Zealand as part of the Ross Dependency (see Territorial claims in Antarctica).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference SCAR1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SCAR2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).