Cooper Island

For the island in the British Virgin Islands, see Cooper Island, British Virgin Islands

Cooper Island
South Georgia (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands)
Location
Location:	54°48’47"S, 35°47’15"W
Data
Population:	0

Cooper Island is a small island, 2 miles long, which lies at the north side of the entrance to Drygalski Fjord, off the southeast end of South Georgia. It was discovered by a British expedition under James Cook in 1775, and named for Lieutenant Robert Palliser Cooper, an officer aboard HMS Resolution.

Cook's 1777 'South-Up' map

A navigable channel, Cooper Sound, nearly a mile wide, separates Cooper Island from the coast of the main island of South Georgia.

The island reaches 1,365 feet at its highest point, and the upper parts of the island are above the snow line.

There is a small bay named Cooper Bay on the coast of mainland South Georgia which derives its name from Cooper Island: the bay is 1.3 miles southwest of Cape Vahsel and 1 mile northwest of Cooper Island, indenting the southeast end of South Georgia.

Wildlife

As one of a handful of rat-free islands, Cooper Island is South Georgia's only Special Protection Area, it has large numbers of sea birds including Snow Petrels, Antarctic Prions, 12,000 pairs of Black-browed Albatross, Chinstrap Penguins and 20,000 Macaroni Penguins. There are also a number of fur seals and this is one of the few places where they were not hunted by humans.

The island is covered in tussock grass.

References

• Gazetteer and Map of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Cooper Island