Willis Islands
The Willis Islands are a small archipelago to the west of South Georgia, and the westernmost islands of any size in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. They are two miles west of Bird Island.
These islands were discovered on and charted by Captain James Cook on 16 January 1775. He named the largest of the islands 'Willis's Island' or 'Willis's Isle', after Midshipman Thomas Willis of HMS Resolution who first sighted it. This island is now known as 'Main island' or 'Willis Main Island'. Cook also used the name 'Willis's Isles' for the whole group of islands.
Names appearing on later charts until 1912 did not take account of there being more than one island. A running survey of the islands was made by Discovery Investigations in 1930. The islands were recharted from HMS Owen in 1960-61.
The named islands of the group are:
There are also several off-lying islets and rocks.
Location
- Location map: 54, -38.1833 {{{2}}}
References
- Stonehouse, B (ed.) Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans (2002) ISBN 0-471-98665-8
- Gazetteer and Map of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Willis Islands
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | |
|---|---|
| South Georgia: | Annenkov Island • Bird Island • Clerke Rocks • Cooper Island • Grass Island • Kupriyanov Islands • Pickersgill Islands • Saddle Island • Shag Rocks • South Georgia • Welcome Islands • Willis Islands • Trinity Island • Grassholm • Black Rocks • Black Rock |
| South Sandwich Islands: |
Bellingshausen • Bristol • Candlemas • Cook • Leskov • Montagu • Saunders • Thule • Vindication • Visokoi • Zavodovski |