Joinville Island
| Joinville Island | |
 Joinville and neighbouring islands | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Location: | 63°13’30"S, 55°55’30"W |
| Area: | 620 square miles |
| Highest point: | Mount Percy, 2,510 feet |
| Data | |
Joinville Island is the largest island of the Joinville Island Group, a small archipelago lying off the northern-easternmost tip of Graham Land in the British Antarctic Territory.
Joinville is about 40 nautical miles long in an east-west direction and 12 nautical miles wide, and is separated from the mainland of Antarctica by the Antarctic Sound. Immediately north of Joinville Island and separated by Larsen Channel lies D'Urville Island, the northernmost island of the Joinville Island group, at 63°3’58"S, 56°18’58"W.
The island consists of a series of valleys and bays, including Suspiros Bay and Balaena Valley.
Discovery and exploration
Joinville Island was discovered and charted roughly during 1838 by the French Antarctic Expedition commanded by Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville, who named it Terre Joinville for Prince François Ferdinand Philippe Louis Marie, Prince de Joinville (1818–1900), the third son of Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans. D'Urville's name was given to the group's second island.
References
- Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Joinville Island