Zavodovski Island
| Zavodovski Island | |
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South Sandwich Islands
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 Zavodovski Island from space | |
| Location | |
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| Location: | 56°18’-0"S, 27°34’0"W |
| Highest point: | Mount Asphyxia, 1,805 feet |
| Data | |
| Population: | Uninhabited |
Zavodovski Island is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Traversay Islands group of the South Sandwich Islands. It lies 220 miles southeast of South Georgia. It is the northernmost of the South Sandwich Islands and the nearest to South Georgia.
The first landing on Zavodovski Island was by a small party led by Lieutenant Ivan Zavodovski of the Russian Imperial Navy, who discovered the island's noxious qualities; a mix of volcanic fumes and penguin guano. The remarkable whaler and founder of Grytviken, Carl Anton Larsen came here in 1988 aboard the steam yacht Undine' hoping to establish a whaling base; on landing he was almost suffocated by the volcanic gases and withdrew off-shore swiftly. Modern visitors have found the island with same qualities,[1] and the hardy souls who have ventured upon the island have given names to its features such as "Mount Asphixia", "Acrid Point", "Noxious Bluff", "Pungent Point", "Reek Point", "Stench Point" and so forth.
Zavodovski Island is home to an estimated million pairs of chinstrap penguins, whose deafening noise is as much noted by visitors as the smell.
Name
Zavodovski Island was discovered and named by the Russian Antarctic explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on Christmas Eve, 1819. Bellingshausen named it after Lieutenant Ivan Zavodovski, who was captain of his ship, the Vostok.[2] Zavodovski also made the first landing on the island.
Geography
The island is approximately 3 miles across with a peak elevation of 1,808 feet above sea level. The stratovolcano Mount Asphyxia dominates the western side of the island while the eastern half is a low-lying lava plain. Mount Asphyxia is believed to be active with fresh lava reported in 1830 and numerous indications of activity since. Approximately 50% of the island is composed of tephra.
The island is home to around a million pairs of breeding chinstrap penguins, making it one of the world's largest penguin colonies.
In popular culture
The island has not been the inspiration for much in popular culture, though a track '(Something's going down on) Zavodovski Island' has appeared by Jazz/Classical four-piece the Portico Quartet.
References
- ↑ Gurney, Alan: Below the Convergence
- ↑ Antartic Islands - South Sandwich
- Gazetteer and Map of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Zavodovski Island
Sources
- LeMasurier, W. E.; Thomson, J. W. (eds.) (1990). Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical Union. pp. 512 pp. ISBN 0-87590-172-7.
- Zavodovski, South Sandwich Islands with images
| 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 |