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Cooper Island is a small island, long, which lies at the north side of the entrance to Drygalski Fjord, off the southeast end of 
As one of a handful of
South Georgia
South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east ...
. It was discovered by a British expedition under James Cook in 1775, and named for Lieutenant Robert Palliser Cooper, an officer aboard HMS ''Resolution''.
A navigable channel, Cooper Sound, nearly wide, separates Cooper Island from the coast of the main island of South Georgia. There is a small bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
, Known as Cooper Bay, southwest of Cape Vahsel on the mainland, and northwest of Cooper Island, indenting the southeast end of South Georgia, which derives its name from Cooper Island.
The island reaches at its highest point, and the upper parts of the island are above the snow line.
Wildlife
As one of a handful of rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
-free islands, Cooper Island is South Georgia's only Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cert ...
, 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.
See also
*Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
The Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (CGA) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is the authoritative international gazetteer containing all Antarctic toponyms published in national gazetteers, plus basic information about ...
* History of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
* List of Antarctic islands north of 60° S
* Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an interdisciplinary body of the International Science Council (ISC). SCAR coordinates international scientific research efforts in Antarctica, including the Southern Ocean.
SCAR's scien ...
References
* Islands of South Georgia Uninhabited islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands {{SouthGeorgia-geo-stub