Noir Island (Spanish: ''Isla Noir'') is an island located west of

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main is ...

. ''Cabo Noir'' (sometimes called "Cape Noir" in English) is the south-western cape of Isla Noir. The island reaches a height of approximately .

Important Bird Area

The island has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports significant populations of southern rockhopper and

macaroni penguin The macaroni penguin (''Eudyptes chrysolophus'') is a species of penguin found from the Subantarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. One of six species of crested penguin, it is very closely related to the royal penguin, and some authorities consid ...

southern giant petrel The southern giant petrel (''Macronectes giganteus''), also known as the Antarctic giant petrel, giant fulmar, stinker, and stinkpot, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar northern giant pe ...

Chilean skua The Chilean skua, also called the cinnamon skua (''Stercorarius chilensis''), is a large predatory seabird, which breeds in Argentina and Chile, but ranges as far north as Brazil and Peru when not breeding. A relatively distinctive skua, it has a ...

s and

striated caracara The striated caracara or Forster's caracara (''Phalcoboenus australis'') is a Near Threatened bird of prey of the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Ar ...

In literature

Cape Noir plays a crucial role in a dramatic episode in

Patrick O'Brian Patrick O'Brian (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series. These sea novels are set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and ...

's novel,

The Golden Ocean ''The Golden Ocean'' is a 1956 historical novel by Patrick O'Brian. It tells the story of a novice midshipman, Peter Palafox, who joins George Anson's voyage around the world beginning in 1740. Palafox is a Protestant Irish boy from the west c ...

, which is based on the historical events of Commodore George Anson's circumnavigation of the world. In the story, a squadron of ships believes they have successfully rounded

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

westwards and reached safe waters. However, upon sighting Cape Noir, they are confronted with the shocking realization that their longitude reckoning is grossly in error. The episode is described by the chaplain of the ''Centurion:''
p. 83
/ref>

References

{{reflist

External links

* United States Hydrographic Office
South America Pilot (1916)
Islands of Magallanes Region Important Bird Areas of Oceania Important Bird Areas of Chile Important Bird Areas of subantarctic islands