Palmer Archipelago, also known as Antarctic Archipelago, Archipiélago Palmer, Antarktiske Arkipel or Palmer Inseln, is a group of
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
s off the northwestern coast of the
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica.
...
. It extends from
Tower Island
Tower Island is an Antarctic island long and high. It marks the north-east extent of Palmer Archipelago. It lies north-east of Trinity Island, separated by Gilbert Strait. Both islands are separated from the Davis Coast to the south by Or ...
in the north to
Anvers Island
Anvers Island or Antwerp Island or Antwerpen Island or Isla Amberes is a high, mountainous island long, the largest in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica. It was discovered by John Biscoe in 1832 and named in 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic Expe ...
in the south. It is separated by the
Gerlache
Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (; 2 August 1866 – 4 December 1934) was a Belgian officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99.
Early years
Born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium as ...
and
Bismarck straits from the Antarctic Peninsula and
Wilhelm Archipelago
The Wilhelm Archipelago is an island archipelago off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in Antarctica.
Wilhelm Archipelago consists of numerous islands, the largest of which are Booth Island and Hovgaard Island (Antarctica), Hovgaard Is ...
, respectively.
The archipelago is in the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
,
Chilean, and
Argentine Claims.
Palmer Archipelago is located at .
History
Adrien de Gerlache
Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (; 2 August 1866 – 4 December 1934) was a Belgian officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99.
Early years
Born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium as t ...
, leader of the
Belgian Antarctic Expedition
The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. Led by Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery aboard the RV ''Belgica'', it was the first Belgian Antarctic expedition and is considered the fir ...
(1897–1899), discovered the archipelago in 1898. He named it Archipelago Palmer for American Captain
Nathaniel Palmer
Nathaniel Brown Palmer (August 8, 1799 – June 21, 1877) was an American seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, ship designer, and a whale hunter. He gave his name to Palmer Land, Antarctica, which he explored in 1820 on his sloop ''Hero''. ...
, who navigated these waters in 1820.
Both
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
have operated research stations there.
Islands
The archipelago includes:
Gallery
File:Gerlache Strait.png, Map of Gerlache Strait and Palmer Archipelago
File:Palmer_Archipelago_map.png, Locator (basemap) for the Palmer Archipelago, centered near 65°00′S 64°00′W
See also
References
External links
{{Portal bar, Geography, Islands
Archipelagoes of the Southern Ocean
Argentine Antarctica
British Antarctic Territory
Islands of Antarctica