Princess Elizabeth Land in Australian Antarctic Territory

Princess Elizabeth Land is the sector of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

between

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

73° east and Cape Penck (at 87°43' east). The sector is claimed by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, although this claim is not widely recognised.

Geography

Princess Elizabeth Land is located between 64°56'S and 90°00'S and between 73°35' E and 87°43'E. It is divided into two sectors: * Ingrid Christensen Coast, 73°35'E to 81°24'E * Leopold and Astrid Coast, 81°24'E to 87°43'E It is bounded on the west by Amery Ice Shelf, Mac. Robertson Land, and on the east by

Kaiser Wilhelm II Land Kaiser Wilhelm II Land is a part of Antarctica lying between Cape Penck at 87° 43'E and Cape Filchner at 91° 54'E. Princess Elizabeth Land is located to the west, and Queen Mary Land to the east. The area is claimed by Australia a ...

Exploration

Princess Elizabeth Land was discovered on 9 February 1931, by the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) (1929–31) under Sir

Douglas Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was a British-born Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...

. Princess Elizabeth Land was named by Mawson after Princess Elizabeth, granddaughter of King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

who reigned at the time as

King of Australia The monarchy of Australia is a key component of politics of Australia, Australia's form of government, by which a hereditary monarch serves as the country's sovereign and head of state. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westmi ...

, among his other titles. Princess Elizabeth would later go on to become Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. This is one of two regions of Antarctica to be named for her. The other is Queen Elizabeth Land located across the continent in the British Antarctic Territory and named in 2012 in honour of the Queen's

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

. Although Australia claims the entirety of Princess Elizabeth Land, it is home to Russian stations including Vostok Station (the coldest place on Earth) and Mirny Station which supplies it.

External links

Australian Antarctic Gazetteer: Maps of the Australian Antarctic Territory

USGS.gov: ANTARCTICA.TXT
— ''listing of most Antarctica features in one

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

file (note: Princess Elizabeth Land not listed)''. {{Coord, 80, 00, S, 78, 00, E, region:AQ_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Australian Antarctic Territory Regions of Antarctica Lands of Antarctica

Geography

Exploration

See also

External links