Afala Island facts for kids
Location of Nelson Island in the South Shetland Islands
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 Afala Island
Location in Antarctic Peninsula
Afala Island
Location in Antarctica
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 62°14′50″S 59°07′41″W / 62.24722°S 59.12806°W |
| Archipelago | South Shetland Islands |
| Length | 360 m (1,180 ft) |
| Width | 310 m (1,020 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | uninhabited |
Afala Island (Bulgarian: остров Афала, romanized: ostrov Afala) is a small, rocky island located off the north coast of Nelson Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It stretches about 360 meters (1,180 feet) from west to east and 310 meters (1,017 feet) from south to north. No one lives on Afala Island.
Where is Afala Island?
Afala Island is found at 62°14′50″S 59°07′41″W / 62.24722°S 59.12806°W. It is located 740 meters (about half a mile) west of Baklan Point. It's also 860 meters (about half a mile) northeast of Retamales Point. Another nearby island, Withem Island, is about 1.05 kilometers (0.65 miles) north-northwest of Afala Island. British explorers mapped this area in 1968.
How Afala Island Got Its Name
The island is named after a Bulgarian fishing trawler called Afala. A trawler is a type of fishing boat that pulls a large net through the water to catch fish. The Afala belonged to a Bulgarian company named Ocean Fisheries – Burgas. This ship operated in the cold Antarctic waters, specifically near South Georgia, during the 1985/86 fishing season. Captain Kosyo Kostov was in charge of the Afala during this trip.
Bulgarian fishermen, along with those from the Soviet Union, Poland, and East Germany, were among the first to start modern fishing in the Antarctic region. They played a big part in developing the fishing industry there.
