Cheal Point facts for kids
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Cheal Point is a rocky piece of land found in Antarctica. It is located about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to the east-south-east of Return Point. Both of these points are on the south-western tip of Coronation Island, which is part of the South Orkney Islands.
Why is Cheal Point Important?
Cheal Point is a special place because it is home to many birds. It is known as an Important Bird Area (IBA). This means it is a very important spot for birds to live and raise their young.
Who Named Cheal Point?
Cheal Point was first explored in 1933. Later, it was named by a British group called the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee. They named it after a person named Joseph J. Cheal.
Joseph Cheal was a helper and leader at the Signy Island base in Antarctica during 1950 and 1951. He did a lot of mapping work in the area. Cheal Point marks the western edge of the mapping he did between July and September of 1950.
A Home for Penguins
A large area of land, about 194 hectares (480 acres), includes both Cheal Point and Return Point. This whole area has been named an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
This is because it has a huge breeding colony of chinstrap penguins. A "breeding colony" means a large group of birds that come together to lay eggs and raise their chicks. There are about 38,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins that nest here! They build their nests in spots that are not covered by ice.
