Royal Bay facts for kids
Royal Bay is a large bay located on the northern coast of South Georgia. A bay is a part of a sea or lake that extends into the land. Royal Bay is about 6 kilometers (4 miles) wide and stretches inland for about 8 kilometers (5 miles). It is found between two points of land called Cape Charlotte and Cape Harcourt.
Like other areas around South Georgia, Royal Bay is home to many birds. These birds come here to build their nests and raise their young. You can find different types of king penguins and gentoo penguins. Also, blue-eyed cormorants, which are seabirds, live and breed in this bay.
History of Royal Bay
Royal Bay was first discovered and given its name by a British expedition. This group was led by the famous explorer James Cook in the year 1775.
German Expedition to Royal Bay
In 1882, a German team arrived at Royal Bay. They were part of the International Polar Year Investigations. This expedition was led by a person named Schrader. Their main goal was to observe the transit of Venus. A transit of Venus is when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth. It looks like a small black dot moving across the Sun.
The German team set up their base on the northern shore of Royal Bay. They stayed there from 1882 to 1883. The group traveled to South Georgia on a ship called the SMS Moltke. This ship was a steam corvette, which means it was a warship powered by steam. It was the very first steam-powered ship to reach South Georgia. Because of this important visit, a smaller bay within Royal Bay was named after the ship. This smaller bay is called Moltke Harbour and is about one mile wide.
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