Saunders Island, South Sandwich Islands facts for kids
Saunders Island location
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Location of Saunders Island
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| Geography | |
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| Coordinates | 57°47′S 026°27′W / 57.783°S 26.450°W |
| Archipelago | South Sandwich Islands |
| Length | 8.8 km (5.47 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 990 m (3,250 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Michael |
| Administration | |
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United Kingdom
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| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Saunders Island is a crescent-shaped island 8.8 km (5.5 mi) long, lying between Candlemas Island and Montagu Island in the South Sandwich Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a volcanic island composed of an active stratovolcano, 990-metre (3,248 ft) Mount Michael.
History
Saunders Island was discovered in 1775 by Captain James Cook, who named it for Sir Charles Saunders, First Lord of the Admiralty. It was charted in greater detail by Bellingshausen in 1819, and in 1930 by DI personnel aboard Discovery II. The island was surveyed in 1964 by HMS Protector after whose captain, Captain Martin S. Ollivant, the westernmost point, Ollivant Point, is named. Carey Point also marks the western extremity of the island. Shackleton sometimes misspells the island's name as "Sanders Island" in his book South.
Features
- Cordelia Bay
- Mount Michael, a volcano known to have erupted explosively in 1819, and has erupted repeatedly since 2000, most recently in 2005. The 700 m (2,297 ft) diameter summit crater contains a persistent lava lake, one of only eight in the world.
- Sombre Point
- Yellowstone Crags
See also
In Spanish: Isla Saunders (Sandwich del Sur) para niños
