Southern Thule facts for kids
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Southern Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 59°25′16″S 27°13′49″W / 59.42115°S 27.23041°W |
| Archipelago | South Sandwich Islands |
| Administration | |
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United Kingdom
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| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | |
Southern Thule is a group of three small islands located far south in the Atlantic Ocean. These islands are part of the South Sandwich Islands. The three islands are called Bellingshausen, Cook, and Thule (also known as Morrell).
These islands are very remote, cold, and windy. No one lives on them. Even though they are small, the waters around Southern Thule are important. They are part of a special area called an Exclusive Economic Zone, which means the country that owns the islands has rights to the natural resources there. This zone is full of sea creatures and is managed for fishing by the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
According to old sea maps, Southern Thule is actually the top part of an ancient, sunken volcano. The land is covered with volcanic ash and penguin droppings, called guano. You can find seals and petrel birds living here. There's also a lot of kelp (a type of seaweed) growing just offshore, especially near a small bay on Morrell Island called Ferguson Bay.
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Exploring Southern Thule's Past
The islands of Southern Thule were first seen in 1775 by a famous explorer named James Cook. He named them Southern Thule because they seemed to be at the very edge of the world. The name "Thule" comes from an ancient idea of a faraway, northern land.
Later, in 1820, another explorer, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, explored the area more closely. He was the one who figured out that Southern Thule was actually made up of three separate islands.
Who Owns Southern Thule?
The United Kingdom has been in charge of Southern Thule since 1908. However, Argentina has also claimed these islands as their own since 1938. This difference in claims has led to some disagreements over the years.
Argentine Presence: 1976 to 1982
In November 1976, a group from the Argentine Air Force landed on Thule Island. They built a small military base there. This base included buildings for soldiers, a concrete pad for helicopters, a weather station, and a radio station. They even put up a flagpole and flew the Argentine flag. The base was given the name Corbeta Uruguay.
The British government found out about this in December 1976. They protested Argentina's actions, saying the base was on British territory. In November 1977, Britain sent a group of navy ships, including a submarine, to the area. This was called Operation Journeyman. The goal was to show Argentina that Britain was serious about protecting its islands, but they decided not to use force to remove the Argentine base at that time.
Discussions happened in 1978 to try and find a peaceful solution for the base, but they didn't work out. It took more than a year for the public to learn about the Argentine base on Southern Thule.
Argentina continued to occupy Southern Thule until June 1982. This was just six days after the Falklands War had ended. As part of an operation called Operation Keyhole, British Royal Marines landed on the island. The Argentine soldiers, who were outnumbered, gave up their weapons and surrendered.
What Happened Next?
After the Argentine soldiers left, Southern Thule was empty for a while. About six months later, a British warship sailing by noticed something. The Union Flag (the British flag) had been taken down, and the flag of Argentina was flying instead.
Because of this, the British military was ordered to destroy all the buildings at the Corbeta Uruguay base. This was to make sure no one could live there for a long time again. By Christmas 1982, the barracks, mess hall, and weather station had all been destroyed.
Images for kids
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In Spanish: Islas Tule del Sur para niños
