Torgersen Island facts for kids
 Torgersen
Location in Antarctica
Location in Antarctica
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 64°46′S 64°5′W / 64.767°S 64.083°W |
| Archipelago | Palmer Archipelago |
| Administration | |
| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Torgersen Island is a small, rocky island located in Antarctica. It sits just east of Litchfield Island in a place called Arthur Harbour. This harbour is off the southwest coast of Anvers Island. Torgersen Island is part of a group of islands known as the Palmer Archipelago. No people live on this cold, icy island.
Contents
About Torgersen Island
Where is Torgersen Island?
Torgersen Island is found in the icy continent of Antarctica. It is located near the entrance to Arthur Harbour. This harbour is off the southwest coast of Anvers Island. All these islands are part of the Palmer Archipelago. The island is quite small and made of rock.
How did Torgersen Island get its name?
The island was explored in 1955 by a group called the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. This group was mapping the area. The UK-APC (United Kingdom Antarctic Place-names Committee) later named it. They named the island after Torstein Torgersen. He was the first mate, or chief officer, on a ship called the Harbor. In February 1955, he went ahead of his ship in a small boat. He took "soundings," which means he measured how deep the water was. This helped the larger ship, the Norsel, to navigate safely.
Wildlife on Torgersen Island
Torgersen Island is an important place for many seabirds. These birds come to the island to breed and raise their young.
Important Bird Area
For a time, Torgersen Island was part of a special area called the Northern Arthur Harbour Important Bird Area (IBA). BirdLife International, an organization that protects birds, identified this area. It was important because it supported many breeding colonies of seabirds. This means lots of birds gathered there to lay eggs and raise their chicks.
However, in 2015, the Arthur Harbour IBA was no longer listed as an Important Bird Area. This change happened because the way these areas are identified was updated. Even so, the island remains a place where seabirds can be found.
See also
- In Spanish: Isla Torgersen para niños
