Traversay Islands facts for kids
The Traversay Islands within the South Sandwich Islands
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Location of the South Sandwich Islands
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| Geography | |
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| Coordinates | 56°36′S 027°43′W / 56.600°S 27.717°W |
| Archipelago | South Sandwich Islands |
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United Kingdom
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| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
The Traversay Islands (which in Spanish are called Archipiélago Marqués de Traverse) are a group of three islands. These islands are Zavodovski Island, Leskov Island, and Visokoi Island. They are found at the northern part of the South Sandwich Islands.
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Discovering the Traversay Islands
This group of islands was found in November 1819. A Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen discovered them. Bellingshausen named the islands after Jean-Baptiste Prevost de Sansac, Marquis de Traversay. He was a French naval officer who joined the Russian navy in 1791.
The Marquis de Traversay was an important person in Russia. He was the Minister of Naval Affairs in Saint Petersburg from 1809 to 1828. He also strongly supported Bellingshausen's trip to the Antarctic. People used to spell his name as "Traverse" because they thought he was Russian.
Geography of the Islands
The Traversay Islands are located in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Each island has its own unique features, often shaped by volcanoes.
Zavodovski Island: Home to Penguins
Zavodovski Island is the northernmost island in the South Sandwich Islands. It lies about 350 kilometers (217 miles) southeast of South Georgia Island. The island is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide. Its highest point is 551 meters (1,808 feet) above sea level.
Mount Asphyxia and Lava Plains
The western side of Zavodovski Island is dominated by Mount Asphyxia. This is a stratovolcano, which means it is a tall, cone-shaped volcano. The eastern half of the island is a flat area made of cooled lava. Mount Asphyxia is thought to be active. New lava was seen in 1830, and there have been many signs of activity since then. About half of the island is made of tephra, which are pieces of rock and ash thrown out by a volcano.
Penguin Colony on Zavodovski
Zavodovski Island is famous for its huge colony of chinstrap penguins. Around two million of these penguins live and breed there. This makes it one of the largest penguin colonies in the world! The island was even featured in the BBC series Planet Earth II. This nature show, narrated by David Attenborough, showed what life is like for these penguins in such a tough environment.
Visokoi Island: The High Island
Visokoi Island is located southeast of Zavodovski. It is about 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) long and 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) wide. The island is topped by Mount Hodson, a volcanic peak that reaches 1,005 meters (3,297 feet) high.
Naming Visokoi's Features
Mount Hodson is named after Sir Arnold Weinholt Hodson. He was a governor of the Falkland Islands. The name "Visokoi" means "high" in Russian, which makes sense because of its tall peak. The eastern tip of the island is called Point Irving. It is named after Commander John J. Irving, who led a British mapping trip. He was also the father of British writer, David Irving.
Leskov Island: A Unique Formation
Leskov Island is located to the west of the main chain of the South Sandwich Islands. It is less than 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) long. It lies about 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of Visokoi Island. Bellingshausen named it after the third lieutenant on his ship, the Vostok.
Volcanic Rock of Leskov Island
Leskov Island is different from the other islands. It is made of andesitic lava, not basaltic lava. This means its volcanic rock has a different chemical makeup. The subduction zone that creates the South Sandwich Trench is located to the east of this island chain. A subduction zone is where one of Earth's tectonic plates slides under another.
See also
In Spanish: Archipiélago Marqués de Traverse para niños
