Booth Island
Encyclopedia
Booth Island is a rugged, Y-shaped island
, 5 miles (8 km) long and rising to 980 m (3,215 ft) west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula
in Antarctica in the northeastern part of the Wilhelm Archipelago
. Booth Island is located at 65.08°S 64.0°W. Discovered and named by a German
expedition under Eduard Dallmann
1873-1874, probably for Oskar Booth or Stanley Booth, or both, members of the Hamburg Geographical Society at that time. The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
has rejected the name "Wandel Island", applied by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition
, 1897-1899, in favor of the original naming. The narrow passage between the island and the mainland is the scenic Lemaire Channel
.
The highest point of the island is 980 metres (3,215 ft) Wandel Peak. Damien Gildea
called it "one of the most challenging unclimbed objectives on the Antarctic Peninsula". On 15th February, 2006 the peak was reached by a group of Spanish alpinists, who still avoided the last 10–15 m (32.8–49.2 ft) of the mushroomlike top.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, 5 miles (8 km) long and rising to 980 m (3,215 ft) west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
in Antarctica in the northeastern part of the Wilhelm Archipelago
Wilhelm Archipelago
Wilhelm Archipelago is an island archipelago off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in Antarctica.Wilhelm Archipelago consists of a myriad of islands, the largest of which are Booth Island and Hovgaard Island. The archipelago extends from Bismarck Strait southwest to Lumus Rock, off the...
. Booth Island is located at 65.08°S 64.0°W. Discovered and named by a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
expedition under Eduard Dallmann
Eduard Dallmann
Eduard Dallmann was a German whaler, trader and Polar explorer....
1873-1874, probably for Oskar Booth or Stanley Booth, or both, members of the Hamburg Geographical Society at that time. The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending names for features in Antarctica...
has rejected the name "Wandel Island", applied by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition
Belgian Antarctic Expedition
The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897 to 1899, named after its expedition vessel Belgica, was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region.- Preparation and Surveying :...
, 1897-1899, in favor of the original naming. The narrow passage between the island and the mainland is the scenic Lemaire Channel
Lemaire Channel
Lemaire Channel is a strait off Antarctica, located between Kiev Peninsula in the mainland's Graham Land and Booth Island. Nicknamed "Kodak Gap" by some, it is one of the top tourist destinations in Antarctica; steep cliffs hem in the iceberg-filled passage, which is 11 km long and just 1,600...
.
The highest point of the island is 980 metres (3,215 ft) Wandel Peak. Damien Gildea
Damien Gildea
Damien Gildea is an Australian mountaineer and Antarctic explorer who climbed extensively in Antarctica, Nepal, Tibet, Pakistan, Bolivia, Alaska, New Zealand and elsewhere...
called it "one of the most challenging unclimbed objectives on the Antarctic Peninsula". On 15th February, 2006 the peak was reached by a group of Spanish alpinists, who still avoided the last 10–15 m (32.8–49.2 ft) of the mushroomlike top.
See also
- Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
- List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
- List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
- SCARScientific Committee on Antarctic ResearchThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council for Science . It was established in February 1958 to continue the international coordination of Antarctic scientific activities that had begun during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58...
- Territorial claims in Antarctica