President Beaches is a series of beach

Beach

A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...

es which extend for 6 nautical miles (11 km) along the broad western end of Byers Peninsula

Byers Peninsula

Byers Peninsula is a mainly ice-free peninsula forming the west end of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. It occupies , and includes the small freshwater Basalt Lake. The area was visited by early 19th century American and British sealers who came almost exclusively from New England,...

, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...

, Antarctica between Start Point

Start Point, Livingston Island

Start Point is a point marking the northwest end of Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and forming the southwest side of the entrance to Svishtov Cove and the northeast side of the entrance to the New Plymouth bay...

 to the north and Devils Point

Devils Point

Devils Point is a point marking the southwest extremity of Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and forming the southeast side of the entrance to Osogovo Bay and the west side of the entrance to Raskuporis Cove...

 to the south.

The name "West Beaches" was proposed by K.R. Everett, United States Antarctic Research Program (USARP) researcher who made a reconnaissance soil survey in the area during February 1969. The proposed name is locationally appropriate but would be repetitious. 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...

 (US-ACAN) has chosen instead to restore a historical name to the vicinity. In the early part of the 1820-21 season, the Stonington sealers used the name "President's Harbor" (now New Plymouth

New Plymouth, Livingston Island

New Plymouth is a bay bordered by an extensive line of beaches, lying south of Start Point and between Rugged Island and the west end of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica....

) for the anchorage immediately off these beaches.

Location

The beaches are centred at 62°37′30"S 61°07′00"W (British mapping in 1968, detailed Spanish mapping in 1992, and Bulgarian mapping in 2005 and 2009).

Maps

• Península Byers, Isla Livingston. Mapa topográfico a escala 1:25000. Madrid: Servicio Geográfico del Ejército, 1992.
• L.L. Ivanov et al. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands. Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 2005.
• L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4

Reference

• SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer.