Gourdin Island (Gourdin, islotes)
Gourdin Island is the largest island (124 ha) in a group of islands and rocks 1 nmi north of Prime Head, the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was discovered by a French expedition, 1837–40, under Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville, and named by him for Ensign Jean Gourdin of the expedition ship Astrolabe. The island was reidentified and charted by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1945–47.
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a large breeding colony of about 14,000 pairs of Adélie penguins, as well as over 550 pairs of gentoo penguins.
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a large breeding colony of about 14,000 pairs of Adélie penguins, as well as over 550 pairs of gentoo penguins.
Map - Gourdin Island (Gourdin, islotes)
Map
Country - Antarctica
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14200000 km2. Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.