Guano Island (Antarctica)

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Guano Island
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Guano Island
Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location Antarctica
Coordinates 66°46′S141°36′E / 66.767°S 141.600°E / -66.767; 141.600 Coordinates: 66°46′S141°36′E / 66.767°S 141.600°E / -66.767; 141.600
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Guano Island is a rocky island 0.4 kilometres (0.2 nmi) long, lying 0.4 kilometres (0.2 nmi) south of Chameau Island at the southeast end of the Curzon Islands, Antarctica. It was charted and named by the French Antarctic Expedition in 1951. The name derives from the considerable deposits of penguin guano there. [1]

Chameau Island

Chameau Island is a rocky island 0.2 kilometres (0.1 nmi) long, lying 1.5 kilometres (0.8 nmi) east of Cape Découverte in the Curzon Islands. It was charted and named in 1951 by the French Antarctic Expedition. The name is suggestive of the island's form which resembles the two humps on a (bactrian) camel, "chameau" being a French word for camel.

Curzon Islands

The Curzon Islands are a small group of rocky islands lying close off Cape Découverte, Adélie Coast. They were probably sighted in January 1840 by a French expedition under Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville, though not identified as islands on d'Urville's maps. The islands were roughly charted in 1912 by Captain J.K. Davis of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition ship Aurora and named by Mawson for Lord Curzon, the President of the Royal Geographical Society, 1911–14. The islands were mapped in detail by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1950–52.

Guano excrement of seabirds and bats

Guano is the accumulated excrement of seabirds and bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to its exceptionally high content of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium: nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials. The 19th-century guano trade played a pivotal role in the development of modern input-intensive farming, but its demand began to decline after the discovery of the Haber-Bosch process of nitrogen fixing led to the production of synthetic fertilizers. The demand for guano spurred the human colonization of remote bird islands in many parts of the world. During the 20th century, guano-producing birds became an important target of conservation programs and influenced the development of environmental consciousness. Today, guano is increasingly sought after by organic farmers.

See also

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Windmill Islands island

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Buffon Islands

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Descartes Island (Antarctica)

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Piton Island

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Mendori Island

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Lagrange Island

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Larrouy Island

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Leopard Island

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Bluff Island (Antarctica)

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Newton Island (Antarctica)

Newton Island is a rocky island 0.9 kilometres (0.5 nmi) northwest of Laplace Island and 2 kilometres (1.2 nmi) north-northwest of Cape Mousse, Adélie Coast, Antarctica. It was charted in 1951 by the French Antarctic Expedition and named after Sir Isaac Newton, English philosopher and mathematician.

References

  1. "Guano Island". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2012-05-10.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Guano Island" (content from the Geographic Names Information System ).

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