Passage Islands

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Passage Islands

Islas del Pasaje
Falkland Islands - The Passage Islands.svg
Location of the Passage Islands within the Falkland Islands
Coordinates: 51°35′31″S60°43′26″W / 51.592°S 60.724°W / -51.592; -60.724 Coordinates: 51°35′31″S60°43′26″W / 51.592°S 60.724°W / -51.592; -60.724
Country Falkland Islands
Time zone UTC−3 (FKST)
If shown, area and population ranks are for all islands and all inhabited islands in the Falklands respectively.

The Passage Islands (Spanish : Islas del Pasaje) are a group of four islands in the Falkland Islands of the South Atlantic Ocean. They lie off Dunnose Head, West Falkland, at the mouth of King George Bay.

Contents

Description

The largest of the group is Second Passage Island which is 9 km (5.6 mi) long from east to west and up to 2 km (1.2 mi) wide. Much of the coastline is characterised by cliffs up to 30 metres (98 ft) high. The highest point is 75 metres (246 ft) Sixtus Hill. Past overgrazing has caused erosion and reduced the cover of tussac. There are several ponds, one of which provides feeding habitat for waders and waterfowl. Third and Fourth Passage Islands are 800 m apart and low lying, rising to about 30 metres (98 ft). They were only briefly stocked with cattle in the 1960s and have good tussac coverage. [1]

Important Bird Area

The Passage Islands group has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Birds for which the site is of conservation significance include Falkland steamer ducks, gentoo penguins (300 breeding pairs), southern rockhopper penguins (145 pairs), southern giant petrels, striated caracaras, white-bridled finches, blackish cinclodes and Cobb's wrens. [1]

Related Research Articles

Geography of the Falkland Islands Geography of the Falkland Islands

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Jason Islands

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Sea Lion Island Island in Falkland Islands

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New Island Island in Falkland Islands

New Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north of Beaver Island. It is 238 km (148 mi) from Stanley and is 13 km (8.1 mi) long with an average width of 750 m (820 yd). The highest point is 226 metres (741 ft). The northern and eastern coasts have high cliffs but the eastern coasts are lower lying, with rocky shores and sandy bays. There are several smaller offshore islands in the group; North Island and Saddle Island have high cliffs but Ship Island and Cliff Knob Island are lower lying.

West Point Island Island in Falkland Islands

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Beauchene Island Island in Falkland Islands

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Ildefonso Islands

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Kidney Island Island in Falkland Islands

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Avian Island Island in Antarctica

Avian Island is an island, 1.2 km (0.7 mi) long and 40 metres (130 ft) high, lying close off the south tip of Adelaide Island, Antarctica. It was discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, and visited in 1948 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, who so named it because of the large number and variety of birds (avians) found there.

Elephant Cays

The Elephant Cays are a group of small islands lying towards the southern end of Falkland Sound, just to the north-west of Speedwell Island, in the Falkland Islands of the South Atlantic Ocean. The group, with a collective area of 248 ha includes Golden Knob, Sandy Cay, West, Southwest and Stinker Islands. It has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

Hope Harbour

Hope Harbour is an inlet at the north-west of West Falkland in the Falkland Islands of the South Atlantic Ocean. About 4 km long and 1.3 km wide, it is sheltered by the promontory of Grave Cove Camp in the south, a narrow ridge terminating in Hope Point to the north, Bramble Point Camp to the east, and West Point Island at its entrance to the west. Carcass Island lies 8 km north-east of Hope Point.

Seal Bay is a bay, about 1 km across, on the rugged and exposed north coast of East Falkland in the Falkland Islands of the South Atlantic Ocean. It lies some 40 km north-west of Stanley.

References

  1. 1 2 "Passage Islands Group". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-16.