Petermann Island
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Petermann Island is a small island just off the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula of Antarctica, located at 65 deg 10 min S, 64 deg 10 min W, just a short distance south of Booth Island and the Lemaire Channel. Just 2 km long, the low rounded island is home to the world's southernmost colony of Gentoo Penguins, and also hosts a number of Adelie Penguins.
The island was discovered by a German expedition of 1873-74, who named it after geographer August Petermann. The French Antarctic Expedition of 1908-10 wintered over aboard ship in a cove on the southeast side of the island, named Port Circumcision because it was spotted 1 January 1909, the traditional day for the Feast of the Circumcision.
Huts built by the expedition are gone, although a cairn remains, along with a refuge hut built by Argentina in 1955, and a cross commemorating three members of the British Antarctic Survey who died in a 1982 attempt to cross the sea ice from Faraday station to Petermann.
