- Carcass Island
Infobox Falkland island
MapCaption=
latitude= -51.2824
longitude= -60.5632
coordinates= coord|51|15|4|S|60|31|40|W|display=inline,title
island group=
english name= Carcass Island
spanish name= Isla del Rosario
meaning of name= English: "Carcass" after ship
Spanish: Island of theRosary
area=
area rank=
highest elevation= Stanley Hill and Mount Bing, Unit m|304|0
Population=
population rank=
main settlement=Port Patterson
references=Carcass Island ( _es. Isla del Rosario) is one of the
Falkland Islands , lying north west ofWest Falkland and south east of theJason Islands .History
The island's grim sounding name comes from the ship HMS "Carcass", which surveyed the island in
1766 . Its accompanying vessel, HMS "Jason", gave its name to the nearbyJason Islands , and its captain, John McBride, gave his name toMacBride Head .It is currently run as a
sheep farm by Rob McGill. Its small settlement, lying onPort Patterson on the south west coast, is also known for itsgarden s, and has a small shop/grocery. It has been settled continuously for over a hundred years.Carcass Island was considered as one of the potential sites for a British amphibious landing during the
Falklands War [Bicheno, Hugh (2006) "Razor's Edge: The Unofficial History of the Falklands War". London. Weidenfield & Nicholson. ISBN-13 978-0-7538-2186-2] but, in the event, the British landings took place onSan Carlos Water in the west ofEast Falkland , onFalkland Sound . The plan would have been for a "stone aircraft carrier ". The main objections to this plan were, a) Carcass Island, being in the west of the archipelago was nearest to continental Argentine bases, b) its proximity to the airbase onPebble Island , and c) its remoteness from Stanley, as it was furthest from the main objectives, andWest Falkland was ultimately bypassed in the war.There are three
listed building s here, the boathouse, shed, and store. [cite news| url=http://www.falklands.info/background/listedb.html| work=Buildings and Structures in the Falkland Islands designated as being of Architectural or Historic Interest| title=Falkland Islands Information Web Portal| accessdate=2008-07-08]Geography
The highest points of the island are Stanley Hill, and Mount Bing (304 metres). There are also stretches of duneland. Leopard Beach is often used as a landing point.
Wildlife and gardens
The island has no
rat s orcat s, and as a result has a wide variety ofbird life includingBlack-crowned Night Heron s, known in the Falkland Islands as "quarks", as well as seals andpenguin s.Tussock grass also grows here.The island contains one of the few substantial stands of trees in the Falklands. There is however, a true wood at
Hill Cove . None of the species are endemic, but they include such exoticisms asMonterey cypress trees, and New Zealand cabbage palms. The night herons nest within these trees. The gardens also include other introduced plants such asfuchsia s,lupin s, anddog rose s.Wigglesworth, Angela. (1992) "Falkland People". Pub. Peter Owen. ISBN 0-7206-0850-3]References
External links
* [http://www.gisele.com/arnie/html/carcass_island.html Carcass Island]
* http://www.ladatco.com/fk-crs.htm
* [http://www.air-and-space.com/200101%20Antarctica/19%20Carcass%20Island%20Falkland%20Islandsa.htm Wildlife shots of Carcass island]
* [http://cruises.about.com/od/southamericacruises/ss/falklands_6.htm Carcass Island of the Falkland Islands]
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