- Pebble Island
Infobox Falkland island
MapCaption=
latitude= -51.3031
longitude= -59.6294
coordinates= coord|51|18|11|S|59|37|46|W|display=inline,title
island group=
english name= Pebble Island
spanish name= Isla Borbón
meaning of name=Spanish: Bourbon Island
area=Unit sq km|88|0
area rank=
highest elevation=
Population=
population rank=
main settlement=Pebble Island Settlement
references=Pebble Island ( _es. Isla Borbón) is one of the
Falkland Islands , lying north ofWest Falkland . It has an area of approximately 88 km² (c. 21,000 acres) and has been asheep farm since1846 . The "capital" of the island, and only settlement is known asPebble Island Settlement .13,500
Corriedale sheep are kept here, along with 240 head of cattle (both beef and dairy).History
The current farm was founded in 1846, by an Englishman called John Markham Dean. He also bought three neighbouring islands. Dean's family concern passed on to Dean Brothers Ltd, but it is currently managed locally by Raymond Evans, who is the great nephew of Johnny Evans, who introduced sheep to the island, and who also slaughtered the first feral cattle.Wigglesworth, Angela. (1992) "Falkland People". Pub. Peter Owen. ISBN 0-7206-0850-3]
During the
Falklands War , the island was occupied by Argentine forces and heavily fortified, but was assaulted successfully by the British SAS in the "Raid on Pebble Island ". 300 Argentines were based here. There are memorials on the island to the British destroyer "HMS Coventry" and to an ArgentinianLear Jet , both destroyed during the conflict. "Coventry" sank 14 miles north of Pebble Island in May 1982. After the raid, the Argentines confined the islanders to the manager's house.More recently,
Pebble Island Settlement became one of the first in the Falkland Islands to usewind turbine s to generate most of its electricity.Geography and wildlife
The island can be divided into a marshy east, known for its
waterfowl and wading birds, and a hilly west, known for itspenguin s. Penguin species found here include rockhopper, macaroni, king anderect-crested penguin s. Waterfowl include wild duck,grebe , andblack-necked swan s, which live on the island's ponds.The two halves are joined by an
isthmus on which the settlement is located. The island is probably named for the peculiarly spherical pebbles found at its western tip. The western half is dominated by "First Mountain" or "First Mount".Nearby islands include
Golding Island , Middle Island, East Island, Rabbit Island andPebble Islet .References
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