Cooper Island

For the island in the British Virgin Islands, see Cooper Island (British Virgin Islands).

For the islet in the US Minor Outlying Islands, see Palmyra Atoll.

Cooper Island

Southeast extremity of South Georgia with Cooper Island
Cooper Island can be seen on Cook's 1777 South-Up map
Geography
Coordinates	54°48′S 35°47′W / 54.8°S 35.783°W / -54.8; -35.783
Archipelago	South Georgia
Length	2 mi (3 km)
Highest elevation	1,365 ft (416.1 m)
Country
United Kingdom
Demographics
Population	0

Cooper Island (54°48′S 35°47′W / 54.8°S 35.783°W / -54.8; -35.783) is a small island to the southeast of the main island of South Georgia.

It is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and lies at the north side of the entrance to Drygalski Fjord, off the southeast end of South Georgia. It was discovered by a British expedition under James Cook in 1775, and named for Lieutenant Robert Palliser Cooper, an officer aboard the Resolution.

A navigable channel, Cooper Sound, nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, separates Cooper Island from the southeast coast of the main island of South Georgia. There is a small bay, Cooper bay, 1.3 miles (2.1 km) southwest of Cape Vahsel on the mainland, and 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Cooper Island, indenting the southeast end of South Georgia, which derives its name from Cooper Island.

It is 1,365 feet (416 m) at its highest point, and the upper parts of the island are above the snow line.

Wildlife

As one of a handful of rat-free islands, Cooper Island is South Georgia's only Special Protection Area, it has a great deal of sea birds including snow petrels, Antarctic Prions, 12,000 pairs of black-browed albatrosses, chinstrap penguins and 20,000 macaroni penguins. There are also a number of fur seals and this is one of the few places where they were not hunted by humans.

The island is covered in tussock grass.

See also

• Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
• History of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
• List of Antarctic islands north of 60° S
• SCAR

References

External links

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Cooper Island" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).