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Rugged Island (South Shetland Islands)

Rugged Island
Location of Rugged Island in the South Shetland Islands
Map
Geography
LocationAntarctica
Coordinates62°38′S 61°15′W / 62.633°S 61.250°W / -62.633; -61.250
ArchipelagoSouth Shetland Islands
Area10.4 km2 (4.0 sq mi)
Length3 mi (5 km)
Width1 mi (2 km)
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Populationuninhabited
Map of Byers Peninsula featuring Rugged Island
Fragment of George Powell's 1822 chart of the South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands featuring Rugged Island (as 'Lloyds or Rugged Island')
Topographic map of Livingston Island and Smith Island

Rugged Island (in Spanish Isla Rugosa, variant historical names Lloyds Island or Ragged Island) is an island 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, lying west of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Its surface area is 10.4 square kilometres (4.0 sq mi).[1] The island's summit San Stefano Peak rises to 256 metres (840 ft) above sea level. Rugged Island is located at 62°38′S 61°15′W / 62.633°S 61.250°W / -62.633; -61.250. Rugged Island was known to both American and British sealers as early as 1820, and the name has been well established in international usage for over 100 years.

History

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Rugged Island was first visited in 1819 by the sealing vessel Espirito Santo chartered by English merchants in Buenos Aires, and commanded by Captain Joseph Herring. The ship arrived at a bay on the north coast, known today as Hersilia Cove, where its English crew landed on Christmas Day 1819, and claimed the islands for King George III. The Espirito Santo was joined on 23 January 1820 by the American brig Hersilia commanded by Captain James Sheffield (with first mate Elof Benson and second mate Nathaniel Palmer), the first American sealer in the South Shetlands. A narrative of the events was published by Captain Herring in the July 1820 edition of the Imperial Magazine, London.

See also

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Maps

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References

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  1. ^ L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2010. ISBN 978-954-92032-9-5 (First edition 2009. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4)
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