Cornwallis Island (South Shetland Islands)
A map of the South Shetland Islands, Cornwallis is upper right | |
Cornwallis Island Location of Cornwallis Island Cornwallis Island Location in Antarctica | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 61°04′S 54°28′W / 61.067°S 54.467°W |
| Archipelago | South Shetland Islands |
| Length | 1.0 mi (1.6 km) |
| Administration | |
| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | uninhabited |
Cornwallis Island is an island 1 mile (1.6 km) long, which lies 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the east end of Elephant Island, in the South Shetland Islands. Named for Sir William Cornwallis following its 1819 discovery by Sir William Parry, this island became a strategic site in 1947 with the opening of a weather station and airstrip at Resolute. Now serving as the Arctic Archipelago's main communications terminal, it is the essential jumping-off point for transporting goods to isolated stations across the ice-bound perimeter of the islands.[1]
See also
- Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
- List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
- Prince Charles Strait
- Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
- Territorial claims in Antarctica
References
- ^ "Cornwallis Island". thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- This article incorporates public domain material from "Cornwallis Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.