1. Bouvet Island (also: Norwegian - Bouvetøya, Bouvetoya)

Name of a Norwegian-owned island in the South Atlantic.

Bouvet Island is the most remote spot on earth. It is not a tropical island by any means, residing in the Southern Ocean at 54'24" south latitude. However, its sheer remoteness earns it a place in the Tikipedia.

Bouvet Island was first discovered by Jean-Baptiste Lozier Bouvet, captain of of the sailing ships Aigle and Marie, on January 1, 1739. Because of the nearly inaccessible coast, Bouvet was unable to land. However, he noted (incorrectly) the location of the island on charts. In 1772 and again in 1775, Captain James Cook unsuccessfully attempted to find the island. However, Bouvet Island was soon rediscovered when European sealers began operating in the region.

In 1808, Captain Lindsay of the whaling ships Swan and Otter rediscovered the island and noted the correct coordinates. However, a landing on Bouvet Island was not made until December 1822, when Captain Morrell of the Wasp landed ashore.

Great Britain claimed Bouvet Island as a British territory when, on December 10, 1825, it was spotted by a Captain Norris of the whalers Lively and Sprightly.

Liverpool Island was intermittently visited for the next century. In 1898, the German scientist Carl Chun visited the island on the research vessel Valdivia. Chun took a number of photographs, which were published in the book Aus den Tiefen des Weltmeers, in 1903.

As whaling and sealing expanded in the early 20th Century, more Norwegan and British sailors visited the region. However, Liverpool Island still remained little explored due to the extreme difficulty in making landings from the sea. The island is extremely rugged, with ice and glaciers covering seventy percent of the land. The coasts are steep and are not conducive to landings. Great Britain, who already had a whaling station on the more accessible South Georgia island, waived all claimed to Bouvet Island. The Norwegians claimed the island as their territory, and sent an expedition to visit in 1927. On January 23, 1928, Bouvet Island officially became a Norwegian territory. As Bouvetoya, the Norwegians sent a more thorough expedition to the island in 1929.

After World War Two, unsuccessful attempts by South Africa were made to establish a weather station on Bouvetoya. In 1964, South Africa made a visit by helocopter, and the expedtion found wreckage that indicated a possible shipwreck. However, despite a thorough search, no people were found.

By 1977, the Norwegians established an automated weather station on the island. A curious event occured in 1979, when satellites detected a large flash in the remote seas near Bouvetoya. Radioactive debris were found, indicating that some nuclear device, possibly from South Africa, was detonated. However, no definitive proof has yet come forward.

Today, Bouvetoya is a nature preserve. The island is still as inhospitable as ever. The island itself is volcanic in origin. The crater of the volcano exists in the north-west section of the island. The crater itself is filled in with ice from Posadowsky Glacier, and is called Wilhelmplataet. The rim of the crater circles from the easter side of the crater to the south west. The highest point of the rim (which is also the highest point on Bouvetoya) is Olaftoppen. The island then extends to the south-east into land covered in glaciers, the largest being Christensen Glacier.

Bouvetoya is still volcanically active. A Norwegian visit to Bouvetoya in 1957, identified a large plateau in the south-west section of the island. This plateau was subsequently called Nyrøyasa, or 'New Rubble'.

Link: Bouvet Island


Updated Decemger 26, 2004