Bounty Islands
 orthographic projection centred over the Bounty Islands |
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 The position of the Bounty Islands relative to New Zealand, and other outlying islands. |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°45′S 179°03′E / 47.75°S 179.05°E |
| Area | 1.35 km2 (0.521 sq mi) |
| Country | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
The Bounty Islands are a small group of 13 uninhabited granite islets and numerous rocks, with a combined area of 135 ha (330 acres), in the south Pacific Ocean that are territorially part of New Zealand. It lies about 670 km (416 mi) east-south-east of the South Island of New Zealand, and 530 km south-west of the Chatham Islands. The group is a World Heritage Site.[1]
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[edit] History
The Bounty Islands were discovered by Captain William Bligh in 1788 and named after his ship, HMS Bounty, just months before the famous mutiny. During the 19th century, they were a popular hunting ground for sealers.
[edit] Flora and fauna
Ecologically, the islands are part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion. Plants include Cook's Scurvy Grass. The group is is home to large numbers of seabirds.
[edit] Important Bird Area
The Bounty group has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because of its significance as a breeding site for Erect-crested Penguins, Salvin's Albatrosses and Bounty Shags.[2]
[edit] Geography
The whole chain is only 5 km (3.1 mi) across at its longest axis, and comprises three subgroups, the largest Main Group to the north-west, the Centre Group and the East Group. The total area is only 1.35 km2 (0.52 sq mi), and the highest point, on Funnel Island, is 73 metres (240 ft) above sea level. The islands are at the antipodes of Bouillé-Ménard, in France (Pays-de-la-Loire).
[edit] The islands
- Main Group (47°45′S 179°02′E / 47.75°S 179.033°E):
- Depot Island (largest in the group), named for the castaway depot on the island.
- Lion Island
- Penguin Island
- Proclamation Island
- Ranfurly Island
- Ruatara Island
- Spider Island
- Tunnel Island
- Centre Group (47°45′45″S 179°02′40″E / 47.7625°S 179.04444°E):
- Castle Island
- Funnel Island (main islet)
- Prion Island
- East Group (47°46′S 179°04′E / 47.767°S 179.067°E):
- Molly Cap (main islet)
- North Rock
[edit] See also
- List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands
- List of islands of New Zealand
- New Zealand subantarctic islands
- Water hemisphere
- Bounty Islands nonmarine fauna
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Bounty Islands. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-01-27.
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