Peter I Island () is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen Sea, from continental Antarctica. It is claimed as a dependency of Norway and, along with Bouvet Island and Queen Maud Land, composes one of the three Norwegian dependent territories in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. The island measures approximately , with an area of ; its highest point is the ultra-prominent, Lars Christensen Peak. Nearly all the island is covered by a glacier, and it is surrounded most of the year by pack ice, making it inaccessible during these times. There is little vertebrate animal life on the island, apart from some seabirds and seals.
The island was first sighted by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on 21 January 1821 and was named after Peter I of Russia. Not until 2 February 1929 did anyone set foot on the island, when Nils Larsen and Ola Olstad's second Norvegia expedition, financed by Lars Christensen, was successful. They claimed it for Norway, which annexed it in 1931 and made it a dependency in 1933. The next landing occurred in 1948, and the island has been subject to some scientific research and a limited amount of tourism. The island became subject to the Antarctic Treaty in 1961. Since 1987, there has been an automated meteorological station on the island. Three amateur radio DX-peditions have visited the island, and there are sporadic landings by tourists.
History
The first sighting of Peter I Island was made on 21 October 1821 by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen's expedition, who commanded the ships Vostok and Mirny under the Russian flag. He named the island after Tsar Peter I of Russia. Drift ice made it impossible for Bellinghausen to come nearer than from the island. It was the first land to have been spotted south of the Antarctic Circle, and was thus also the southernmost sighted land at the time of its discovery. In January 1910, the French expedition led by Jean-Baptiste Charcot and his ship Pourquoi-Pas confirmed Bellingshausen's discovery, but they also did not land, being stopped from the island by pack ice. The first expedition to land on the island was the Christensen-financed second Norvegia expedition, led by Nils Larsen and Ola Olstad. They landed on 2 February 1929 and claimed the island for Norway. Larsen attempted to land again in 1931, but was hindered by pack ice.
The next landing occurred on 10 February 1948 by Larsen's ship Brategg. Biological, geological and hydrographic surveys underwent for three days, before the pack ice forced the expedition to leave. The expedition built a hut and placed a copy of the document of occupation from 1929 inside. On 23 June 1961, Peter I Island became subject to the Antarctic Treaty, after Norway's signing of the treaty in 1959. Since then, there have been several landings on the island by various nations for scientific investigations, Three DX-peditions have been sent to the island, in 1987, 1994 and 2006. Due to geographic isolation and the island's glacier terrain perched vertically above antarctic seas, this station is considered one of the most challenging QSL stations to operate (requiring two helicopters) when it is active.
Geography
thumb|upright=1.2|Map of the island
thumb|upright=1.4|alt=Image of barren, glacial coastline surrounded by ice cliffs and bergs|Coastline of Peter I Island, visited during an expedition of the German research icebreaker [[RV Polarstern|RV Polarstern in 1994]]
Peter I Island is a volcanic island located off the coast of Ellsworth Land of continental Antarctica, and about to the south-west of Smith Island, the nearest of the South Shetland Islands. It has an area of . The island is almost entirely covered by glacier,
Surrounding the island is a tall ice front and vertical cliffs. The long stretches of ice caps are supplemented with rock outcrops.
The island is a shield volcano, although it is not known if it is still active, and it has been categorized as either Holocene or historic, based on date samples ranging from years ago. The summit, Lars Christensen Peak, is a wide circular crater. An ultra-prominent peak at elevation, it is named after Lars Christensen. It is not known whether this volcano is extinct or not, because the upper part is apparently unmodified by glaciation, indicating an eruption several centuries ago.
Environment
The island has a very harsh climate with strong winds and freezing temperatures. The vegetation of the island consists exclusively of mosses and lichens which have adapted to the extreme Antarctic climate of Peter I Øy. Seaweed and algae also exist.
Birds
The island is a breeding ground for a few seabirds, particularly southern fulmars, Other countries however, including the United States, do not recognize this claim. Peter I Island is the only claim within 90°W and 150°W and is also the only claim which is not a sector. Being south of 60°S, the island is subject to the Antarctic Treaty. The annexation of the island is regulated by the Dependency Act of 24 March 1933. It establishes that Norwegian criminal law, private law and procedural law applies to the island, in addition to other laws that explicitly state they are valid on the island. It further establishes that all land belongs to the state, and prohibits the storage and detonation of nuclear products.
See also
- List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands
- List of islands of Norway by area
- List of possessions of Norway
- List of volcanoes in Antarctica
- Ranvika, a cove on the eastern shore of the island.