Curzon Islands

Curzon Islands

Wilson's storm petrels breed in the islands
Curzon Islands Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location	Antarctica
Coordinates	66°46′S 141°35′E / 66.767°S 141.583°E / -66.767; 141.583
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited

The Curzon Islands are a small group of rocky islands lying close off Cape Découverte, Adélie Coast. They were probably sighted in January 1840 by a French expedition under Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville, though not identified as islands on d'Urville's maps. The islands were roughly charted in 1912 by Captain J.K. Davis of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition ship Aurora and named by Mawson for Lord Curzon, the President of the Royal Geographical Society, 1911–14. The islands were mapped in detail by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1950–52.^[1][2]

A 359 ha site comprising the island group and the intervening marine area has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports about 13,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins, mainly on Retour Island, the largest of the group. South polar skuas and Wilson's storm-petrels also breed in the islands. The closest permanent station is the French Dumont d'Urville, some 70 km to the west.^[3]

• List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands

•  This article incorporates public domain material from "Curzon Islands". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.

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