Inaccessible Islands
The Inaccessible Islands are a group of small precipitous islands ranging from high, the westernmost features of the South Orkney Islands, lying west of Coronation Island in Antarctica. They were discovered in December 1821 by Captain George Powell, a British sealer in the sloop James Monroe, though it is possible they are the "Seal Islands" seen by Nathaniel Palmer a year earlier. The islands were so named by Powell because of their appearance of inaccessibility. They are considered part of the British Antarctic Territory by the United Kingdom and part of the Province of Tierra del Fuego by Argentina.The islands have been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because they support a large breeding colony of southern fulmars. Other birds nesting at the site include chinstrap penguins and imperial shags.
