Bouvet Island - Geography

Geography

Bouvetøya is a volcanic island constituting the top of a volcano located as the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean. The islands measures 9.5 by 7 kilometers (5.9 by 4.3 mi) and covers an area of 49 square kilometers (19 sq mi), including a number of small rocks and skerries and one sizable island, Larsøya. It is located in the Subantarctic, south of the Antarctic Convergence, which, by some definitions, would place the island in the Southern Ocean. Bouvet Island is the most remote island in the world. The closest land is Queen Maud Land of Antarctica, which is 1,700 kilometers (1,100 mi) to the south, and Gough Island, 1,600 kilometers (990 mi) to the north. The closest inhabited location is Cape Agulhas, South Africa, 2,200 kilometers (1,400 mi) to the northeast.

Nyrøysa is a 2-by-0.5-kilometer (1.2 by 0.3 mi) terrace located on the north-west coast of the island. Created by a rock slide sometime between 1955 and 1957, it is the island's easiest access point. It is the site of the weather station. The north-west corner is the peninsula of Kapp Circoncision. From there, east to Kapp Valdivia, the coast is known as Morgenstiernekysten. Store Kari is an islet located 1.2 kilometers (0.7 mi) east of the cape. From Kapp Valdivia, southeast to Kapp Lollo, on the east side of the island, the coast is known as Victoria Terrasse. From there to Kapp Fie at the southeastern corner, the coast is known as Mowinckelkysten. Svartstranda is a section of black sand which runs 1.8 kilometers (1.1 mi) along the section from Kapp Meteor, south to Kapp Fie. After rounding Kapp Fie, the coast along the south side is known as Vogtkysten. The western-most part of it is the 300 meters (980 ft) long shore of Sjøelefantstranda. Off Catoodden, on the south-western corner, lies Larsøya, the only island of any size off Bouvetøya. The western coast from Catoodden north to Nyrøysa, is known as Esmarchkysten. Midway up the coast lies Norvegiaodden (Kapp Norvegia) and 0.5 kilometers (0.31 mi) off it the skerries of Bennskjæra.

93 percent of the island is covered by glaciers, giving it a domed shape. The summit region of the island is Wilhelmplatået, slightly to the west of the island's center. The plateau is 3.5 kilometers (2.2 mi) across and surrounded by several peaks. The tallest is Olavtoppen, 780 meters (2,560 ft) above mean sea level (AMSL), followed by Lykketoppen (766 meters / 2,513 feet AMSL) and Mosbytoppane (670 meters / 2,200 feet AMSL). Below Wilhelmplatået is the main caldera responsible for creating the island. The last eruption took place 2000 BC, producing a lava flow at Kapp Meteor. The volcano is presumed to be in a declining state. The temperature 30 centimeters (12 in) below the surface is 25 °C (77 °F).

The island's total coastline is 29.6 kilometers (18.4 mi). Landing on the island is very difficult, as it normally experiences high seas and features a steep coast. During the winter, it is surrounded by pack ice. The Bouvet Triple Junction is located 275 kilometers (171 mi) west of Bouvet Island. It is a triple junction between the South American Plate, the African Plate and the Antarctic Plate, and of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Southwest Indian Ridge and the American–Antarctic Ridge.