Brabant Island is the second largest island of the Palmer Archipelago within the British Antarctic Territory, lying between Anvers Island and Liège Island. Brabant Island is located at 64°15′S 62°20′W / 64.25°S 62.333°W / -64.25; -62.333. Brabant Island is 33 miles (53 km) long in a north-south direction, 16 miles (26 km) wide, and rises to 2,520 m (8,268 ft) in Mount Parry. Brabant Island was named by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897-1899) under Adrien de Gerlache, who named it after the former province of Brabant, Belgium, in recognition of the support given to the Belgian Antarctic Expedition by its citizens.
Described as "notoriously inhospitable" the island had only been visited 6 times between its discovery and the Joint Services expedition of January 1984 to March 1985. Members of the expedition overwintered on Brabant Island 1984-1985, and made the first ascent of Mount Perry, reaching the top at 4:20 p.m. on 29 October 1984.
Famous quotes containing the word island:
“We crossed a deep and wide bay which makes eastward north of Kineo, leaving an island on our left, and keeping to the eastern side of the lake. This way or that led to some Tomhegan or Socatarian stream, up which the Indian had hunted, and whither I longed to go. The last name, however, had a bogus sound, too much like sectarian for me, as if a missionary had tampered with it; but I knew that the Indians were very liberal. I think I should have inclined to the Tomhegan first.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)