Introduction

Bouvet Island

Background:

This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named. No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In 1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island the previous year. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters a nature reserve. Since 1977, it has run an automated meteorological station on the island.

Geography

Bouvet Island

Location:	island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
Geographic coordinates:	54 26 S, 3 24 E
Map references:	Antarctic Region
Area:	total: 49 sq km land: 49 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	29.6 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate:	antarctic
Terrain:	volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Olav Peak 935 m
Natural resources:	none
Land use:	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (93% ice) (2005)
Irrigated land:	0 sq km
Natural hazards:	NA
Environment - current issues:	NA
Geography - note:	covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve

People

Bouvet Island

Population:

uninhabited

Government

Bouvet Island

Country name:	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bouvet Island
Dependency status:	territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
Legal system:	the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Flag description:	the flag of Norway is used

Economy

Bouvet Island

Economy - overview:

no economic activity; declared a nature reserve

Communications

Bouvet Island

Internet country code:	.bv
Internet hosts:	6 (2007)
Communications - note:	automatic meteorological station

Transportation

Bouvet Island

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Bouvet Island

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Norway

Transnational Issues

Bouvet Island

Disputes - international:

none

History of Bouvet Island

Bouvet Island was discovered on January 1, 1739, by Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, who commanded the French ships Aigle and Marie. However, the island's position was not accurately fixed and Bouvet did not circumnavigate his discovery, so it remained unclear whether it was an island or part of a continent.

The island was not sighted again until 1808, when it was spotted by one Lindsay, the captain of the Enderby Company whaler Swan. Though he didn't land, he was the first to correctly fix the island's position.

The first successful landfall dates to December 1822, when Captain Benjamin Morrell of the sealer Wasp landed, hunting for seals. He was successful and took several seal skins.

On December 10, 1825, one Captain Norris, master of the Enderby Company whalers Sprightly and Lively, landed on the island, named it Liverpool Island, and claimed it for the British Crown.

In 1898, the German Valdivia expedition of Carl Chun visited the island but did not land.

The first extended stay on the island was in 1927, when the Norwegian "Norvegia" crew stayed for about a month; this is the basis for the territorial claim by Norway, who have named the island Bouvetøya (Bouvet Island in Norwegian). The island was annexed on December 1, 1927, by a Royal Norwegian Decree of January 23, 1928, Bouvetøya became a Norwegian Territory. The United Kingdom waived its claim in favor of Norway the following year. In 1930 a Norwegian act was passed that made the island a dependent area subject to the sovereignty of the Kingdom (but not a part of the Kingdom).

In 1964, an abandoned lifeboat was discovered on the island, along with various supplies; however, the lifeboat's passengers were never found.

In 1971, Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters were designated a nature reserve. The island remains uninhabited, although an automated weather station was set up there in 1977 by the Norwegians.

On September 22, 1979, a satellite recorded a flash of light (which was later interpreted as having been caused by a nuclear bomb explosion or natural event such as a meteor) in a stretch of the southern Indian Ocean between Bouvet Island and Prince Edward Islands. This detonation, since dubbed the Vela Incident, scattered radioactive debris over a wide area (it was detected by scientists in the Australian Antarctic Territory). No country has ever admitted responsibility for the test, though suspects include South Africa, Israel and Taiwan.

Despite being uninhabited, Bouvet Island has the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .bv, though it is not used. A handful of amateur radio expeditions have gone to this remote location (call signs used here begin with 3Y). Bouvet Island falls within the UTC Z time zone. Atlantic/St_Helena is the zone used in the time zone database.

Last update on 4 March 2008