Buchanan Point | |
|---|---|
  Buchanan Point | |
| Coordinates:60°43′S44°28′W / 60.717°S 44.467°W /-60.717; -44.467 | |
| Location | Laurie Island |
Buchanan Point is a headland 5 km (3.1 mi) north-west ofCape Dundas and 2 km (1.2 mi) south-east ofMackintosh Cove, at the north-eastern end ofLaurie Island in theSouth Orkney Islands ofAntarctica.
In 1903 theScottish National Antarctic Expedition underWilliam Speirs Bruce applied the name "Cape Buchanan", after J.Y. Buchanan, a member of theChallenger Expedition of 1872–76, to the prominent cape 6 km (3.7 mi) north-westward, which had been named "Cape Valavielle" in 1838 by a French expedition under CaptainJules Dumont d'Urville. At the same time, the French name (in English form but misspelled "Cape Vallavielle") was transferred to the point now described. The nameCape Valavielle has been retained for the prominent cape, as applied by d'Urville, on the basis of priority and wide usage. For the sake of historical continuity, theUK Antarctic Place-Names Committee in 1954 recommended that the name Buchanan Point be applied to the point now described.[1][2]
The site has been identified as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because it supports abreeding colony of about 10,000 pairs ofchinstrap penguins.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from"Buchanan Point".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey.
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