The island was first sighted byFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on 21 January 1821 and was named afterPeter I of Russia. Not until 2 February 1929 did anyone set foot on the island, whenNils Larsen andOla Olstad'sSecondNorvegia Expedition, financed byLars Christensen, was successful. They claimed it for Norway, which annexed it in 1931 and made it a dependency in 1933. The next landing occurred in 1948, and the island has been subject to some scientific research and a limited amount of tourism. The island became subject to theAntarctic Treaty in 1961. Since 1987, there has been an automated meteorological station on the island. Three amateur radioDX-peditions have visited the island, and there are sporadic landings by tourists.
The first sighting of Peter I Island was made on 21 October 1821 byFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen's expedition,[2] who commanded the shipsVostok andMirny under theRussian flag. He named the island after TsarPeter I of Russia.Drift ice made it impossible for Bellinghausen to come nearer than 25 kilometers (16 mi) from the island. It was the first land to have been spotted south of theAntarctic Circle, and was thus also the southernmost sighted land at the time of its discovery.[3] In January 1910, the French expedition led byJean-Baptiste Charcot and his shipPourquoi-Pas confirmed Bellingshausen's discovery, but they also did not land, being stopped 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from the island by pack ice.[3]
The first landing on the island (1929)
In 1926 and 1927, the Norwegian sailor Eyvind Toftecircumnavigated and surveyed the island fromOdd I. However, he was also prevented from landing.[3] The Norwegian whale-ship ownerLars Christensen financed several expeditions to the Antarctic, in part for research and in part to claim land for Norway. The latter was motivated by the British taxation ofwhaling stations in the Antarctic, and Christensen hoped to be able to establish stations on Norwegian territory to gain better privileges and so at least the taxes went to his home country.[4] The first expedition to land on the island was the Christensen-financed secondNorvegia expedition, led by Nils Larsen and Ola Olstad. They landed on 2 February 1929 and claimed the island for Norway. Larsen attempted to land again in 1931, but was hindered by pack ice.[3] On 6 March 1931, a Norwegian royal proclamation declared the island under Norwegiansovereignty[4] and on 23 March 1933 the island was declared a dependency.[3][5]
The next landing occurred on 10 February 1948 by Larsen's shipBrategg.Biological,geological andhydrographic surveys underwent for three days, before the pack ice forced the expedition to leave. The expedition built a hut and placed a copy of the document of occupation from 1929 inside. On 23 June 1961, Peter I Island became subject to theAntarctic Treaty, after Norway's signing of the treaty in 1959.[6][7] Since then, there have been several landings on the island by various nations for scientific investigations,[3] as well as a limited number of ships that have successfully landedtourists on the island.[2]
In 1987, theNorwegian Polar Institute sent five scientists to spend eleven days on the island. The main focuses wereaerial photography andtopographical measurements to allow an accurate map of the island to be produced. The second important area was marine biological investigations, although also geological, biological and other surveys were conducted. The team also built an automaticweather station.[8] ThreeDX-peditions have been sent to the island, in 1987, 1994 and 2006.[9][10][11]
Coastline of Peter I Island, visited during an expedition of the German research icebreakerRVPolarstern in 1994
Peter I Island is avolcanic island located 450 kilometres (280 mi) off the coast ofEllsworth Land of continental Antarctica, and about 1,400 km (870 mi) to the south-west ofSmith Island, the nearest of theSouth Shetland Islands. It has an area of 154 square kilometres (59 sq mi). The island is almost entirely covered byglacier,[1] with about 95% of the surface covered by ice.[12]
Surrounding the island is a 40-meter (130 ft) tallice front and vertical cliffs.[13] The long stretches of ice caps are supplemented with rock outcrops.[12] Landing is only possible at three points, and only during the short period of the year in which the island is not surrounded by pack ice.[13] These landings take place on the west side atKapp Ingrid Christensen, a peninsula which divides the baysNorvegiabukta andSandefjordbukta. On the cape are some narrow strips of beach, which are suitable for landing.[12] The beach in Norvegiabukta is just 4 meters (13 ft) wide and is entered via the natural arch Tsarporten.[2] On the west side is a plateau, while the north and south coasts feature ice shelves. The eastern side is the steepest and features two rock columns with flat tops in the sea.[14]
The island is ashield volcano, although it is not known if it is still active, and it has been categorized as eitherHolocene or historic, based on date samples ranging from0.1 to 0.35 million years ago. The summit,Lars Christensen Peak, is a 100-metre (330 ft) wide circular crater.[15] Anultra-prominent peak at 1,640 metres (5,380 ft) elevation, it is named after Lars Christensen. It is not known whether this volcano is extinct or not, because the upper part is apparently unmodified by glaciation, indicating an eruption several centuries ago.[16]
Peter I Island is one of Norway's twoterritorial claims in Antarctica, the other being Queen Maud Land.[1] Norway, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have all mutually recognized each other's claims in Antarctica.[17] Other countries however, including theUnited States, do not recognize this claim. Peter I Island is the only claim within 90°W and 150°W and is also the only claim which is not asector.[18] Being south of 60°S, the island is subject to the Antarctic Treaty.[12] The treaty ensures free access to the island for any scientific investigation, and states that it can be used only for peaceful purposes.[citation needed]
Norwegian administration of the island is handled by the Polar Affairs Department of theMinistry of Justice and Public Security, located inOslo.[19] The annexation of the island is regulated by the Dependency Act of 24 March 1933. It establishes that Norwegiancriminal law,private law andprocedural law applies to the island, in addition to other laws that explicitly state they are valid on the island. It further establishes that all land belongs to the state, and prohibits the storage and detonation of nuclear products.[5]
Since 5 May 1995,Norwegian law has required all Norwegian activity in Antarctica, including Peter I Island, to follow international environmental law for Antarctica. All Norwegian citizens who plan activities on Peter I Island must therefore report to the Norwegian Polar Institute, who may deny any non-conforming activity. All people visiting the island must follow laws regarding protection of nature, treatment of waste, pollution and insurance forsearch and rescue operations.[20]
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