The island lies 1,700 km (1,100 mi; 920 nmi) north of thePrincess Astrid Coast ofQueen Maud Land,Antarctica, 1,870 km (1,160 mi; 1,010 nmi) east of theSouth Sandwich Islands, 1,845 km (1,146 mi; 996 nmi) south ofGough Island, and 2,520 km (1,570 mi; 1,360 nmi) south-southwest of the coast ofSouth Africa. It has an area of 49 km2 (19 sq mi), 93 percent of which is covered by aglacier. The centre of the island is the ice-filled crater of an inactivevolcano. Someskerries and one smaller island,Larsøya, lie along its coast. Nyrøysa, created by a rockslide in the late 1950s, is the only easy place to land and is the location of aweather station.
The island was first spotted on 1 January 1739 by the FrenchmanJean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, during a French exploration mission in theSouth Atlantic with the shipsAigle andMarie. They did not make landfall. He mislabeled the coordinates for the island, and it was not sighted again until 1808, when the Britishwhaler James Lindsay encountered it and named itLindsay Island.[5] The first claim to have landed on the island was made by the American sailorBenjamin Morrell, although this claim is disputed. In 1825, the island was claimed for theBritish Crown by George Norris, who named itLiverpool Island. He also reported having sighted another island nearby, which he namedThompson Island, but this was later shown to be aphantom island.
In 1927, thefirstNorvegia expedition landed on the island, and claimed it for Norway. At that point, the island was given its current name ofBouvet Island ("Bouvetøya" in Norwegian).[6] In 1930, following resolution of a dispute with the United Kingdom over claiming rights, it was declared a Norwegian dependency. In 1971, it was designated a nature reserve.
Hand-coloured photograph of the southeast coast of Bouvet Island in 1898
The island was discovered on 1 January 1739 by Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, commander of the French shipsAigle andMarie.[5] Bouvet, who was searching for a presumed large southern continent, spotted the island through the fog and named the cape he sawCap de la Circoncision. He was not able to land and did notcircumnavigate his discovery, thus not clarifying if it was an island or part ofa continent.[7]: 62 His plotting of its position was inaccurate,[8]: 47 leading several expeditions to fail to find the island.[7]: 58 James Cook'ssecond voyage set off fromCape Verde on 22 November 1772 and attempted to find the island, but also failed.[9]
The next expedition to spot the island was in 1808 by James Lindsay, captain of theSamuel Enderby & Sons' (SE&S)snow whalerSwan.[10]Swan and another Enderby whaler,Otter, were in company when they reached the island and recorded its position, though they were unable to land.[11][12]: 434–435 Lindsay could confirm that the "cape" was indeed an island.[7]: 62 The next expedition to arrive at the island was American Benjamin Morrell and hisseal hunting shipWasp. Morrell, by his own account, found the island without difficulty (with "improbable ease", in the words of historian William Mills)[12]: 434–435 before landing and hunting 196 seals.[7]: 62 In his subsequent lengthy description, Morrell does not mention the island's most obvious physical feature: Its permanentice cover.[8]: 106–107 This has caused some commentators to doubt whether he actually visited the island.[12]: 434–435 [13]
On 10 December 1825, SE&S's George Norris, master of the sealer Sprightly, landed on the island,[7]: 62 named it Liverpool Island and claimed it for theBritish Crown andGeorge IV on 16 December.[7]: 63 The next expedition to spot the island was Joseph Fuller and his shipFrancis Allyn in 1893, but he was not able to land on the island. GermanCarl Chun'sValdivia Expedition arrived at the island in 1898. They were not able to land, butdredged theseabed for geological samples.[14] They were also the first to accurately fix the island's position.[7]: 63 At least threesealing vessels visited the island between 1822 and 1895. A voyage of exploration in 1927–1928 also took seal pelts.[15]
Norris also spotted a second island in 1825, which he named Thompson Island, which he placed 72 km (45 mi; 39 nmi) north-northeast of Liverpool Island. Thompson Island was also reported in 1893 by Fuller, but in 1898 Chun did not report seeing such an island, nor has anyone since.[14] However, Thompson Island continued to appear on maps as late as 1943.[16] A 1967 paper suggested that the island might have disappeared in an undetected volcanic eruption, but in 1997 it was discovered that the ocean is more than 2,400 m (7,900 ft) deep in the area.[17]
The claiming of the island on 1 December 1927The firsthut, built onCape Circoncision, in 1929
In 1927, the FirstNorvegia Expedition, led by Harald Horntvedt and financed by the shipowner and philanthropistLars Christensen, was the first to make an extended stay on the island. Observations and surveying were conducted on the island andoceanographic measurements performed in the sea around it. At Ny Sandefjord, a small hut was erected and, on 1 December, theNorwegian flag was hoisted and the island claimed for Norway. The annexation was established by a royal decree on 23 January 1928.[7]: 63
The claim was initially opposed by the United Kingdom, on the basis of Norris's landing and annexation. The British position was weakened by Norris's sighting of two islands and the uncertainty as to whether he had been on Thompson or Liverpool (i.e. Bouvet) Island. Norris's positioning deviating from the correct location combined with the island's small size and lack of anatural harbour made the United Kingdom accept the Norwegian claim.[18]: 52 This resulted in diplomatic negotiations between the two countries, and in November 1929, Britain renounced its claim to the island.[7]: 63
TheSecondNorvegia Expedition arrived in 1928 with the intent of establishing a staffedmeteorological radio station, but a suitable location could not be found.[7]: 63 By then both the flagpole and hut from the previous year had been washed away. The ThirdNorvegia Expedition, led byHjalmar Riiser-Larsen, arrived the following year and built a new hut at Cape Circoncision and on Larsøya. The expedition carried outaerial photography of the island and was the first Antarctic expedition to use aircraft.[7]: 64 TheDependency Act, passed by theParliament of Norway on 27 February 1930, established Bouvet Island as a Norwegian dependency, along withPeter I Island and Queen Maud Land.[1] Theeared seal was protected on and around the island in 1929, and in 1935 all seals around the island were protected.[19]
In 1955, the South AfricanfrigateSAS Transvaal visited the island.[20] Nyrøysa, a rock-strewn ice-free area, the largest such on Bouvet, was created sometime between 1955 and 1958, probably by alandslide.[21]
In 1964, the island was visited by the British naval shipHMS Protector. One ofProtector's twoWestland Whirlwind helicopters landed a small survey team led byLieutenant Commander Alan Crawford on the island at Nyrøysa for a brief visit. Shortly after landing, the survey team discovered an abandonedlifeboat in a smalllagoon. With very little time, a brief search was made but no other signs of human activity were found, and the identity of the lifeboat remained a mystery for many years.[22]: 177–85
On 17 December 1971, the entire island and its territorial waters were protected as a nature reserve.[2] A scientific landing was made in 1978, during which the underground temperature was measured to be 25 °C (77 °F).[23] In addition to scientific surveys,[14] the lifeboat found by theProtector team was recovered from Nyrøysa, although no other signs of people were found.[23] The lifeboat was believed to belong to aSoviet scientific reconnaissance vessel.[b]
TheVela incident took place on 22 September 1979, on or above the sea between Bouvetøya and thePrince Edward Islands, when the AmericanVela Hotel satellite 6911 registered an unexplaineddouble flash. This observation has been variously interpreted as a meteor, or an instrumentation glitch, but most independent assessments conclude it was an undeclared joint nuclear test carried out by South Africa andIsrael.[23][25][26][27]
The expedition shipHanse Explorer visited Bouvet Island on 20 and 21 February 2012 as part of "Expédition pour le Futur".[33] The expedition's goal was to land and climb the highest point on the island.[c]
Bouvet Island is assigned the amateur radio callsign prefix 3Y0,[34] and several amateur radioDX-peditions have been conducted to the island.[35][36][37][38] The3Y0J DX-pedition to Bouvet Island took place between January and February 2023, but had to be reduced in scope and eventually cut short due to bad and worsening weather conditions.[39][40]
Since the 1970s, the island has been visited frequently by Norwegian Antarctic expeditions. In 1977, a temporary five-man station and anautomated weather station were constructed and staffed for two months in 1978 and 1979.[7]: 64
In March 1985, a Norwegian expedition experienced sufficiently clear weather to allow the entire island to be photographed from the air, resulting in the first accurate map of the whole island, 247 years after its discovery.[7]: 59
TheNorwegian Polar Institute established a 36 m2 (390 sq ft) research station, made ofshipping containers, at Nyrøysa in 1996. On 23 February 2006, the island experienced a magnitude 6.2 earthquake whose epicentre was about 100 km (62 mi; 54 nmi) away,[41] weakening the station's foundation and causing it to be blown to sea during a winter storm.[42][43]
In December 2012, a new research station was sent by ship fromTromsø in Norway, viaCape Town, to Bouvet.[44]
The robust and technically advanced station was assembled in Nyrøysa, on the north-western part of the island, the only place wide enough to land by helicopter. The elevated station is formed by three modules placed on a steel platform fixed into a concrete base. It can accommodate six people for periods of two to four months, and it is designed and equipped to resist rough weather conditions. The energy is supplied bywind power, which makes it easier to operate the equipment during the long periods when the station is uninhabited. The base is equipped with an automated meteorological station that sends data via satellite throughout the year.[45]
Map of Bouvet IslandGlacier on Bouvet Island's west coast
Bouvetøya is a volcanic island constituting the top of ashield volcano just off theSouthwest Indian Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean.[46] The island measures 9.5 by 7 km (5.9 by 4.3 mi) and covers an area of 49 km2 (19 sq mi),[19] including a number of small rocks and skerries and one sizable island, Larsøya.[47]
Bouvet Island has been described as the most remote island in the world.[50] The closest land is Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, about 1,700 km (1,100 mi; 920 nmi) to the south.[51] Gough Island lies about 1,860 km (1,160 mi; 1,000 nmi) to the north,[52] while to the east are the Prince Edward Islands, about 2,570 km (1,600 mi; 1,390 nmi) away, and to the west are the South Sandwich Islands, about 1,900 km (1,200 mi; 1,030 nmi) away.[53][d] The nearest inhabited place is Tristan da Cunha, about 2,260 km (1,400 mi; 1,220 nmi) to the northwest.[54]
Nyrøysa is a 2 by 0.5 km (1.2 by 0.3 mi) terrace located on the northwest coast of the island. Created by arock slide sometime between 1955 and 1957, it is the island's easiest access point.[7]: 59 It is the site of the automatic weather station.[55] The northwest corner is the peninsula of Cape Circoncision.[56] From there, east toCape Valdivia, the coast is known as Morgenstiernekysten.[57]
Store Kari is an islet located 1.2 km (0.75 mi; 0.65 nmi) east of the cape.[58] From Cape Valdivia, southeast toCape Lollo, on the east side of the island, the coast is known as Victoria Terrasse.[59] From there toCape Fie at the southeastern corner, the coast is known asMowinckelkysten. Svartstranda is a section ofblack sand which runs 1.8 km (1.1 mi) along the section fromCape Meteor, south to Cape Fie.[60]
After rounding Cape Fie, the coast along the south side is known as Vogtkysten.[61] The westernmost part of it is the 300 m (1,000 ft) long shore of Sjøelefantstranda.[62]
Off Catoodden, on the south-western corner, lies Larsøya, the only island of any size off Bouvetøya.[47] The western coast from Catoodden north to Nyrøysa, is known as Esmarchkysten. Midway up the coast lies Norvegiaodden (Cape Norvegia)[63] and 0.5 km (0.31 mi) off it the skerries of Bennskjæra.[64]
Ninety-three percent of the island is covered by glaciers, giving it a domed shape.[7]: 59 The summit region of the island is Wilhelmplatået, slightly to the west of the island's centre.[14] Theplateau is 3.5 km (2.2 mi) across[65] and surrounded by several peaks.[14] The tallest isOlavtoppen, 780 m (2,560 ft)above mean sea level (AMSL),[7]: 59 followed byLykketoppen (766 m or 2,513 ft AMSL)[66] andMosbytoppane (670 m or 2,200 ft AMSL).[67] Below Wilhelmplatået is the maincaldera responsible for creating the island.[14] The lasteruption took place circa 2000 BCE, producing alava flow at Cape Meteor.[65] The volcano is presumed to be in a declining state.[14] The temperature 30 cm (12 in) below the surface is 25 °C (77 °F).[7]: 59
The island's total coastline is 29.6 km (18.4 mi).[68] Landing on the island is very difficult, as it normally experiences high seas and features asteep coast.[7]: 59 During the winter, it is surrounded bypack ice.[19] The Bouvet triple junction is located 275 km (171 mi; 148 nmi) west of Bouvet Island. It is atriple junction between theSouth American plate, theAfrican plate and theAntarctic plate, and of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Southwest Indian Ridge and theAmerican–Antarctic Ridge.[69]
The island is located south of the Antarctic Convergence, giving it a marineAntarctic climate dominated by heavy clouds and fog. It experiences a mean temperature of −1 °C (30 °F),[7]: 59 with February average of 2 °C (36 °F) and August average of −4 °C (25 °F).[70] The monthly high mean temperatures fluctuate little through the year.[71] The peak temperature of 14 °C (57 °F) was recorded in March 1980, caused by intense sun radiation. Spot temperatures as high as 20 °C (68 °F) have been recorded in sunny weather on rock faces.[7]: 59 The island predominantly experiences a weakwest wind.[70]
The harsh climate and ice-bound terrain limits non-animal life tofungi (ascomycetes including symbioticlichens) andnon-vascular plants (mosses andliverworts). The flora are representative for the maritime Antarctic and arephytogeographically similar to those of the South Sandwich Islands andSouth Shetland Islands. Vegetation is limited because of the ice cover, althoughsnow algae are recorded. The remaining vegetation is located insnow-free areas such asnunatak ridges and other parts of the summit plateau, the coastal cliffs, capes and beaches. At Nyrøysa, five species of moss, six ascomycetes (including five lichens), and twenty algae have been recorded. Most snow-free areas are so steep and subject to frequentavalanches that onlycrustose lichens and algal formations are sustainable. There are sixendemic ascomycetes, three of which are lichenized.[55]
Cape Valdivia, the northernmost point of Bouvet Island, in 2009
Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center
Bouvetøya is one of three dependencies of Norway.[77] Unlike Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land, which are subject to the Antarctic Treaty System,[7]: 65 Bouvetøya is not disputed.[68] The dependency status entails that the island is not part of the Kingdom of Norway, but is still under Norwegiansovereignty. This implies that the island can beceded without violating the first article of theConstitution of Norway.[77] Norwegian administration of the island is handled by the Polar Affairs Department of theMinistry of Justice and the Police, located inOslo.[78]
The annexation of the island is regulated by the Dependency Act of 24 March 1933. It establishes that Norwegiancriminal law,private law andprocedural law apply 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.[1]
Theexclusive economic zone surrounding the island covers an area of 441,163 km2 (170,334 sq mi; 128,623 sq nmi).[82] Monitoring of compliance with resource laws and regulations is carried out through theCommission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) which includes 27 member states, including Norway. Utilizing an intelligence-sharing approach, vessels that may have participated in illegal, unregulated or unreported fishing are subject to blacklisting and potential enforcement measures by member states and throughINTERPOL.[83]
A king penguin in Edinburgh Zoo, Major General Sir Nils Olav III, carries the title Baron of the Bouvet Islands.[84]The island is also the primary place featured in the filmAlien vs. Predator.
^The internet domain suffix .bv is allocated to Bouvetøya, but has never been used.
^The scientific reconnaissance vesselSlava-9 began her regular 13th cruise with theSlava Antarctic whaling fleet on 22 October 1958 ... On 27 November she got to Bouvet Island. A group of sailors landed, but were unable to leave the island in time because of worsening weather and stayed on it for about three days. The people were withdrawn by helicopter on 29 November 1958.[24]
^The first four climbers (Aaron Halstead, Will Allen, Bruno Rodi and Jason Rodi) were the first people to climb the highest peak. They left behind atime capsule containing the top visions of the future for 2062. The next morning, Aaron Halstead led five other climbers (Sarto Blouin, Seth Sherman, Chakib Bouayed,Cindy Sampson, and Akos Hivekovics) to the top.[33]
^This figure is a straightforward great-circle calculation between Bouvet Island and Montagu Island (South Sandwich group) using standard coordinates. Jacob et al. (2006) mistakenly reported the distance as 2,590 km, which actually corresponds to South Georgia rather than the South Sandwich Islands.
^"International Call Sign Series".ARRL – The National Association for Amateur Radio. The National Association for Amateur Radio. Retrieved1 October 2021.
^"Bouvet (3Y/B)". 25 December 1989 – 13 January 1990.Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved26 February 2018.
^Stan SQ8X (10 February 2008)."3Y0E is QRT".3Y0E.wordpress.com. 3Y0E Bouvet Island December 2007 – February 2008.Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved26 February 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Enderud, Einar; Pedersen, Kåre (August 1990)."The Club Bouvet 3Y5X Story".Radio Communication. pp. 12–13, 61. Retrieved24 February 2024.
^"Bouvet Island".CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved4 October 2025.
^"Bouvetøya".Norwegian Polar Institute Place Names Database. Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved4 October 2025.Ca. 1700 km north of Dronning Maud Land (Queen Maud Land)
^Jacob, Ute; Brey, Thomas; Fetzer, Ingo; Kaehler, S.; Mintenbeck, K.; Dunton, K.; Beyer, K.; Struck, U.; Pakhomov, E.A.; Arntz, W.E. (2006)."Towards the trophic structure of the Bouvet Island marine ecosystem".Polar Biology.29 (2):106–113.doi:10.1007/s00300-005-0071-8. Retrieved4 October 2025.Owing to its geographical isolation (i.e. 2,590 km downstream of the South Sandwich Islands, 2,570 km upstream of the Prince Edward Islands…)
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