Bouvet Island: The World's Most Remote Island
Little can be said about this small volcanic island, for it's just a piece of barren land closest to Antarctica. In fact, this is the most remote island in the world; as such, it is used only as a base for exploration. Nothing grows on Bouvet Island, and there are no resources. The weather on the island is harsh, and thus, it is home only to a few species, such as seals, penguins, and seabirds. The territory is owned by Norway, which maintains a small research station here. Since 1971, Bouvet Island has had the status of a nature reserve.
History
The official name of the island is Bouvetøya, which is the Norwegian variant. Bouvet Island was discovered in 1739 by the French navigator Jean-Baptiste-Charles Bouvet de Lozier, who gave the island its name. In 1898, the island was rediscovered by a German expedition; and by Norwegian expeditions in the 1920s, during which Bouvet Island was claimed for Norway as a whaling station. In December 1927, the Norwegian flag was hoisted on the island. The United Kingdom disagreed, having claimed sovereignty in 1825; however, in 1929 this claim was waived. The royal decree of February 27, 1930, claimed its annexation to the Kingdom of Norway.
Location and Relief
Bouvet Island is located 2,500 kilometres southwest of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, and 1,600 km north from the mainland of Antarctica. The land area is only 59 sq km, almost all of which is covered with ice. The highest peak of the island is Olavtoppen, 780 m above sea level. Though Bouvetøya is a volcanic island, it is safe now because the last eruption occurred around 2,000 BC.
Climate
The climate of Bouvet Island is maritime Antarctic, with predominant westerly winds. Average temperatures remain within the range of 1 °C (in January) to -3 °C (in September). Typical weather is foggy and damp which hampered mapping of the island. By good fortune, a Norwegian expedition which landed Bouvet Island in 1985, witnessed completely clear skies, which enabled them to make enough photographs to create a map.
Flora and Fauna
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The flora of Bouvetøya cannot be described as diverse; in fact, it consists only of some mosses, lichens, fungi, and algae.
Fauna is a little bit more various, with seals (fur and elephant), penguins, and other seabirds, in total 12 species. Since 1929, hunting for seals has been prohibited, and since 1935, all the seal species has been protected officially. The monitoring area of Nyrøysa constantly observes the seal population on the island: between 1990 and 1997, the number of seals increased significantly, from 7,900 to 65,000 individuals. The penguin population is also monitored: the colonies represented on Bouvet Island are those of chinstrap and macaroni have experienced a large decline during the same period. In 1990, the number of chinstrap penguins was estimated at 2700, with only 422 individuals left in 1997. Macaroni penguins numbered 5,900 in 1990, but in 1997 their colony counted 4,700. Since 2000, almost no changes occurred. Bouvetøya is also home to some Red Listed species, like southern giant petrel.
Highlights
- Olavtoppen, the island’s highest summit, 780 m. The western side forms Wilhelmplatået (the Wilhelm Plateau). From the southern side of the mountain is a volcanic caldera with frozen lava flows.
- Kapp Valdivia is Bouvet Island’s northern tip named after a survey vessel which took part in chartering the land in 1898.
- Kapp Circoncision, first sighted on January 1, 1739 by the French, who called it the «Feast of Circumcision». In 1928-29, it was used as a camping site by a Norwegian expedition. Nyrøysa is situated south from here.
- Kapp Norvegia, charted in 1898, has two spectacular mountains, Lykketoppen (766 m) and Mosbytoppane (670 m).
- Larsøya, Bouvet’s Island largest islet, first landed in 1927.
- Kapp Fie (Meteor), the island’s southeast corner.
- Kapp Lollo, the northeastern tip of Bouvetøya.
- Store Kari are skerries lying east of Kapp Valdivia
- Thompson Island is located 70 km north-northeast of Bouvet Island. It was first sighted in 1825 but then somehow disappeared in 1893. This strange phenomenon granted the island a name of a «phantom island». The reason for Thompson Island’s disappearance remains unknown.
People on Bouvet Island
In the 1950s, a massive landslide took place, following which a relatively accessible area was created. It was called Nyrøysa, which translates to «a new pile of rocks». In 1996, a research base was established there. Wiped out by an earthquake and storms in 2006, it was rebuilt in 2014. This ice-free area is closed to visitations from November to March; you may not enter it without a permission.
How to Get There
Bouvet Island is called the world’s most remote island for a reason: it is really hard to get there. It lies far from cruise ship routes, walled by cliffs, has no harbour, and is almost constantly shrouded by mist, which makes navigation rather difficult. Therefore, it is only possible to approach the land on a Zodiac boat or another small craft. The rugged terrain doesn’t allow it to build an air strip; only ship-based helicopters can land on Bouvetøya.
Another way to visit Bouvet Island is to join an expedition, an option only possible if you have specific «polar» skills.
Useful Information / Survival Tips
- To avoid plant colonisation on Bouvetøya, you should check everything you bring with.
- Remember that the island has no infrastructure and bring enough food for your stay with some amount to spare. Take all the trash away when you leave.
- Given the average temperature of Bouvet Island, the water you bring with you will freeze. You will need some device or another way to melt ice.
- There is obviously no accommodation, so it is best to sleep on the ship that brought you here. Otherwise, you have to get ready for tough polar camping.
- Bouvet Island has no Internet connection; therefore, you will need a radio link to your ship / helicopter.
Final Words
In our article we have come to understanding the essence of Bouvet Island. It is indeed a next-to-impossible destination visiting which is up to the most hard-boiled adventurers who are unafraid of discomfort, cold, hunger, long way, sea sickness, and spending a fortune on a single trip to the middle of nowhere. Will you become on of the few ones who can boast of visiting Bouvet Island, the most remote island on Earth? Or prefer to stay on the beaten track and stay safe? The choice is yours — the possibilities are endless.