Where is Bouvet Island?

Welcome to Bouvet Island, a small volcanic rock in the South Atlantic. The Sub-Antarctic territory is thousands of kilometres from civilisation, and its high cliffs and ice-cap mean very few people have ever put a foot on it. The weather doesn't help. Sticking out of the ocean the way it does means conditions can deteriorate very fast.

Is Bouvet Island a good place to visit?

At the time of publication, it represented the best available science. There is perhaps no better place to get away from it all than Norway’s Bouvet Island.

Where is Bouvet located?

The island is the southernmost extension of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the underwater mountain chain that runs through the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the dividing line between the African and South American plates in the southern hemisphere. Bouvet is located near the triple junction between the African, South American, and Antarctic plates.

What does Bouvet Island look like?

On May 26, 2013, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired this natural-color image of Bouvet Island. Thick ice covers more than 90 percent of the island year round. Christensen glacier drains the north side; Posadowsky glacier drains the south side. A ring of volcanic black sand beaches encircles most of the island.

How did Bouvet Island become a dependency?

The expedition carried out aerial photography of the island and was the first Antarctic expedition to use aircraft. : 64 The Dependency Act, passed by the Parliament of Norway on 27 February 1930, established Bouvet Island as a Norwegian dependency, along with Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land.

Why is Bouvet so important?

Bouvet is in a unique position by virtue of the fact that it sits out in the belt of westerlies that hurtle around the continent. And these winds are really important to the way the continent has been changing of late.