page_title: Bouvet Island
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Bouvet Island / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Bouvet Island west coast as seen from the RRS Ernest Shackleton in December 2011 Français&#160;: Côte Ouest de l'Île Bouvet vue depuis le RRS Ernest Shackleton en décembre 2011
context_page_description: Bouvet Island is an uninhabited subantarctic high island and dependency of Norway located in the South Atlantic Ocean at 54°25′S 3°22′E, thus locating it north of and outside the Antarctic Treaty System. It lies at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and is the most remote island in the world, approximately 1,700 kilometres north of the Princess Astrid Coast of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, 1,900 kilometres east of the South Sandwich Islands, 1,600 kilometres south of Gough Island, and 2,600 kilometres south-southwest of the coast of South Africa.
  The island has an area of 49 square kilometres, of which 93 percent is covered by a glacier. The centre of the island is an ice-filled crater of an inactive volcano. Some skerries and one smaller island, Larsøya, lie along the coast. Nyrøysa, created by a rock slide in the late 1950s, is the only easy place to land and is the location of a weather station.
  The island was first spotted on 1 January 1739 by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, on a French exploration mission in the South Atlantic with the ships Aigle and Marie.
context_section_description: Bouvetøya is a volcanic island constituting the top of a volcano located at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean. The island measures 9.5 by 7 kilometres (5.9 by 4.3 mi) and covers an area of 49 square kilometres (19 sq mi), including a number of small rocks and skerries and one sizable island, Larsøya. It is located in the Subantarctic, south of the Antarctic Convergence, which, by some definitions, would place the island in the Southern Ocean. Bouvet Island is the most remote island in the world. The closest land is Queen Maud Land of Antarctica, which is 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi) to the south, and Gough Island, 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) to the north. The closest inhabited location is Tristan da Cunha island, 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) to the northwest. To its west, the South Sandwich Islands lie about 1,900 km (1,200 mi) away, and to its east are the Prince Edward Islands, about 2,500 km (1,600 mi) away.
  Nyrøysa is a 2-by-0.5-kilometre (1.2 by 0.3 mi) terrace located on the north-west coast of the island. Created by a rock slide sometime between 1955 and 1957, it is the island's easiest access point. It is the site of the automatic weather station. The north-west corner is the peninsula of Kapp Circoncision. From there, east to Kapp Valdivia, the coast is known as Morgenstiernekysten. Store Kari is an islet located 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) east of the cape. From Kapp Valdivia, southeast to Kapp Lollo, on the east side of the island, the coast is known as Victoria Terrasse. From there to Kapp Fie at the southeastern corner, the coast is known as Mowinckelkysten. Svartstranda is a section of black sand which runs 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) along the section from Kapp Meteor, south to Kapp Fie. After rounding Kapp Fie, the coast along the south side is known as Vogtkysten. The westernmost part of it is the 300 metres (980 ft) long shore of Sjøelefantstranda. Off Catoodden, on the south-western corner, lies Larsøya, the only island of any size off Bouvetøya. The western coast from Catoodden north to Nyrøysa, is known as Esmarchkysten. Midway up the coast lies Norvegiaodden (Kapp Norvegia) and 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) off it the skerries of Bennskjæra.
  Ninety-three percent of the island is covered by glaciers, giving it a domed shape. The summit region of the island is Wilhelmplatået, slightly to the west of the island's center. The plateau is 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) across and surrounded by several peaks. The tallest is Olavtoppen, 780 metres (2,560 ft) above mean sea level (AMSL), followed by Lykketoppen (766 metres or 2,513 feet AMSL) and Mosbytoppane (670 metres or 2,200 feet AMSL). Below Wilhelmplatået is the main caldera responsible for creating the island. The last eruption took place 2000 BCE, producing a lava flow at Kapp Meteor. The volcano is presumed to be in a declining state. The temperature 30 centimetres (12 in) below the surface is 25 °C (77 °F).
  The island's total coastline is 29.6 kilometres (18.4 mi). Landing on the island is very difficult, as it normally experiences high seas and features a steep coast. During the winter, it is surrounded by pack ice. The Bouvet Triple Junction is located 275 kilometres (171 mi) west of Bouvet Island. It is a triple junction between the South American Plate, the African Plate and the Antarctic Plate, and of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Southwest Indian Ridge and the American–Antarctic Ridge.
caption: West coast of Bouvet Island
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