SGS119 Island Series Pt1 Southern Thule FDC
DA0511
Description
South Sandwich Islands – Southern Thule
The South Sandwich Islands are a string of eleven volcanic islands and rocks located approximately 500 km to the south east of South Georgia. The island chain stretches for over 400 km in a north to south direction. From north to south they are Zavodovski, Leskov, Visokoi, Candlemas, Vindication, Saunders, Montagu, Bristol, Bellingshausen, Cook and Thule. The South Sandwich Islands range in size from the largest, Montague, at 110 km2 to the smallest, Leskov, at 0.3 km2. To the east of the islands lies the South Sandwich Trench, which plummets to a depth of more than 8000 m and is the deepest point in the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic.
The South Sandwich Islands were first discovered by Captain James Cook in 1775. Thick fog and snow storms made exploration difficult but out of the gloom Cook noted eight rocky masses he thought could be islands or headlands on a distant continent. The conditions made navigation extremely dangerous and so Cook did not explore in detail or land on the islands. The region was next visited in 1819 by the Russian explorer Fabian von Bellingshausen who was able to explore more thoroughly and confirm the rocky masses seen by Cook were indeed islands and there were three further to the north making 11 in total.
In winter, the islands are enveloped by sea ice and remain difficult to access in summer due to the mountainous seas which surround them. As such they are rarely visited by humans and remain in pristine isolation.
The island chain can be divided up into four island groups, each of which will be celebrated in this series of stamps. Each island will be represented with a pair of stamps; one features an example of the wildlife that occurs there and the other a striking landscape feature of the island.
This first set features the most southerly island group, Southern Thule, which consists of the islands of Bellingshausen, Cook and Thule.
70p – Bellingshausen Island
Named after its discoverer the explorer Fabian von Bellingshausen, this is a low-lying island with the highest point being Basilisk Peak at a height of 225m. Described as a basaltic andesite stratovolcano it has a crater 150m across and 60m deep and was last known to erupt sometime between 1968 and 1984.
Antarctic skua are found throughout the South Sandwich Islands archipelago and are mostly associated with penguin colonies that provide a food source. In summer, the ground on Bellingshausen is littered with empty penguin egg shells providing evidence of a healthy and voracious skua population.
80p - Cook Island
Named for Captain James Cook, who discovered the archipelago in 1775, Cook Island is small and heavily glaciated. Mount Harmer dominates the topography rising to 1,115m. Its most southerly point, Longton Point, is on a similar latitude to the most southerly point on Thule, Herd Point, and was once considered by some to be the southernmost point in the archipelago. However, modern mapping techniques confirm Herd Point on Thule is fractionally more southerly.
Snow petrels are the most southerly nesting of all bird species and are often seen feeding on small fish, cephalopods and krill in and around the pack ice. They are known to breed throughout the South Sandwich archipelago, but are most numerous in the south of the chain including on Cook Island.
£1.25 – Thule Island
South-western most island of the South Sandwich archipelago, the island is named after the mythical land of Thule, which in ancient lore was said to lie at the extreme of the earth. More typically associated with northern lands, this is a southern twist on the classical tale. The highest point is Mount Larsen at 710m. and to the south west of this is a long low-lying peninsula called Hewison Point. This is the site of the former Argentine station Corbeta Uruguay, which was destroyed by British forces in 1982.
Cape petrels are found in low numbers throughout the SSI but are found in relative abundance on the west coast of Thule Island where several thousand birds nest. Like the snow petrel, they have a diet featuring small fish and krill but are also often seen following the ships and will feed on any discarded food.
Technical Details
Design Bee Design
Photography: 70p Antarctic Skua Andy Black
70p Bellingshausen Tom Hart/Penguin Watch
80p Snow Petrel Andy Black
80p Cook Island Gemma Clucas
£1.25 Cape Petrel Andy Black
£1.25 Thule Island Tom Hart/Penguin Watch
Printer Cartor
Process Stochastic lithography
Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms
Stamp size 42 x 28mm
Sheet layout 10
Release date 28 October, 2021
Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd
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