| Beaver Island | |
| Type: | Island |
| Native Name: | Isla San Rafael |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Beaver Island shown within the Falkland Islands |
| Coordinates: | -51.8389°N -61.2778°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Falkland Islands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Island group |
| Named For: | English: from Beaver, a whaling ship |
| Seat Type: | Main settlement |
| Area Total Km2: | 48.56 |
| Population As Of: | 2001 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | FKST |
| Utc Offset1: | −3 |
| Footnotes: | If shown, area and population ranks are for all islands and all inhabited islands in the Falklands respectively. |
Beaver Island (Spanish; Castilian: Isla San Rafael) is one of the Beaver Island group of Falkland Islands. It lies west of Weddell Island and south of New Island and has an area of 4856ha.
Other islands in the group include Staats Island, with an area of 500ha; Tea Island, which covers 310ha; Governor Island, which covers 220ha; Split Island, with an area of 70ha and a few smaller islands. Though the smaller islands in the group are low-lying, the larger islands are very hilly, with many peaks of more than and some more than . The highest elevation in the Beaver Island Group is .[1]
Beaver Island was named after the whaling vessel "Beaver" which was recorded as being the first whaling ship to double Cape Horn.
Beaver Settlement lies on the island, with an airstrip nearby. It is owned by Sally and Jerome Poncet.
Wildlife on the island includes gentoo penguins, South American gray foxes (introduced, not to be confused with the Falkland Islands wolf), peregrine falcons, crested and striated caracaras, guanacos, fur seals, and many seabirds. Beds of kelp can be found offshore.
The Beaver Island Group has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area. At least 40 species have been recorded, with 34 known to breed there. Species for which the group is an important breeding site include Falkland steamer ducks (245 pairs), gentoo penguins (2850 pairs), Magellanic penguins (2000 pairs), and southern giant petrels (300 pairs).[1]