Owen Island should not be confused with Owen Island (South Australia).
Owen Island | |
Map: | Antarctic Peninsula |
Location: | Antarctica |
Coordinates: | -61.9333°N -84°W |
Population: | Uninhabited |
Country: | None |
Treaty System: | Antarctic Treaty System |
Owen Island in the Antarctic is a small (19 ha), circular, ice-free island lying between Round Point and Pottinger Point about 500 m off the north coast of King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands. It was charted and named in 1935 by DI personnel on the Discovery II.
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a large breeding colony of about 21,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins[1] in 1980, falling to 12,000 in 1987.[2]