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Bouvet Island flag

Bouvet Island

Antarctica Dependency GEC: BV

Introduction

This uninhabited volcanic island in Antarctica is almost entirely covered by glaciers, making it difficult to approach. Bouvet Island is recognized as the most remote island on Earth because it is furthest from any other point of land (1,639 km from Antarctica). The island was named after the French naval officer who discovered it in 1739, although no country laid claim to it until 1825, when the British flag was raised. A few expeditions visited the island in the late 19th century. In 1929, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island two years previously. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters as a nature reserve. Since 1977, Norway has run an automated meteorological station and studied foraging strategies and distribution of fur seals and penguins on the island. In 2006, an earthquake weakened the station's foundation, causing it to be blown out to sea in a winter storm. Norway erected a new research station in 2014 that can hold six people for periods of two to four months.

Geography

Land
49 sq km
Total
49 sq km
Water
0 sq km

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, D.C.

antarctic

29.6 km

Antarctica

Highest point
Olavtoppen (Olav Peak) 780 m
Lowest point
South Atlantic Ocean 0 m

54 26 S, 3 24 E

almost entirely covered by glacial ice (93%); declared a nature reserve by Norway; the distance from Bouvet Island to Norway is 12,776 km, which is almost one-third the circumference of the earth

Total
0 km
Agricultural land
0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest
0% (2018 est.)
Other
100% (2018 est.)

No

island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)

Google Maps
https://goo.gl/maps/7WRQAEKZb4uK36yi9
OpenStreetMap
https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/174996681

Antarctic Region

Territorial sea
4 nm

occasional volcanism, rock slides; harsh climate, surrounded by pack ice in winter

none

volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

UTC+01:00
number of time zones
1

People and Society

languages
Norwegian
number of languages
1
adjective
noun
Note
<strong>note: </strong>a small, seasonal research station is located in the northwest corner of Bouvet Island
Total
uninhabited

Government

alternative spellings
BV, Bouvetøya, Bouvet-øya
Conventional long form
none
Conventional short form
Bouvet Island
Etymology
named after the French naval officer Jean-Baptiste Charles BOUVET who discovered the island in 1739
local long form (nor)
Bouvetøya
Note
<strong>note:</strong> pronounced boo-vay i-land

territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Oslo Police

the flag of Norway is used

The flag of Bouvet Island has a red field with a large white-edged navy blue cross that extends to the edges of the field. The vertical part of this cross is offset towards the hoist side.

svg
https://flagcdn.com/bv.svg

No

the laws of Norway apply&nbsp;

Monday

No

Communications

.bv

+47

Transportation

Right

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