2025 Edition Primary

Background

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.

Area

Land

49 sq km

Total

49 sq km

Water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

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

Climate

antarctic

Coastline

29.6 km

Continent

Antarctica

Elevation

Highest point

Olavtoppen (Olav Peak) 780 m

Lowest point

South Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

54 26 S, 3 24 E

Geography - note

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

Land boundaries

Total

0 km

Land use

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.)

Landlocked

No

Location

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

Map links

Google Maps

https://goo.gl/maps/7WRQAEKZb4uK36yi9

OpenStreetMap

https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/174996681

Map references

Antarctic Region

Maritime claims

Territorial sea

4 nm

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

none

Terrain

volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

Time zone

UTC+01:00

number of time zones

1

Languages

languages

Norwegian

number of languages

1

Nationality

adjective

noun

Population

Note

<strong>note: </strong>a small, seasonal research station is located in the northwest corner of Bouvet Island

Total

uninhabited

Country name

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

Dependency status

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

Flag

the flag of Norway is used

Flag description

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.

Flag image

svg

https://flagcdn.com/bv.svg

Independence

No

Legal system

the laws of Norway apply&nbsp;

Start of week

Monday

UN Member

No

Internet country code

.bv

Telephone calling code

+47

Driving side

Right

Vehicle registration code