Simonsen Island[1] (Norwegian: Simonsenøya)[2] is one of the Rønnbeck Islands in the Svalbard archipelago. It lies in Hinlopen Strait northeast of Cape Weyprecht on Spitsbergen. The island is a low basalt cliff and its highest point is only 10 meters (33 ft) above sea level. The closest islands are neighboring Nedrevaag Island about 500 meters (1,600 ft) to the southwest and Tobiesen Island about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to the northeast. The wildlife consists largely of polar bears.
Native name: Simonsenøya | |
|---|---|
  Simonsen Island | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 78°55′40″N 21°37′54″E / 78.92789°N 21.63157°E |
| Administration | |
Norway | |
The island was discovered in 1867 by the Swedish-Norwegian polar explorer Nils Fredrik Rønnbeck. It is named after W. Simonsen (or Simonson), a Norwegian navigator that helped explore the Kara Sea in 1871 on board the Sleipner.[2][3][4]
References
edit- ^ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency: Geographical Names.
- ^ a b Stadnamn i norske polarområde: Simonsenøya (Svalbard).
- ^ August Petermann, Wilhelm von Freeden, & Adolf Mühry. 1872. Papers on the Eastern and Northern Extensions of the Gulf Stream. Second Supplement.. Washington: Government Printing Office, p. 22.
- ^ August Petermann, Wilhelm von Freeden, & Adolf Mühry. 1873. Papers on the Eastern and Northern Extensions of the Gulf Stream. Third Supplement.. Washington: Government Printing Office, pp. 20–22.
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