Islands

There are of course many small, isolated islands throughout the world, but several stand out because their tiny size and great isolation belie their territorial importance or geographical significance. Here are a few interesting ones:

Rockall

A granite rock, 19m high, 25m across and 30m wide, located 290 miles off the western coast of Scotland.

Coordinates: 57°35′48″N—13°41′19″W

Notes: Claimed by Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and Great Britain—who currently controls the island. It was occupied by a contingent from Greenpeace in 1997 who claimed it as the republic of Waveland in a protest over proposed oil drilling in the area.

Kolbeinsey Island

A grayish basaltic lava slab, 39m across and 5m high, located around 65 miles north of Iceland.

Coordinates: 67°09′N—18°32′W

Notes: This island is eroding rapidly and may disappear altogether in the next few decades. It was originally measured at over 700m in 1616. Like Rockall, its principle value lies in the fact that it gives Iceland territorial control over the waters surrounding it.

“ATOW1996”

A stoney spit of land, 10m across and 1m high, several miles north of Cape Morris Jessup in Greenland. It is the most northerly confirmed landmass on earth.

Coordinates: 83°40′34.8″N—30°38′38.6″W

Notes: For years, Kaffenklubben island, discovered in 1921 by the Danish explorer Lauge Koch was thought to be the northern-most point of land. This changed in 1977 when a Danish expedition discovered Oodaaq island even further north. The American Top of the World Expedition of 1996 was able to locate what they thought was Oodaaq island, but doubts remain because of the inconsistancy between the island they attained, “ATOW1996,” and those recorded by the original discoverers of Oodaaq. The coordinates for ATOW1996 are acutally further north than those for Oodaaq, so it currently holds the record for the most northerly point of land. There is another as-yet unconfirmed bit of land even further north, designated “RTOW2001” located at: 83° 41′06″N—30° 45′36″W; an expedition is planned for 2003 to confirm this possible island’s existence, and to clarify all other outstanding issues.