GEOGRAPHIC NAMES OF ANTARCTICA 



is longer than a statute mile by only 15 percent, 

 the difference is not of great consequence at this 

 stage, particularly since practically no distances 

 referred to in the texts of the decisions exceed 

 150 miles and in those cases are ordinarily only 

 approximations. 



Expeditious treatment of new names is in large 

 part dependent upon the adequacy of the data 

 relevant to the features under consideration. Ex- 

 perience has shown that much of the labor in 

 the approval of a new name can be eliminated 

 if the proposal is accompanied by full informa- 

 tion on the name, the reasons for its choice, 

 and a definitive description of the feature to be 

 named. As a step in this direction a form has 

 been prepared for proposal of new Antarctic names. 

 Copies may be obtained from the Board on Geo- 

 graphic Names. 



The fact that a few names now entrenched in 

 usage and some others bestowed by nationals of 

 another country cannot well be brought into con- 

 formity with the general framework of the prin- 

 ciples set forth herein need not be disturbing. 

 The names given by Americans since enunciation 

 of the policy in 1947 have been in conformity with 

 its letter and spirit. There has been general ac- 

 ceptance abroad of the principles underlying the 



policy, and any points of difference are not in- 

 soluble ones. 



The British Antarctic Place-names Committee, 

 which has cooperated closely with this Commit- 

 tee since 1948, has been of inestimable aid. The 

 two Committees, through free exchange of infor- 

 mation and views, have arrived at nearly com- 

 plete agreement on both policy and names. Simi- 

 lar cooperation with committees and individuals 

 in other countries has helped greatly in establish- 

 ing the facts of naming and in reducing the num- 

 ber of different names for the same features. 



The following list of more than 3,000 standard- 

 ized Antarctic names is the bulk of those known 

 to have been applied or proposed en which there 

 is adequate information. The list is the result 

 of more than a decade of effort toward an orderly 

 Antarctic geographic nomenclature attained by 

 objective application of sound principles and re- 

 flecting the history of Antarctic exploration. The 

 list will require maintenance, improvement, and 

 expansion. Further information is needed on the 

 nature and the precise location of many fea- 

 tures already named. New expeditions or new 

 research can be expected to result in new names 

 to be incorporated through the developed pro- 

 cedures for the maintenance of orderly nomen- 

 clature on Antarctica. 



Expeditions 



The following chronological listing of Antarctic 

 exploration has been revised and brought up to 

 date for this publication. First required as a 

 ready reference for salient features of Antarctic 

 history for use in the names study, the data proved 

 so generally useful that much scattered informa- 

 tion was filled in and the list published in the 

 first edition of this publication so that dates, com- 

 manders, ships, sponsors, and summaries of op- 

 erations could be readily found for each expedition. 



Subsequently the second edition of the British 

 Admiralty's Antarctic Pilot in 1948 carried a list 

 that was considerably longer, mainly because a 

 larger area involving sub-Antarctic islands was 

 included. The Committee's acceptance, for this 

 publication, of a physical concept of the Antarctic, 

 namely the area within the Antarctic Convergence, 

 excepting Kerguelen Islands, has necessitated the 

 expansion of this revised list to include voyages 

 earlier than the second voyage of Capt. James 

 Cook with which the first list began. 



It is difficult, because of the scanty and con- 

 fusing evidence of several almost legendary voy- 

 ages, to state positively which expedition marked 

 the beginning of Antarctic exploration. It may 

 be doubted whether Amerigo Vespucci was any- 

 where near South Georgia in 1502. The South 

 Shetland Islands, however, may have been sighted 

 by Laurens Claess, boatswain of the Dutch ship 

 Blijde Bootschap (commanded by Dirck Gherritz 

 before its capture) , and his Spanish captors when 

 they were driven as far as 64°S. in 1603, and there 

 is substantial evidence that the English merchant 

 Antonio de la Roche discovered South Georgia 

 and sought shelter there while running before a 

 storm in 1675. Undoubtedly several merchant 

 ships in the days of sail sighted, perhaps for the 

 first time, portions of Antarctic islands while being 

 driven from their courses by storms. Such was 

 the Spanish merchantman Leon which sighted 

 and circumnavigated South Georgia in 1756. 

 Rarely, however, have permanent geographic 

 names resulted from such occurrences. 



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