Saffar Island

Saffar Island

Saffar Island Location in the South Shetland Islands Show map of South Shetland Islands Saffar Island Location in Antarctica Show map of Antarctica
Geography
Location	Antarctica
Coordinates	61°06′23″S 54°57′45.5″W / 61.10639°S 54.962639°W / -61.10639; -54.962639
Archipelago	South Shetland Islands
Area	3.64 ha (9.0 acres)
Length	290 m (950 ft)
Width	230 m (750 ft)
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty
Demographics
Population	uninhabited

Saffar Island (Bulgarian: остров Сафар, romanized: ostrov Saffar, IPA: [ˈɔstrof sɐˈfar]) is the rocky island off the north coast of Elephant Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica extending 290 m in west–east direction and 230 m in south–north direction, with a surface area of 3.64 ha. It is separated from Elephant Island by a passage narrowing to 325 m at points.

The feature is named after Abū al-Qāsim Ahmad ibn as-Saffār (d. 1035), an Andalusī astronomer and author of one of the Arabic treatises on the astrolabe that introduced the triangulation method to Europe; in association with other names in the area deriving from the early development or use of geodetic instruments and methods.

Saffar Island is centred at 61°06′23″S 54°57′45.5″W / 61.10639°S 54.962639°W / -61.10639; -54.962639,^[1] which is 22.36 km east-southeast of Cape Yelcho, 5.4 km west-southwest of Point Wild, 360 m north-northeast of Ronalds Point and 880 m east-northeast of Biruni Island. British mapping of the area in 1822,1972 and 2009.

• List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands

• Chart of South Shetland including Coronation Island, &c. from the exploration of the sloop Dove in the years 1821 and 1822 by George Powell Commander of the same. Scale ca. 1:200000. London: Laurie, 1822.
• Elephant Island: From a survey by the Joint Services Expedition, December 1970. Scale 1:132000 topographic map. Royal Geographical Society (UK), 1972.
• British Antarctic Territory. Scale 1:200000 topographic map. DOS 610 Series, Sheet W 61 54. Directorate of Overseas Surveys, Tolworth, UK, 1972.
• South Shetland Islands: Elephant, Clarence and Gibbs Islands. Scale 1:220000 topographic map. UK Antarctic Place-names Committee, 2009.
• Antarctic Digital Database (ADD). Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly upgraded and updated.

• Bulgarian Antarctic Gazetteer. Antarctic Place-names Commission. (details in Bulgarian, basic data in English)

• Saffar Island. Adjusted Copernix satellite image

This article includes information from the Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria which is used with permission.