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Bounty Islands

geography Maturity 5-7 Next article →

The Bounty Islands are a small group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are made of thirteen granite islets and many rocks. These islands belong to New Zealand. They sit east-south-east of New Zealand's South Island. They are also southwest of the Chatham Islands. The islands are north of the Antipodes Islands.

Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1
Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1

This place is a World Heritage Site. It is part of the New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands.

The islands are split into three different parts. The Main Group is the largest part of the chain. It sits in the northwest. The biggest island here is Depot Island. It is about 700 metres long. Proclamation Island and Tunnel Island are near Depot Island. They are joined to it when the tide is low. The Centre Group is about 1.5 to 2 kilometres southeast of the Main Group. Funnel Island is in this group. It has the highest point in the whole chain.

Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1
Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1

A third part is called the East Group. It sits about 1.5 kilometres east of the Centre Group. The largest island here is Molly Cap. It is the southernmost island in the group. Molly Cap has the second-highest point. This group also has two large islets and one small islet. There are many reefs and stacks here too. The easternmost point of the chain is one of these stacks. The islands are arranged in a north-south line.

Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1
Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1

People first found these islands a long time ago. Captain William Bligh found them in 1788. He was sailing from Spithead to Tahiti. He named them after his ship, the HMS Bounty. In the 1800s, people went there to hunt seals. Sailors also looked for missing ships near the islands. They searched for ships like the General Grant and the Matoaka. In 1886, a ship called the Hinemoa visited the islands. They built a depot for sailors on Depot Island.

Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1
Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1

Many living things live on these islands. It is an important place for birds to breed. You can see erect-crested penguins there. Salvin's albatrosses and Bounty shags also live here.

Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1
Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1

There are many insects on the islands too. One special spider is called Pacificana cockayni. This spider lives only on these islands. You can also find Cook's scurvy grass growing there. There is no fresh water for people to drink on the islands.

Pacificana cockayni adult male Bounty Islands New Zealand
Pacificana cockayni adult male Bounty Islands New Zealand
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File:Pacificana cockayni adult male Bounty Islands New Zealand.jpg
Pacificana cockayni adult male Bounty...
File:Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Panorama 1.jpg
Bounty Islands Sub-Antarctic New Zealand...
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