South Shetland Islands

Japanese: サウス･シェトランド[諸島]（英語表記）South Shetland Islands

A volcanic archipelago of the British Territory, off the north coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in Antarctica. Its area is about 4,700 km2. It is located between Bransfield Strait and Drake Passage, at approximately 62° south latitude and 60° west longitude, and 11 islands spread from east to west, with King George Island and Livingston Island at the center. It is uninhabited because it is covered with ice and snow all year round, but it was a base for whaling and seal hunting from 1906 to 1931. An observation station was also built on Deception Island, but it was abandoned in 1967 due to a volcanic eruption. It was discovered in 1819 by Captain W. Smith of a British merchant ship, and was attached to the Falkland Islands until 1962, and is now part of the British Antarctic Territory.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

南極，南極半島北方沖にあるイギリス領の火山性列島。面積約4700km2。ブランスフィールド海峡とドレーク海峡の間，南緯62゜，西経60゜付近に位置し，キング･ジョージ島，リビングストン島を中心に11の島々が東西に広がる。年中氷雪におおわれるので無人であるが，1906‐31年には捕鯨とアザラシ猟の基地となった。またディセプション島には観測基地が建設されたが，火山爆発のため67年に放棄された。1819年イギリス商船船長W.スミスが発見，1962年までフォークランド諸島に付属し，現在はイギリス領南極地方を構成する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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