Weddell Island

Weddell Island
Former name: Swan Island

Satellite image of Weddell Island
Location in the Southwest Atlantic
Etymology	Named after James Weddell
Geography
Location	South Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	51°52′43″S 61°00′24″W / 51.87861°S 61.00667°W / -51.87861; -61.00667
Archipelago	Falklands Archipelago Weddell Island Group
Total islands	23
Major islands	Weddell, Bald, Barclay, Carthorse, Circum, Fox, Hill, Low, Penn, Pitt, Quaker
Area	265.8 km2 (102.6 sq mi)
Length	26.8 km (16.65 mi)
Width	22.4 km (13.92 mi)
Coastline	175.7 km (109.17 mi)
Highest elevation	383 m (1257 ft)
Highest point	Mount Weddell
Administration
Falkland Islands
Constituency	Camp
Statistical region	Outlying Islands
Largest settlement	Weddell Settlement
Demographics
Population	43 (2016) Population number is for all Outlying Islands[1]
Languages	English
Ethnic groups	Falkland Islanders
Additional information
Time zone	FKST (UTC−3)
Official website	weddellisland.com

Weddell Island (Spanish: Isla San José)^[2] is one of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, lying off the southwest extremity of West Falkland. It is situated 1,545 km (960 mi) west-northwest of South Georgia Island, 1,165 km (724 mi) north of Livingston Island, 606 km (377 mi) northeast of Cape Horn, 358 km (222 mi) northeast of Isla de los Estados, and 510 km (320 mi) east of the Atlantic entrance to Magellan Strait.

With an area of 265.8 km² (102.6 sq mi) Weddell is the third largest island in the archipelago after East Falkland and West Falkland, and one of the largest private islands in the world. It has only one inhabited location, Weddell Settlement, with a single digit population engaged in sheep farming and tourism services. The island offers walks to wildlife watching sites and scenery destinations including some spectacular landscapes featuring the famous Falklands stone runs. Weddell is both an Important Plant Area and a priority Key Biodiversity Area.

It is a remote place, infrequently visited by a resupply ship and occasionally by private yachts, accessible by air with a short (some 200 km (120 mi)) if expensive flight from the Falklands capital, Stanley.