Auckland Islands

Credit: Credit: Jeff Schmaltz; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Saturday, 22 May 2004, 06:00 CDT Download full size image

Three hundred and fifty miles south of New Zealand, the Auckland Islands are a wildlife refuge for thousands of birds and sealions. They cover some 220 square miles, the main island of Auckland being the largest at 24 miles long and 3 to 25 miles wide. All of the islands are volcanic in origin and trend toward high cliffs with caves on the western and southern sides. The eastern coast shows the effects of glaciation while fjords provide sheltered anchorages. The other islands in the group are Adams Island to the south, Enderby and Rose Islands northeast of the main island, and Disappointment Island off the western coast. Despite colonization and agricultural efforts stretching back to the islands' discovery in 1806, they remain uninhabited (mostly because of extreme weather conditions and poor quality soil). The island's only residents are natural wildlife.

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