Keppel Island
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Keppel Island Isla de la Vigia |
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|---|---|
| Island | |
 Keppel Island
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| Coordinates: 51°19′15″S 59°58′07″W / 51.32083°S 59.96861°WCoordinates: 51°19′15″S 59°58′07″W / 51.32083°S 59.96861°W | |
| Country | Falkland Islands |
| Area | |
| • Total | 36.26 km2 (14.00 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 341 m (1,119 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 0 |
| • Density | 0.0/km2 (0.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | FKST (UTC−3) |
| If shown, area and population ranks are for all islands and all inhabited islands in the Falklands respectively. | |
Keppel Island (Spanish: Isla de la Vigia) is one of the Falkland Islands, lying between Saunders and Pebble islands, and near Golding Island to the north of West Falkland on Keppel Sound. It has an area of 3,626 hectares (8,960 acres) and its highest point, Mt. Keppel, is 341 metres (1,119 ft) high. There is a wide, flat valley in the centre of the island with several freshwater lakes. The central valley rises steeply to the south-west, west and north. The north-east is low-lying, with a deeply indented coastline.
The large population of Norway rats on the island constitute an invasive species. They are predators of birds that nest there, of which several species are of conservation interest.
Early British settlers named the island after Admiral Augustus Keppel, First Lord of the Admiralty in the 19th century.
An Anglican missionary settlement set up in the mid-19th century served some Yaghan people brought there from Tierra del Fuego. They taught them farming and English, and some of the British party learned Yamana (or Yahgan). In 1885, the island was developed by European immigrants for sheep farming.
In the late 20th century, the island was designated as a nature reserve. It has a small settlement on the east coast, but no permanent population.
The mission on Keppel Island was established in 1855 by the South American Missionary Society (formerly the Patagonian Mission Society), initially under Captain William Parker Snow. It operated until 1898. Captain Allen Gardiner, founder of the Society, had proposed use of this island, as a less hostile climate and environment than Tierra del Fuego, from which missionaries could gain the confidence of the Yaghan and learn their language.
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Wikipedia