View source for Prince Edward Islands

{{Short description|Two small subantarctic islands belonging to South Africa}}
{{About|the South African subantarctic islands|the Canadian province|Prince Edward Island}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Use South African English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox islands
|name             = Prince Edward Islands
|image_name       = PrEdwIsl Map.png|
|image_caption    = Map of Prince Edward Islands
|map_image        = Orthographic projection centered on the Prince Edward Island.png
|map_caption      = Orthographic projection centred on the Prince Edward Islands
|nickname         = 
|location         = [[Indian Ocean]]
|coordinates      = {{Coord|46|52|48|S|37|45|00|E|region:AQ_isle|display=inline,title}}
|archipelago      = 
|total_islands    = 
|major_islands    = 
|area_km2         = 343
|area_footnotes   = <ref name="USGS"/>
|length_km        = 
|width_km         = 
|highest_mount    = [[Mascarin Peak]]
|elevation_m      = 1230
|population       = 0 (permanent)<br />50 (non-permanent research staff)
|population_as_of = 
|density_km2      = 
|ethnic_groups    = 
|country          = {{flagicon|RSA}} [[South Africa]]
|country_admin_divisions_title   = [[Provinces of South Africa|Province]]
|country_admin_divisions         = [[Western Cape]]
|country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Municipalities of South Africa|Municipality]]
|country_admin_divisions_1       = [[City of Cape Town]]
|additional_info                 = 
}}
{{Designation list
 |designation1 = Ramsar
 |designation1_date = 24 January 1997
 |designation1_number = 1688<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prince Edward Islands |website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1688 |access-date=25 April 2018 |archive-date=28 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928133128/https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1688 |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
{{Maplink
|frame=yes|frame-width=290|frame-height=300|frame-coord={{coord|-47.00438|38.387|}}|zoom=3
|frame-align=right
|text=Prince Edward Islands Marine Protected Area
|type1=shape-inverse|from=Prince Edward Islands Marine Protected Area.map
}}

The '''Prince Edward Islands''' are two small uninhabited [[subantarctic#Subantarctic islands|subantarctic]]<ref>{{cite journal |first1=V. R. |last1=Smith |first2=Marianna |last2=Steenkamp |date=November 1990 |title=Climatic change and its ecological implications at a subantarctic island |journal=Oecologia |volume=85 |pages=14–24 |doi=10.1007/BF00317338}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Greve |first1=Michelle |last2=Mathakutha |first2=Rabia |last3=Steyn |first3=Christien |last4=Chown |first4=Steven L. |title=Terrestrial invasions on sub-Antarctic Marion and Prince Edward Islands |date=2017 |journal=Bothalia - African Biodiversity & Conservation |volume=47 |number=2 |pages=1–21 |doi=10.4102/abc.v47i2.2143|hdl=2263/66089 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Crawford |first1=R. J. M. |last2=Cooper |first2=J. |title=Conserving Surface-nesting Seabirds at the Prince Edward Islands: The Roles of Research, Monitoring and Legislation |date=2003 |journal=African Journal of Marine Science |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=416–425 |doi=10.2989/18142320309504031}}</ref> [[volcanic island]]s in the southern [[Indian Ocean]] that are administered by [[South Africa]]. They are named '''Marion Island''' (named after [[Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne]], 1724–1772) and '''Prince Edward Island''' (named after [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]], 1767–1820).

The islands in the group have been declared Special Nature Reserves under the South African Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, No. 57 of 2003, and activities on the islands are therefore restricted to research and conservation management.<ref name="cooper">{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=John |title=Antarctica and Islands – Background Research Paper produced for the South Africa Environment Outlook report on behalf of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism |url=http://soer.deat.gov.za/dm_documents/Antarctica_and_Islands_-_Background_Paper_1DXK5.pdf |access-date=5 October 2010 |date=June 2006 |page=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514005347/http://soer.deat.gov.za/dm_documents/Antarctica_and_Islands_-_Background_Paper_1DXK5.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=1993 United Nations list of national parks and protected areas |year=1993 |publisher=World Conservation Monitoring Centre, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Commission on Natural Parks and Protected Areas, United Nations Environment Programme |isbn=978-2-8317-0190-5 |page=173 |url=https://archive.org/stream/1993unitednation93worl#page/173/mode/1up}}</ref> Further protection was granted when the area was declared a [[Prince Edward Islands Marine Protected Area|marine protected area]] in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prince Edward Islands declared a Marine Protected Area |date=9 April 2013 |publisher=Department of Environmental Affairs, Republic of South Africa |url=https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/princeedwardislands_declaredmarineprotectedarea |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712192158/https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/princeedwardislands_declaredmarineprotectedarea |archive-date=12 July 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wwf">{{Cite web |title=Prince Edward Islands Marine Protected Area: A global treasure setting new conservation benchmarks |url=http://assets.panda.org/downloads/110_saf_mpa.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712192640/http://assets.panda.org/downloads/110_saf_mpa.pdf |archive-date=12 July 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The only human inhabitants of the islands are the staff of a [[meteorology|meteorological]] and [[biology|biological]] research station run by the [[South African National Antarctic Programme]] on Marion Island.

==History==
[[File:Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne jpg.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, as imagined by [[Charles Meryon]]]]
Barent Barentszoon Lam of the [[Dutch East India Company]] reached the islands on 4 March 1663 on the ship ''Maerseveen''. They were named ''Dina'' (Prince Edward) and ''Maerseveen'' (Marion),<ref>Pieter Arend Leupe: De eilanden Dina en Maerseveen in den Zuider Atlantischen Oceaan; in: Verhandelingen en berigten betrekkelijk het zeewezen, de zeevaartkunde, de hydrographie, de koloniën en de daarmede in verband staande wetenschappen, Jg. 1868, Deel 28, Afd. 2, [No.] 9; Amsterdam 1868 (pp. 242–253); cf. {{cite book |last=Rubin |first=Jeff |title=Antarctica |year=2008 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-74104-549-9 |page=233}}</ref> but the islands were erroneously recorded to be at 41° South, and neither were found again by subsequent Dutch sailors.<ref name="btinternet.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/marion_island/marion_island_history.html |title=Marion Island, South Indian Ocean |publisher=Btinternet.com |date=29 June 2003 |access-date=2012-10-09 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729235013/http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/marion_island/marion_island_history.html |archive-date=29 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ports.co.za/didyouknow/article_2004_04_26_5728.html |title=Marion and Prince Edward Islands |access-date=2016-09-21 |archive-date=22 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322102842/http://ports.co.za/didyouknow/article_2004_04_26_5728.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 1772, the French frigate ''Le Mascarin'', captained by [[Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne]], visited the islands and spent five days trying to land, thinking they had found [[Antarctica]] (then not yet proven to exist).<ref name="keller">{{cite book |last=Keller |first=Conrad |title=Madagascar, Mauritius and the other East-African islands |year=1901 |publisher=S. Sonnenschein & Co. |pages=224–225 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/madagascarmaurit00kell#page/224/mode/1up |access-date=5 October 2010 |chapter=XXII – The Prince Edward Isles}}</ref> Marion named the islands ''Terre de l'Espérance'' (Marion) and ''Ile de la Caverne'' (Prince Edward).<ref name="btinternet.com"/> After failing to land, ''Le Mascarin'' continued eastward, discovering the [[Crozet Islands]] and landing at New Zealand, where Marion du Fresne and some of his crew were killed by local Māori.

Julien Crozet, navigator and second in command of ''Le Mascarin'', survived the disaster, and happened to meet [[James Cook]] at [[Cape Town]] in 1776, at the onset of Cook's [[Third voyage of James Cook|third voyage]].<ref name="cook">{{Cite book |title=Captain James Cook: A Biography |last=Hough |first=Richard |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=1995 |isbn=978-0393315196 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/captainjamescook00rich/page/259 259–260] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/captainjamescook00rich/page/259}}</ref> Crozet shared the charts of his ill-fated expedition, and as Cook sailed from Cape Town, he passed the islands on 13 December, but was unable to attempt a landing due to bad weather.<ref name="keller" /> Cook named the islands after [[Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn|Prince Edward]], the fourth son of King [[George III]]; and though he is also often credited with naming the larger island Marion, after Captain Marion, this name was adopted by sealers and whalers who later hunted the area, to distinguish the two islands.<ref name="mills">{{cite book |last=Mills |first=William J. |date=2003 |title=Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYdBH4dOOM4C&pg=PA531 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=531 |isbn=978-1576074220 |access-date=2014-04-04 |archive-date=4 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704122209/http://books.google.com/books?id=PYdBH4dOOM4C&pg=PA531 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The first recorded landing on the islands was in 1799 by a group of French [[seal (mammal)|seal]] hunters of the ''Sally''.<ref name="mills"/> Another landing in late 1803 by a group of seal hunters led by American captain Henry Fanning of the ''Catharine'' found signs of earlier human occupation.<ref name="sanap.ac.za">{{cite web |url=http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_marion/marion_history.html |title=Marion Island – History |publisher=Sanap.ac.za |access-date=2012-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724154513/http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_marion/marion_history.html |archive-date=24 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The islands were frequented by sealers until about 1810, when the local fur seal populations had been nearly eradicated.<ref name="mills"/> The first scientific expedition to the islands was led by [[James Clark Ross]], who visited in 1840 during his [[Ross expedition|exploration]] of the Antarctic, but was unable to land.<ref name="mills"/> Ross sailed along the islands on 21 April 1840. He made observations on vast numbers of penguins ("groups of many thousands each"), and other kinds of sea-birds. He also saw [[fur seal]]s, which he supposed to be of the species ''Arctocephalus falklandicus''.{{sfnp|Ross|1847|loc=vol.1|pp=45-47}} The islands were finally surveyed during the [[Challenger Expedition|''Challenger'' Expedition]], led by Captain [[George Nares]], in 1873.<ref>{{Cite book |first=John |last=Cooper |year=2008 |chapter=Human history |editor-first1=Steven L. |editor-last1=Chown |editor-first2=Pierre William |editor-last2=Froneman |title=The Prince Edward Islands: Land-sea Interactions in a Changing Ecosystem |location=Stellenbosch, South Africa |publisher=Sun Press |pages=331–350, page 336 |isbn=978-1-920109-85-1}}</ref>

The sealing era lasted from 1799 to 1913. During that period, visits by 103 vessels are recorded, seven of which ended in shipwreck.<ref>R.K. Headland, ''Historical Antarctic sealing industry'', Scott Polar Research Institute (Cambridge University), 2018, p.167 {{ISBN|978-0-901021-26-7}}</ref> Sealing relics include iron [[Try pot|trypots]], the ruins of huts and inscriptions. The occasional modern sealing vessel visited from [[Cape Town]], [[South Africa]], in the 1920s.

The islands have been the location of other shipwrecks. In June 1849, the brig ''Richard Dart'', with a troop of Royal Engineers under Lt. James Liddell, was wrecked on Prince Edward Island; only 10 of the 63 on board survived to be rescued by elephant seal hunters from Cape Town.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Gazette/Accidents/Richard_Dart_Wreck.html |title=Wreck of the troopship Richard Dart |access-date=26 March 2014 |archive-date=24 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024034437/http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Gazette/Accidents/Richard_Dart_Wreck.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1908, the Norwegian vessel ''Solglimt'' was shipwrecked on Marion Island, and survivors established a short-lived village at the north coast, before being rescued.<ref name="sanap.ac.za"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Four Weeks' Vigil of South Sea Crusoes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40451999/solglimt_1908/ |newspaper=The Victoria Daily Times |date=28 January 1909 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=12 December 2019 |archive-date=12 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212051426/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40451999/solglimt_1908/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.sun.ac.za/antarcticlegacy/2016/08/24/alsa-to-talk-on-marion-islands-forgotten-history-at-a-scar-conference-in-kuala-lumpur-malaysia-this-week/ |title=ALSA to talk on Marion Island's forgotten history at a SCAR conference |access-date=2016-09-21 |date=2016-08-24 |archive-date=23 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923111302/http://blogs.sun.ac.za/antarcticlegacy/2016/08/24/alsa-to-talk-on-marion-islands-forgotten-history-at-a-scar-conference-in-kuala-lumpur-malaysia-this-week/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The wreck of the ''Solglimt'' is the best-known in the islands, and is accessible to divers.<ref name="sanap.ac.za"/>

The [[government of the United Kingdom|British government]] never officially claimed ownership of the islands; however it did manage economic activities on the islands in the early 20th century.<ref name="Smith2004">{{cite journal |author1=Valdon Smith |title=How South Africa Got Its Islands |journal=Quest |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=28–29 |year=2004 |url=https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA1729830X_36}}</ref> In 1908, the British government granted a guano lease on Marion Island.<ref name="btinternet.com"/> Following the Second World War, technological advancements made the islands more strategically important, and as no further economic activity was taking place, the UK was concerned other countries might claim the islands.<ref name="Smith2004"/> In late 1947 and early 1948, South Africa, with Britain's agreement, [[Prince Edward Islands Act, 1948|annexed the islands]] and installed the [[meteorology|meteorological]] station on Transvaal Cove on the north-east coast of Marion Island.<ref name="btinternet.com"/>

On 22 September 1979, a United States surveillance satellite known as Vela 6911 noted an unidentified double flash of light, known as the [[Vela incident]], in the waters off the islands. There was and continues to be considerable controversy over whether this event was perhaps an undeclared nuclear test carried out by [[Israel–South Africa relations|South Africa and Israel]] or some other event.<ref name="The Bomb">{{cite book |title=The Bomb – South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Programme |first1=Nic |last1=Von Wielligh |first2=Lydia |last2=Von Wielligh-Steyn |publisher=Litera |location=Pretoria, ZA |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-920188-48-1 |oclc=930598649}}</ref> The cause of the flash remains officially unknown, and some information about the event remains [[classified information|classified]].<ref name=NSArchive>{{cite report |url=http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb570-The-22-September-1979-Vela-Satellite-Incident/ |title=Vela Incident: South Atlantic Mystery Flash in September 1979 Raised Questions about Nuclear Test |journal=National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 570 |date=8 December 2016 |editor1-first=William |editor1-last=Burr |editor2-first=Avner |editor2-last=Cohen |access-date=27 September 2020 |archive-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812162008/http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/nukevault/ebb570-The-22-September-1979-Vela-Satellite-Incident/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Today, most independent researchers believe that the 1979 flash was caused by a nuclear explosion.<ref name="NSArchive" /><ref name="jewishbusinessnews.com">{{cite web |url=http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2016/12/09/declassified-documents-indicate-israel-and-south-africa-conducted-nuclear-test-in-1979/ |title=Declassified documents indicate Israel and South Africa conducted nuclear test in 1979 |date=9 December 2016 |access-date=27 September 2020 |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108091130/https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2016/12/09/declassified-documents-indicate-israel-and-south-africa-conducted-nuclear-test-in-1979/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12106195 |title=Researchers: Radioactive Australian sheep bolster nuclear weapon test claim against Israel |last=Johnston |first=Martin |date=2018-08-13 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=2018-08-13 |issn=1170-0777 |archive-date=13 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813145152/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12106195 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=De Geer |first1=Lars-Erik |last2=Wright |first2=Christopher M. |date=2018 |title=The 22 September 1979 Vela Incident: Radionuclide and Hydroacoustic Evidence for a Nuclear Explosion |url=http://scienceandglobalsecurity.org/archive/sgs26degeer.pdf |journal=Science & Global Security |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=20–54 |doi=10.1080/08929882.2018.1451050 |issn=0892-9882 |bibcode=2018S&GS...26...20D |s2cid=126082091 |access-date=27 September 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324093453/http://scienceandglobalsecurity.org/archive/sgs26degeer.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2003, the South African government declared the Prince Edward Islands a Special Nature Reserve, and in 2013 it declared {{cvt|180,000|km2}} of ocean waters around the islands a Marine Protection Area, thus creating one of the world's largest [[environmental protection]] areas.<ref name="wwf" />

=== Marion Research Station ===
{{Infobox settlement
|name                    = Marion Island Base
|settlement_type         = [[Research stations in Antarctica|Antarctic base]]
|image_skyline           =
|image_caption           =
|image_map               = PrEdwIsl Map.png
|map_caption             = Location in Prince Edward Islands
|coordinates             = {{coord|-46.875460|37.858540|format=dms|display=inline}}
|subdivision_type        = Country
|subdivision_name        = {{flagcountry|South Africa}}
|subdivision_type1       = Operator
|subdivision_name1       = [[South African National Antarctic Programme|SANAP]]
|established_title       = Established
|established_date        = {{start date|1948|df=y}}
|extinct_title           = Evacuated
|extinct_date            =
|unit_pref               = Metric
|elevation_footnotes     =
|elevation_m             = 22
|population_footnotes    =
|population_as_of        =
|population_blank1_title = Summer
|population_blank1       = 18
|population_blank2_title = Winter
|population_blank2       = 18
|utc_offset1             = +3
|code1_name              = [[UN/LOCODE]]
|code1_info              = ZA
|blank_name_sec1         = Active times
|blank_info_sec1         = All year-round
|blank1_name_sec1        = Status
|blank1_info_sec1        = Operational
|blank_name_sec2         = Activities
|blank_info_sec2         = {{Collapsible list |bullets=on |Meteorology |Biology}}
|website                 = {{URL|https://www.sanap.ac.za/explore/stations|sanap.ac.za}}
}}
On 4 January 1948 Marion Island and neighbouring Prince Edward Island were officially annexed into [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]]. A group of 14 sailors stayed on the island until 16 days later a permanent occupying force was left there, soon building a [[Weather station|meteorological station]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=No Pathway Here by John H Marsh Copyright Chapter 10 |url=http://rapidttp.co.za/pathway/chap10.html |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=rapidttp.co.za}}</ref> The 1948 research station on Marion Island was soon enlarged and today studies regional meteorology and the biology of the islands, in particular the birds ([[penguin]]s, [[petrel]]s, [[albatross]]es, [[gull]]s) and [[Pinniped|seals]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marionseals.com |title=Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme |publisher=Marionseals.com |access-date=2021-02-15 |archive-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703093238/https://www.marionseals.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-08-07 |title=SANAP - Marion Island |url=http://marion.sanap.org.za/index2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060807041551/http://marion.sanap.org.za/index2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-08-07 |access-date=2025-03-07 }}</ref>

A new research base was built from 2001 to 2011 to replace older buildings on the site.<ref name="Yeld-1">{{Cite news |author=Yeld, John |title=New Marion Island base opens |date=18 March 2011 |newspaper=The Cape Argus (Independent Newspapers) |url=http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/new-marion-island-base-opens-1043782 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425215252/http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/new-marion-island-base-opens-1043782 |archive-date=25 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The access to the station is either by boat or helicopter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Base Puts Sa on Top of the Weather |date=21 March 2011 |publisher=South African Garden Route |url=http://www.gardenroute.com/new-base-puts-sa-on-top-of-weather_article_op_view_id_6114 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125032642/http://www.gardenroute.com/new-base-puts-sa-on-top-of-weather_article_op_view_id_6114 |archive-date=25 November 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A helipad and storage hangar is located behind the main base structure.<ref name="Yeld-1"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-46.876024,37.858769&spn=0.003348,0.006518&t=h&z=18 |title=Google Maps |publisher=Google Maps |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=2012-10-09 |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004133730/https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-46.876024,37.858769&spn=0.003348,0.006518&t=h&z=18 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2017, scientists from [[McGill University]], in collaboration with the [[South African National Antarctic Programme]], launched a new astrophysical experiment on Marion Island called Probing Radio Intensity at high-Z from Marion ([[South African National Antarctic Programme|PRIZM]]), searching for signatures of the [[hydrogen line]] in the early universe.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation]] |volume=8 |pages=1950004 |doi=10.1142/S2251171719500041 |bibcode=2019JAI.....850004P |arxiv=1806.09531 |last1=Philip |first1=L. |title=Probing Radio Intensity at high-Z from Marion: 2017 Instrument |last2=Abdurashidova |first2=Z. |last3=Chiang |first3=H. C.|display-authors=etal |year=2018 |issue=2 |s2cid=119106726}}</ref> In 2018, another cosmology experiment was launched by the McGill team called Array of Long Baseline Antennas for Taking Radio Observation from Sub-Antarctic (ALBATROS). The new experiment aims to create very high-resolution maps of the low-frequency radio emission from the universe, and take first steps towards detecting the cosmological [[Dark Ages (cosmology)|Dark Ages]].<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1142/S2251171720500191 |title=The Array of Long Baseline Antennas for Taking Radio Observations from the Sub-Antarctic |year=2020 |last1=Chiang |first1=H. C. |last2=Dyson |first2=T. |last3=Egan |first3=E. |last4=Eyono |first4=S. |last5=Ghazi |first5=N. |last6=Hickish |first6=J. |last7=Jáuregui-Garcia |first7=J. M. |last8=Manukha |first8=V. |last9=Ménard |first9=T. |last10=Moso |first10=T. |last11=Peterson |first11=J. |last12=Philip |first12=L. |last13=Sievers |first13=J. L. |last14=Tartakovsky |first14=S. |journal=Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation |volume=09 |issue=4 |pages=2050019–2050564 |arxiv=2008.12208 |bibcode=2020JAI.....950019C |s2cid=221340854}}</ref>

In April 2024, the South African National Antarctic Programme station on Marion Island was depicted in an ad for [[KFC South Africa]] directed by Kim Geldenhuys, Beyond the Sea, which depicted two hungry South Africans determined to get home for some fried chicken.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beyond the Sea |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67D3tZhyLo8 |publisher=[[KFC South Africa]] |access-date=2024-05-13}}</ref>

== Geography and geology ==
The island group is about {{cvt|955|nmi|km mi|lk=in}} south-east of [[Port Elizabeth]] in mainland South Africa. At 46 degrees latitude, its distance to the [[equator]] is only slightly longer than to the [[South Pole]]. Marion Island ({{Coord|46|54|45|S|37|44|37|E|type:isle|name=Marion Island}}), the larger of the two, is {{cvt|25.03|km|mi}} long and {{cvt|16.65|km|mi}} wide with an area of {{cvt|297|km²|sqmi|0}}<ref name="USGS">{{cite web |url = https://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/gie/gie.shtml |title = Global Island Explorer |website = rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov |access-date = 14 Nov 2024}}</ref> and a coastline of some {{cvt|72|km|mi}}, most of which is high cliffs. The highest point on Marion Island is [[Mascarin Peak]] (formerly State President Swart Peak), reaching {{cvt|1242|m|ft|0}} above sea level.<ref name="gvp"/> The [[topography]] of Marion Island includes many hillocks and small lakes, and [[boggy]] lowland terrain with little vegetation.<ref name="marion">{{cite web |title=Marion Island |url=http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_marion/sanap_marion.html |publisher=[[South African National Antarctic Programme]] |access-date=2016-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624065940/http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_marion/sanap_marion.html |archive-date=24 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Prince Edward Island ({{Coord|46|38|39|S|37|56|36|E|type:isle|name=Prince Edward Island}}) is much smaller—only {{cvt|46|km2|sqmi|0}},<ref name="USGS"/> {{cvt|10.23|km|mi}} long and {{cvt|6.57|km|mi}} wide—and lies some {{cvt|12|nmi|km mi|1}} to the north-east of Marion Island. The terrain is generally rocky, with high cliffs ({{cvt|490|m|ft|0}}) on its south western side.<ref name="marion"/> At the [[Eduard Meine van Zinderen-Bakker|van Zinderen Bakker]] Peak north-west of the center, it reaches a height of {{cvt|672|m|ft|0}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=11343 |title=Peakbagger – Van Zinderen Bakker Peak, South Africa |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222150051/http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=11343 |url-status=live}}</ref>

There are a few offshore rocks along the northern coast of Prince Edward Island, like Ship Rock {{cvt|100|m|ft|0}} north of northernmost point, and Ross Rocks {{cvt|500|m|ft|0}} from the shore. Boot Rock is about {{cvt|500|m|ft|0}} off the northern coast of Marion Island.

Both islands are of [[volcanic]] origin.<ref name="marion"/> Marion Island is one of the peaks of a large underwater [[shield volcano]] that rises some {{cvt|5000|m|ft|0}} from the sea floor to the top of Mascarin Peak. The volcano is active, with eruptions having occurred between 1980 and 2004.<ref name="gvp">{{cite web |title=Marion Island |url=http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=234070 |publisher=[[Global Volcanism Program]] |access-date=2015-04-30 |archive-date=25 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725003837/http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=234070 |url-status=live}}</ref>  While Prince Edward Island may have erupted within the last 10 thousand years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prince Edward Island {{!}} John Seach |url=http://volcanolive.com/princeedward.html |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=volcanolive.com}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Prince Edward Island, South Africa, EO-1 ALI satellite image, 5 May 2009.jpg|Satellite image of Prince Edward Island, 2009.
File:Marion Island, South Africa, EO-1 ALI satellite image, 5 May 2009.jpg|Satellite image of Marion Island, 2009
</gallery>

=== Climate ===
Despite being located inside the [[Temperate climate#Zones and climate|south temperate zone]] at 46 degrees latitude, the islands have a [[tundra climate]]. They lie directly in the path of eastward-moving [[Low-pressure area|depressions]] all year round and this gives them an unusually cool and windy climate. Strong regional winds, known as the [[roaring forties]], blow almost every day of the year, and the prevailing wind direction is north-westerly.<ref name="marion"/> Annual rainfall averages from {{cvt|2400|mm|in|1}} up to over {{cvt|3000|mm|in|1}} on Mascarin Peak. In spite of its very chilly climate it is located closer to the equator than mild northern hemisphere climates such as [[Paris#Climate|Paris]] and [[Seattle#Climate|Seattle]] and only one degree farther south than fellow southern hemisphere climates such as [[Comodoro Rivadavia#Climate|Comodoro Rivadavia]] in [[Argentina]] and [[Alexandra, New Zealand#Climate|Alexandra]] in New Zealand. Many climates on lower latitudes in the Northern hemisphere have far colder winters than Prince Edward Islands due to the islands' [[oceanic climate|maritime]] moderation, even though temperatures in summer are much cooler than those normally found in maritime climates.

The islands are among the cloudiest places in the world; about 1300 hours a year of sunshine occur on the sheltered eastern side of Marion Island, but only around 800 hours occur away from the coast on the wet western sides of Marion and Prince Edward Islands.

Summer and winter have fairly similar climates with cold winds and threat of snow or frost at any time of the year. However, the mean temperature in February (midsummer) is {{cvt|7.7|°C|°F}} and in August (midwinter) it is {{cvt|3.9|°C|°F}}.<ref>General Survey of Climatology, V12 (2001), Elsevier</ref><ref>GISS Climate data averages for 1978 to 2007, source – GHCN</ref>

<div style="width:80%;">
{{Weather box
|location = Marion Island (1991–2020, extremes 1949–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 25.6
|Feb record high C = 22.9
|Mar record high C = 22.2
|Apr record high C = 19.3
|May record high C = 18.4
|Jun record high C = 18.2
|Jul record high C = 18.6
|Aug record high C = 16.5
|Sep record high C = 17.0
|Oct record high C = 17.7
|Nov record high C = 19.2
|Dec record high C = 21.9
|year record high C = 25.6
 | Jan high C = 11.4
 | Feb high C = 11.9
 | Mar high C = 11.0
 | Apr high C = 9.9
 | May high C = 8.6
 | Jun high C = 7.3
 | Jul high C = 7.1
 | Aug high C = 6.8
 | Sep high C = 7.0
 | Oct high C = 8.1
 | Nov high C = 9.3
 | Dec high C = 10.4
 | year high C = 9.0
 | Jan mean C = 8.3
 | Feb mean C = 8.8
 | Mar mean C = 8.0
 | Apr mean C = 7.2
 | May mean C = 5.9
 | Jun mean C = 4.8
 | Jul mean C = 4.5
 | Aug mean C = 4.2
 | Sep mean C = 4.3
 | Oct mean C = 5.3
 | Nov mean C = 6.3
 | Dec mean C = 7.3
 | year mean C = 6.2
 | Jan low C = 5.2
 | Feb low C = 5.7
 | Mar low C = 5.2
 | Apr low C = 4.3
 | May low C = 3.2
 | Jun low C = 2.2
 | Jul low C = 1.9
 | Aug low C = 1.6
 | Sep low C = 1.6
 | Oct low C = 2.5
 | Nov low C = 3.2
 | Dec low C = 4.2
 | year low C = 3.4
|Jan record low C = -1.5
|Feb record low C = -1.4
|Mar record low C = -2.5
|Apr record low C = -2.2
|May record low C = -3.0
|Jun record low C = -6.0
|Jul record low C = -6.0
|Aug record low C = -5.5
|Sep record low C = -6.9
|Oct record low C = -4.7
|Nov record low C = -3.9
|Dec record low C = -1.5
|year record low C = -6.9
 | precipitation colour = green
 | Jan precipitation mm = 163.6
 | Feb precipitation mm = 155.4
 | Mar precipitation mm = 160.9
 | Apr precipitation mm = 153.3
 | May precipitation mm = 169.3
 | Jun precipitation mm = 162.7
 | Jul precipitation mm = 161.9
 | Aug precipitation mm = 144.9
 | Sep precipitation mm = 155.0
 | Oct precipitation mm = 139.7
 | Nov precipitation mm = 142.6
 | Dec precipitation mm = 158.5
 | year precipitation mm = 1857.0
 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
 | Jan precipitation days = 17.9
 | Feb precipitation days = 15.1
 | Mar precipitation days = 17.1
 | Apr precipitation days = 16.0
 | May precipitation days = 18.8
 | Jun precipitation days = 19.7
 | Jul precipitation days = 21.0
 | Aug precipitation days = 18.3
 | Sep precipitation days = 18.3
 | Oct precipitation days = 15.9
 | Nov precipitation days = 16.8
 | Dec precipitation days = 17.8
 | year precipitation days = 212.6
|Jan humidity = 83
|Feb humidity = 84
|Mar humidity = 84
|Apr humidity = 84
|May humidity = 85
|Jun humidity = 86
|Jul humidity = 85
|Aug humidity = 84
|Sep humidity = 83
|Oct humidity = 82
|Nov humidity = 82
|Dec humidity = 83
|year humidity = 84
 | Jan sun = 158.9
 | Feb sun = 135.4
 | Mar sun = 125.8
 | Apr sun = 98.3
 | May sun = 82.0
 | Jun sun = 59.1
 | Jul sun = 66.9
 | Aug sun = 88.2
 | Sep sun = 106.0
 | Oct sun = 133.6
 | Nov sun = 150.8
 | Dec sun = 164.4
 | year sun = 1311.7
|source 1 = NOAA (humidity 1961–1990)<ref name="WMONormals">{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/SouthAfrica/CSV/MarionIsland_68994.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 – Marion Islands
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = January 20, 2024}}</ref><ref name= NOAA>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/UA/68994.TXT |title=Marion Island Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031202038/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/UA/68994.TXT |archive-date=2020-10-31 |url-status=dead |access-date=15 December 2012 }}</ref>
|source 2 = Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)<ref name = meteoclimat>{{cite web |url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=194 |title=Station Ile Marion |publisher=Meteo Climat |language=fr |access-date=11 June 2016 |archive-date=13 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213173337/http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=194 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|date= December 2012
}}
</div>

== Flora and fauna ==
[[File:SA Agulhas with bull kelp and penguin.jpg|thumb|upright|View from Marion island of the South African icebreaker [[SA Agulhas|SA ''Agulhas'']], with a penguin swimming in the water and [[kelp]] on the shore]]

The islands are part of the [[Southern Indian Ocean Islands tundra]] [[ecoregion]] that includes a small number of [[subantarctic]] islands. Because of the paucity of land masses in the [[Southern Ocean]], the islands host a wide variety of species and are critical to [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]].<ref name="wwf"/> In the cold subantarctic climate, plants are mainly limited to grasses, [[moss]]es, and [[kelp]], while [[lichen]]s are the most visible [[fungi]]. The main indigenous animals are insects (such as the seaweed-eating weevil ''Palirhoeus eatoni'') along with large populations of [[seabird]]s, [[Pinniped|seal]]s<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marionseals.com |title=Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme |publisher=Marionseals.com |access-date=2016-04-28 |archive-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703093238/https://www.marionseals.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[penguin]]s.<ref name="ecoregion">{{WWF ecoregion|id=an1104|name=Southern Indian Ocean Islands tundra}}</ref>

===Birds===
{{Main|List of birds of the Prince Edward Islands}}
[[File:Diomedea exulans 3 - SE Tasmania.jpg|thumb|left|A [[wandering albatross]]]]

The islands have been designated an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] for their significant seabird breeding populations.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/prince-edward-islands-special-nature-reserve-iba-south-africa |title=Prince Edward Islands Special Nature Reserve |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020 |website=BirdLife Data Zone |publisher=BirdLife International |access-date=13 December 2020 |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205185957/http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/prince-edward-islands-special-nature-reserve-iba-south-africa |url-status=live}}</ref> At least thirty different species of birds are thought to breed on the islands, and it is estimated the islands support upwards of 5 million breeding seabirds, and 8 million seabirds total.<ref name="wwf"/> Five species of [[albatross]] (of which all are either [[threatened species|threatened]] or [[endangered species|endangered]]) are known to breed on the islands, including the [[wandering albatross]], [[sooty albatross|dark-mantled]], [[light-mantled albatross|light-mantled]], [[Indian yellow-nosed albatross|Indian yellow-nosed]] and [[grey-headed albatross]].<ref name="wwf"/>

The islands also host fourteen species of [[petrel]], four species of [[prion (bird)|prion]], the [[Antarctic tern]], and the [[brown skua]], among other seabirds.<ref name="wwf"/><ref name="ecoregion"/> Four penguin species are found: [[king penguin]]s, [[Eastern rockhopper penguin|Eastern rockhoppers]], [[Gentoo penguin|gentoos]] and [[macaroni penguin]]s.<ref name="ecoregion"/>

===Mammals===
Three species of seal breed on the islands: the [[southern elephant seal]], the [[Antarctic fur seal]], and the [[Subantarctic fur seal]].<ref name="wwf"/> The waters surrounding the islands are often frequented by several species of whale, especially [[orca]]s, which prey on penguins and seals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marionseals.com/killerwhales |title=Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme |publisher=Marionseals.com |access-date=2021-02-15 |archive-date=1 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501204041/https://www.marionseals.com/killerwhales |url-status=live}}</ref> Large whales such as [[southern right whale|southern rights]] and [[humpback whale|southern humpbacks]], and [[leopard seal]]s are seen more sporadically, and it remains unclear how large or stable their current local populations are, though it is thought their numbers are significantly down compared to the time of first human contact with the islands.<ref name=MarionResearch>{{cite journal |author=M. Postma |author2=M. Wege |author3=M.N. Bester |author4=D.S. van der Merwe |year=2011 |doi=10.3377/004.046.0112 |title=Inshore Occurrence of Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) at Subantarctic Marion Island |journal=African Zoology |volume=46 |pages=188–193 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232662162 |access-date=2016-03-09 |hdl=2263/16586 |s2cid=54744920 |hdl-access=free |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217091145/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232662162_Inshore_Occurrence_of_Southern_Right_Whales_Eubalaena_australis_at_Subantarctic_Marion_Island |url-status=live}}</ref>

The area saw heavy sealing and whaling operations in the nineteenth century and continued to be subject to mass illegal whaling until the 1970s, with the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Japan]] allegedly continuing whaling operations into the 1990s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Berzin A. |author2=Ivashchenko V.Y. |author3=Clapham J.P. |author4=Brownell L. R.Jr. |year=2008 |title=The Truth About Soviet Whaling: A Memoir |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=usdeptcommercepub |journal=DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska – Lincoln |access-date=2016-03-09 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305071103/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=usdeptcommercepub |url-status=live}}</ref> Currently, the greatest ecological threat is the [[longline fishing]] of [[Patagonian toothfish]], which endangers a number of seabirds that dive into the water after baited hooks.<ref name="wwf"/>

=== Terrestrial plants ===
Like all subantarctic islands, Marion has a small number of native plant species. The isolation of the island and the cold, wet, windy weather conditions filtered out many potential plants from reaching and successfully establishing populations. Only 22 vascular plants were native to the island prior to human arrival. One of them, ''[[Ranunculus moseleyi]]'', a species also found in the [[Kerguelen Islands]], is of uncertain status with no records of it being found since 1969 and no specimens in archives to unambiguously prove its presence prior to that date.<ref name="Chau et al. 2020" />

There are seven species of fern and fern allies include [[Antarctic hard-fern]] (''Austroblechnum penna-marina''), [[alpine filmy-fern]] (''Hymenophyllum peltatum''), [[Magellanic clubmoss]] (''Lycopodium magellanicum''), ''[[Notogrammitis crassior]]'', ''[[Phlegmariurus saururus]]'', ''[[Polystichum marionense]]'', and ''[[Elaphoglossum randii]]''.<ref name="Chau et al. 2020" />

The island has five species of cushion and mat forming flowering plants ''[[Azorella selago]]'', ''[[Callitriche antarctica]]'', ''[[Colobanthus kerguelensis]]'', ''[[Crassula moschata]]'', ''[[Leptinella plumosa]]''. Other herbaceous plants include [[Kerguelen cabbage]] (''Pringlea antiscorbutica''), [[Antarctic buttercup]] (''Ranunculus biternatus''), ''[[Limosella australis]]'', and [[blinks]] (''Montia fontana'').<ref name="Chau et al. 2020" />

Several grass-like species grow on Marion including the rush ''[[Juncus scheuchzerioides]]'', [[Cook's tussock-grass]] (''Poa cookii''), ''[[Polypogon magellanicus]]''.<ref name="Chau et al. 2020" /> The sedge species ''[[Carex dikei]]'' is endemic to Marion and Prince Edward Island, but was only scientifically described in 2015.<ref name="POWO">{{cite POWO |id=77149555-1 |title=''Carex dikei'' (Nelmes) K.L.Wilson |access-date=2 July 2025}}</ref> Further research is needed to determine if records of ''[[Carex austrocompacta]]'' on other subantarctic islands might be this species.<ref name="Chau et al. 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Chau |first1=John H. |last2=Mtsi |first2=Nasipi I. S. |last3=Münbergová |first3=Zuzana |last4=Greve |first4=Michelle |last5=le Roux |first5=Peter C. |last6=Mairal |first6=Mario |last7=Le Roux |first7=Johannes J. |last8=Dorrington |first8=Rosemary A. |last9=Jansen van Vuuren |first9=Bettine |date=November 2020 |title=An update on the indigenous vascular flora of sub-Antarctic Marion Island: taxonomic changes, sequences for DNA barcode loci, and genome size data |journal=Polar Biology |volume=43 |issue=11 |pages=1817–1828 |doi=10.1007/s00300-020-02747-7 |url=https://mariomairal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Chau2020_Article_AnUpdateOnTheIndigenousVascula-1.pdf  |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112020200/https://mariomairal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Chau2020_Article_AnUpdateOnTheIndigenousVascula-1.pdf |archive-date=12 November 2023 |access-date=2 July 2025}}</ref>

=== Invasive species ===
The wildlife is particularly vulnerable to [[introduced species]] and the historical problem has been with cats and mice. [[House mouse|House mice]] arrived to Marion Island with whaling and sealing ships in the 1800s and quickly multiplied, so much so that in 1949, five domestic cats were brought to the research base to deal with them.<ref name="cats">{{cite journal |author1=Bloomer J.P. |author2=Bester M.N. |year=1992 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=211–219 |title=Control of feral cats on sub-Antarctic Marion Island, Indian Ocean |url=http://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/1585 |access-date=2016-09-23 |doi=10.1016/0006-3207(92)91253-O |archive-date=24 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924111710/http://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/1585 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The cats multiplied quickly, and by 1977 there were approximately 3,400 cats on the island, feeding on burrowing petrels in addition to mice, and taking an estimated 455,000 petrels a year.<ref name="plague">{{cite web |url=http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/marion-islands-plague-of-mice-1563686 |author=John Yeld |title=Marion Island's Plague of Mice |access-date=2016-09-23 |archive-date=24 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924104854/http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/marion-islands-plague-of-mice-1563686 |url-status=live}}</ref> Some species of petrels soon disappeared from Marion Island, and a cat eradication programme was established.<ref name="cats"/> A few cats were intentionally infected with the highly specific [[Carnivore protoparvovirus 1|feline panleukopenia]] virus, which reduced the cat population to about 600 by 1982.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid:158214/pmid |title=Dynamics of a feline virus with two transmission modes within exponentially growing host populations |author1=K Berthier |author2=M Langlais |author3=P Auger |author4=D Pontier |publisher=BioInfoBank Library |date=22 October 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210061607/http://lib.bioinfo.pl/meid%3A158214/pmid |archive-date=10 February 2012}}</ref> The remaining cats were killed by nocturnal shooting, and in 1991 only eight cats were trapped in a 12-month period.<ref name="cats"/><ref>{{cite book |author=de Bruyn P.J.N. & Oosthuizen W.C.|title=Pain forms the Character: Doc Bester, Cat hunters & Sealers |year=2017 |publisher=Antarctic Legacy of South Africa |isbn=978-0-620-74912-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marionseals.com/painformsthecharacter |title=Cat hunter and sealer book – Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme |publisher=Marionseals.com |access-date=2021-02-15 |archive-date=1 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501193251/https://www.marionseals.com/painformsthecharacter |url-status=live}}</ref>

It is believed that no cats remain on Marion Island today, and with the cats gone, the mouse population has sharply increased to "plague like" levels.<ref name="plague"/> In 2003, [[ornithology|ornithologists]] discovered that in the absence of other food sources, the mice were attacking albatross chicks and eating them alive as they sat helplessly on their nests.<ref name="plague"/> A similar problem has been observed on [[Gough Island]], where a mouse eradication programme began in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ft.com/content/c3142476-22c4-11e6-aa98-db1e01fabc0c |title=The killer mice of Gough Island |work=Financial Times|location=London|access-date=2016-09-23 |date=2016-05-27 |archive-date=24 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924110938/https://www.ft.com/content/c3142476-22c4-11e6-aa98-db1e01fabc0c |url-status=live}}</ref> A programme to eradicate invasive [[rat]]s on [[South Georgia|South Georgia Island]] was completed in 2015, and as of 2016 the island appears to be completely rat free.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/eradicating-rats-from-oceanic-islands/ |title=Ridding South Georgia of rats and reindeer |date=29 January 2016 |access-date=2016-09-26 |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217091147/https://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/eradicating-rats-from-oceanic-islands/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The geography of Marion Island presents certain obstacles not found on either Gough or South Georgia islands, particularly its large size, high elevations and variable weather.<ref name="plague"/> An assessment of the island was completed in May 2015, led by noted [[invasive species]] [[ecology|ecologist]] John Parkes, with the general conclusion that an eradication programme is feasible, but will require precise planning.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acap.aq/en/news/latest-news/2147-impressions-of-an-expert-field-work-to-assess-the-feasibility-of-eradicating-marion-island-s-mice-completed |title=Impressions of an expert. Field work to assess the feasibility of eradicating Marion Island's mice completed |access-date=2016-09-26 |archive-date=18 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118042040/https://www.acap.aq/en/news/latest-news/2147-impressions-of-an-expert-field-work-to-assess-the-feasibility-of-eradicating-marion-island-s-mice-completed |url-status=live}}</ref>

Both Gough Island and the Prince Edward Islands also suffer from invasive [[Sagina procumbens|procumbent pearlwort]] (''Sagina procumbens''), which is transforming the upland [[ecosystem]] and is now considered beyond control.<ref>Cooper, J. et al., [http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/island_invasives/pdfhqprint/2cooper.pdf "Earth, fire and water: applying novel techniques to eradicate the invasive plant, procumbent pearlwort Sagina procumbenss, on Gough Island, a World heritage Site in the South Atlantic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054542/http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/island_invasives/pdfhqprint/2cooper.pdf |date=4 March 2016}}, Invasive Species Specialist Group, 2010, retrieved 12 February 2014.</ref>

== Legal status ==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2024}}
[[File:Marion Island.png|thumb|Logo of Marion Island]]

Marion Island and Prince Edward Island were claimed for South Africa on 29 December 1947 and 4 January 1948 respectively, by a [[South African Navy]] force from [[SAS Transvaal|HMSAS ''Transvaal'']] under the command of [[John Fairbairn (naval officer)|John Fairbairn]].<ref name="sanap.ac.za"/> On 1 October 1948 the annexation was made official when [[Governor-General of the Union of South Africa|Governor-General]] [[Gideon Brand van Zyl]] signed the [[Prince Edward Islands Act, 1948]]. In terms of the Act, the islands fall under the jurisdiction of the [[Cape Town]] [[Magistrates' Courts of South Africa|Magistrate's Court]], and [[Law of South Africa|South African law]] as applied in the [[Western Cape]] applies on them. The islands are also deemed to be situated within the electoral district containing the [[Port of Cape Town]]; {{As of|2016|lc=on}}, this is [[ward (South Africa)|ward]] 115 of the [[City of Cape Town]].

== Amateur radio ==
[[File:Cloud Patterns Over the Prince Edward Islands.jpg|thumb|upright|Cloud patterns over the Prince Edward Islands]]

{{As of|2014}}, Marion Island, prefix ZS8, was the third-most wanted [[amateur radio operating award|DXCC]] "entity" by the [[amateur radio]] community. By the end of 2014, it had dropped to 27th, after simultaneous activity by three licencees in the 2013/2014 team. However, their activity was mainly on voice. On Morse telegraphy, the Islands remain the second-most wanted entity after [[North Korea]], while on data they are sixth out of 340.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://secure.clublog.org/mostwanted.php |title=Club Log: DXCC Most-Wanted List for April 2016 |publisher=Secure.clublog.org |date=2016-04-23 |access-date=2016-04-28 |archive-date=15 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315001038/https://secure.clublog.org/mostwanted.php |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Crozet Islands]]
* [[Gough Island]]
* [[List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands#List of Antarctic islands north of 60° S|List of Antarctic islands north of 60° S]]
* [[List of protected areas of South Africa]]
* [[List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands#List of sub-Antarctic islands|List of sub-Antarctic islands]]
* [[Prince Edward fracture zone]]
* ''[[S. A. Agulhas]]''
* ''[[S. A. Agulhas II]]''
* [[SANAE]]
* [[South African National Antarctic Programme]]
* [[Vela incident]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General and cited sources ==
* {{cite book |editor-last1 = LeMasurier |editor-first1 = W. E. |editor-last2 = Thomson |editor-first2=J. W. |title=Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans |publisher=[[American Geophysical Union]] |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-87590-172-5}}
* {{cite gvp |1=234070 |2=Marion Island}}
* {{cite gvp |1=234060 |2=Prince Edward Island}}
* {{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Geoffrey |title=Southtrap |publisher=[[William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd]] |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-00-616116-5 |url-access = registration |url=https://archive.org/details/southtrap00geof}}
* {{cite wikisource |title=A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions |last=Ross |first=James Clark |location=London |publisher=John Murray |year=1847}}
* de Bruyn P.J.N.; Oosthuizen W.C., eds. (2017). ''"Pain forms the Character: Doc Bester, Cat hunters & Sealers"''. Antarctic Legacy of South Africa. {{ISBN|978-0-620-74912-1}}.

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|Prince Edward Islands Act, 1948}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140624065940/http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_marion/sanap_marion.html South African Research station on Marion Island] – official website
* [https://www.facebook.com/MarionIsland Facebook Pages] – Marion Island team publications
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/483633545003317/ Facebook Groups] – Marion Island team discussions
* [http://www.marionseals.com/ Marion Island seal and killer whale research] – Official Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme website
* [http://www.rapidttp.co.za/pathway/ No Pathway Here] – An account of the annexation of the islands
* [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=40806 Earth Observatory] – Image of the Day 18 October 2009

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[[Category:Prince Edward Islands| ]]
[[Category:1908 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Indian Ocean islands]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of South Africa]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of subantarctic islands]]
[[Category:Indian Ocean islands of South Africa]]
[[Category:Integral overseas territories]]
[[Category:Island restoration]]
[[Category:Maritime history of South Africa]]
[[Category:Penguin colonies]]
[[Category:Polygenetic shield volcanoes]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in South Africa]]
[[Category:Ridge volcanoes]]
[[Category:Seabird colonies]]
[[Category:Seal hunting]]
[[Category:South African National Antarctic Programme]]
[[Category:Subantarctic islands]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of South Africa]]
[[Category:Volcanic islands]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of South Africa]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of the Southern Ocean]]