Location Antarctica Highest elevation 2,105 m (6,906 ft) Population 0 Area 148 km² Max width 8 km Island group South Shetland Islands | Archipelago South Shetland Islands Highest point Mount Foster Elevation 2,105 m Max length 32.2 km Peak Mount Foster | |
Smith Island is 20 miles (32 km) long and 5 miles (8.0 kilometres) wide, lying 45 miles (72 km) west of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands of the British Antarctic Territory. Surface area 148 square kilometres (57 sq mi).
Map of Smith Island, Antarctica
The discovery of the South Shetland Islands was first reported in 1819 by Capt. William Smith, for whom the island is named. This island was known to both American and British sealers as early as 1820, and the name Smith has been well established in international usage for over 100 years, although in Russian literature it is often referred to as Borodino Island, sometimes marked as Borodino (Smith) Island.
The island hosts no research stations or camps, and is seldom visited by scientists or mountaineers. Its interior is entirely occupied by Imeon Range rising to 2,105 m (6,906 ft) (Mount Foster). The first detailed topographic mapping of the island was made by the Antarctic Place-names Commission and the Military Topographic Service of the Bulgarian Army and published in 2009 in both English and Bulgarian.