Anvers Island

Antwerp Island, Isla Amberes, or Anvers Island

Anvers Island is the largest island in the Palmer Archipelago, which lies off the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Spanning 61 km (38 miles) long, Anvers is located near Cormorant Island and designated by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area. It is also home to Palmer Station, an American scientific research base.

Anvers Island’s alternate name and station

Named Antwerp Island by Adrien de Gerlache’s Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1898, Anvers Island was first discovered by British mariner John Biscoe in 1832. Palmer Station has been in use on Anvers Island since 1968. Both the base and Palmer Archipelago were named after Nathaniel B. Palmer, an American explorer thought to have been among the first three people to see Antarctica.