Saunders Island (Falkland Islands)

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Saunders Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying north west of West Falkland. It is run as a sheep farm and has an area of about 120 km².

Port Egmont on the island was the site of the first British settlement, established in 1765.

In 1770, a Spanish frigate entered the port and routed the British. This edged Britain and Spain closer to war. In 1771, Spain agreed to abandon Port Egmont to the British. In 1774, for economic reasons, the British abandoned Port Egmont. At that time, they placed a plaque at the site proclaiming their sovereignty over the Falklands. The island's present settlement lies on the east coast and has an airstrip.

Wildlife on the island includes rockhopper, gentoo, Magellanic and king penguins, black-browed albatrosses and many other birds.

Sources

Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean, ed. Simon Collier, Cambridge University Press, London, 1985.

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