Amsterdam Island - Definition and Overview

Île Amsterdam is a sub-Antarctic island discovered by Juan Sebastián de Elcano on March 18, 1522. Sebastián did not name the island, however. Having found the island unnamed, Dutch captain Anthonie van Diemen named it after his ship in 1633. The island is volcanic, but is currently inactive. It has an area of 55 km² (21 mi²), measuring 21 km (13 mi) on its longest side, and reaches as high as 867 m (2844 ft) at the Mont de la Dives. The island is one of few sub-Antarctic islands to have any sort of tree covering. The island is one of the French Southern Territories, and is only 85 km (53 mi) from neighboring Île Saint-Paul.

External links

• Ile Amsterdam visit (http://www.farvoyager.com/siov/amst1.html) - Excellent photos from a tourist's recent visit