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Ducie Island

Ducie
Native name: Fenua-manu
A satellite photograph of an atoll consisting of four islets with an interior lagoon. The largest island has a "C" shape and is dominated by vegetation. The other three are smaller and have sparse vegetation. The islets are surrounded by dead coral and the ocean. In the lower right corner of the photo, a compass indicates the orientation of the island.
NASA photograph of Ducie Island
Geography
Location South Pacific Ocean
Coordinates 24°40′09″S 124°47′11″W / 24.66917°S 124.78639°W / -24.66917; -124.78639
Archipelago Pitcairn Islands
Total islands 4
Major islands Acadia, Pandora, Edwards, Westward
Area 0.27 sq mi (0.70 km2)
1.5 sq mi (4 km2) (lagoon included)
Highest elevation 15 ft (4.6 m)
Administration

Ducie Island /ˈduːsi/ is an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Islands. It lies 535 kilometres (332 mi) east of Pitcairn Island, and 354 kilometres (220 mi) east of Henderson Island, and has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), which includes the lagoon. It is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, measured northeast to southwest, and about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. The island is composed of four islets: Acadia, Pandora, Westward and Edwards.

Despite its sparse vegetation, the atoll is known as the breeding ground of a number of bird species. More than 90% of the world population of Murphy's petrel nests on Ducie, while pairs of red-tailed tropicbirds and fairy terns make around 1% of the world population for each species.

Ducie was first discovered in 1606 by Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, who named it Luna Puesta, and rediscovered by Edward Edwards, captain of HMS Pandora, who was sent in 1790 to capture the mutineers of HMS Bounty. He named the island Ducie in honour of Francis Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Baron Ducie. In 1867 it was claimed by the United States under the Guano Islands Act, but the United Kingdom annexed it on 19 December 1902 as part of the Pitcairn Islands. Due to its inaccessibility and the distance from Pitcairn Island, Ducie is rarely visited today.

The island was discovered by a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese sailor Pedro Fernandes de Queirós on 26 January 1606, during an expedition that began in Callao, Peru. Supported by Pope Clement VIII and Philip III of Spain, Queirós was given the command of the San Pedro, San Pablo and Zabra. The fleet was nicknamed Los Tres Reyes Magos ("The Three Wise Men"). The objective of the expedition was to take soldiers, friars and provisions to establish a colony in the Santa Cruz Islands.


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Wikipedia

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