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Saunders Island, Falkland Islands |
| Saunders Island | |
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| Location | |
  Saunders Island
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| Saunders Island shown within the Falkland Islands. | |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Names | |
| English name: | Saunders Island |
| Spanish name: | Isla Trinidad |
| Meaning of names: | Spanish: Trinity Island |
| Area and Summit | |
| Area: | 132 km² (51 sq mi) |
| Area rank: | 4 |
| Highest elevation: | |
| Population | |
| Population (2001): | |
| Main settlement: | Saunders Island Settlement |
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| References: | |
| If shown, area and population ranks are for all islands and all inhabited islands in the Falklands respectively. | |
Saunders Island (Spanish: Isla Trinidad) is the 4th largest island of the Falkland Islands, lying north west of West Falkland. It is run as a sheep farm and has an area of 132 km².
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Port Egmont on the island was the site of the first British settlement, established in 1765.
Unaware of the French presence at Port Louis, in January 1765, British captain John Byron explored and claimed Saunders Island, at the western end of the Falkland Islands, where he named the harbour of Port Egmont, and sailed near other islands, which he also claimed for King George the third. A British settlement was built at Port Egmont in 1766. Also in 1766, Spain acquired the French colony, and after assuming effective control in 1767, placed the islands under a governor subordinate to Buenos Aires.
During the Falkland Crisis of 1770, a Spanish frigate entered the port and traveled the British. This edged Britain and Spain closer to war. In 1771, Spain agreed to abandon Port Egmont to the British. In 1776, 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, appropriately called Saunders Island Settlement, lies on the east coast and has an airstrip.
There is one listed building here, the Stone House. 1
Wildlife on the island includes rockhopper, gentoo, Magellanic and king penguins, black-browed albatrosses and many other birds.
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