Wetlands
In the east.
chris lovelock — CC BY 2.0 · chris lovelock — CC BY 2.0 · kuhnmi — CC BY 2.0 · kuhnmi — CC BY 2.0 · chris lovelock — CC BY 2.0
Pebble Island lies off the north coast of West Falkland, about 131 km in a straight line west-north-west of Stanley. The fifth-largest island in the archipelago, it stretches 35 km and is about 6 km across at its widest, covering roughly 103 square kilometres, and it may take its name from the unusually round pebbles found at its western tip. The island has been a sheep farm since 1846, and about 6,000 sheep are farmed here today along with cattle. Its small settlement sits on the isthmus joining the two halves of the island, with a shop, a one-classroom school, an airstrip, a hotel and a golf course, and it was one of the first settlements in the islands to get most of its electricity from wind turbines. The two halves are very different. The marshy east has lakes and wetlands full of waterfowl, including black-necked swans, while the hilly west, rising to 277 m, holds colonies of gentoo and rockhopper penguins and a few macaroni penguins. In the early 1900s fossils collected here helped scientists understand the geological history of the South Atlantic. The island is reached by small plane from Stanley. Accommodation at the settlement hotel is limited and should be booked well ahead, and it is windy on most days, so bring warm clothes.
In the east.
In the west.
Along the coast.
North of West Falkland
Probably the round pebbles at its western tip.
Yes, a small hotel at the settlement.