Keppel Island

Keppel Island (Spanish: Isla de la Vigia) is one of the Falkland Islands, lying between Saunders and Pebble islands, and near Golding Island to the north of West Falkland on Keppel Sound. It has an area of 3,626 hectares (8,960 acres) and its highest point, Mt. Keppel, is 341 metres (1,119 ft) high. There is a wide, flat valley in the centre of the island with several freshwater lakes. The central valley rises steeply to the south-west, west and north. The north-east is low-lying, with a deeply indented coastline.

The large population of Norway rats on the island constitute an invasive species. They are predators of birds that nest there, of which several species are of conservation interest.

History

Early British settlers named the island after Admiral Augustus Keppel, First Lord of the Admiralty in the 19th century.

An Anglican missionary settlement set up in the mid-19th century served some Yaghan people brought there from Tierra del Fuego. They taught them farming and English, and some of the British party learned Yamana (or Yahgan). In 1885, the island was developed by European immigrants for sheep farming.