Editing Graham Land (section)

{{Short description|Section of the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands}}
{{coord|66|00|S|63|30|W|scale:8000000|display=title}}
[[File:GrahamLandstubmap.png|thumb|Graham Land]]
[[Image:Wfm antarctic peninsula islands.png|thumb|Northern Graham Land and the surrounding islands.<br />'''1'''&nbsp;[[Antarctic Peninsula]], '''2'''&nbsp;[[James Ross Island]], '''3'''&nbsp;[[D'Urville Island, Antarctica|D'Urville Island]], '''4'''&nbsp;[[Joinville Island]], '''5'''&nbsp;[[Dundee Island]], '''6'''&nbsp;[[Snow Hill Island]], '''7'''&nbsp;[[Vega Island]], '''8'''&nbsp;[[Seymour Island]], '''9'''&nbsp;[[Andersson Island]], '''10'''&nbsp;[[Paulet Island]], '''11'''&nbsp;[[Lockyer Island]], '''12'''&nbsp;[[Eagle Island, Antarctica|Eagle Island]], '''13'''&nbsp;[[Jonassen Island]], '''14'''&nbsp;[[Bransfield Island]], '''15'''&nbsp;[[Astrolabe Island]], '''16'''&nbsp;[[Tower Island]]]]
[[File:Falkland Islands Dependencies 1944 9d Graham Land.jpg|right|thumb|A 1944 stamp of the Falkland Islands [[overprint]]ed for use in Graham Land]]

'''Graham Land''' is the portion of the [[Antarctic Peninsula]] that lies north of a line joining [[Cape Jeremy]] and [[Cape Agassiz]]. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British [[UK-APC|Antarctic Place-names Committee]] and the US [[Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names]], in which the name "Antarctic Peninsula" was approved for the major peninsula of [[Antarctica]], and the names Graham Land and [[Palmer Land]] for the northern and southern portions, respectively.  The line dividing them is roughly 69 degrees south.

Graham Land is named after Sir [[James R. G. Graham]], [[First Lord of the Admiralty]] at the time of [[John Biscoe]]'s exploration of the west side of Graham Land in 1832.<ref name=Stanton>{{cite book|last1=Stanton|first1=William|title=The Great United States Exploring Expedition|date=1975|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|isbn=0520025571|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatunitedstate00will/page/147 147]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/greatunitedstate00will/page/147}}</ref> It is claimed by Argentina (as part of [[Argentine Antarctica]]), Britain (as part of the [[British Antarctic Territory]]) and Chile (as part of the [[Chilean Antarctic Territory]]).

Graham Land is the closest part of Antarctica to South America.<ref>[http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=41768 ESA Science & Technology: Graham Land<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Thus it is the usual destination for small ships taking paying visitors on Antarctic trips from [[South America]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A cruise to Antarctica is a trip like no other |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124020938/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/antarctica/articles/A-continent-all-to-ones-self-cruising-to-Antarctica/ |archive-date=2022-01-24 |url-status=live |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/antarctica/articles/A-continent-all-to-ones-self-cruising-to-Antarctica/}}</ref>  (Larger ships are not allowed to disembark passengers.)

Until the discoveries of the [[British Graham Land Expedition]] of 1934&ndash;1937, it was generally supposed to be an [[archipelago]] rather than a peninsula.<ref name=McGonigal>{{cite book|first=David|last=McGonigal|title=Antarctica: Secrets of the Southern Continent|location=London|publisher=Frances Lincoln Ltd|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7112-2980-8}}</ref> The mountains of Graham Land are the last range of the [[American Cordillera]], the almost continuous sequence of [[mountain range]]s forming the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, South America and the [[Antarctic Peninsula]].

Argentina calls the area ''Tierra de [[José de San Martín|San Martín]]'' (Land of San Martin)<ref name="bse2">[http://bse.sci-lib.com/article061299.html Антарктический полуостров], an article from [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]].</ref> and also calls the northern peninsula ([[Trinity Peninsula]]) ''Península Trinidad'' or ''Tierra de la Trinidad''. Similarly, Chile calls the entire Antarctic Peninsula ''Tierra de [[Bernardo O'Higgins|O'Higgins]]'' (Land of O'Higgins).<ref name="bse2" />