|
The Penguin Islands (Afrikaans: ''Pikkewyn-eilande''), (German: ''Pinguininseln'') are a group of islands and rocks situated along a stretch of along the coastline of Namibia, which formally lists them as the ''Off-Shore islands''. The largest island is Possession Island with in area. Hollam's Bird Island is the most northern and, at a distance of , the farthest from the coast. All islands together measure in area. ==History== Uninhabited, strategically located, rich in guano deposits and even offshore diamond fields, the islands had considerable value for their size. They were visited by European traders from the 17th century onwards, primarily for the valuable guano. Between 1861 and 1867 they were annexed by Britain, and then in 1873 by the Cape Colony. Confusion internationally over the legality of the transfer required Prime Minister John Molteno of the Cape Colony to reaffirm the annexation later, with the ''Ichaboe and Penguin Islands Act (1874)''.〔Academie de Droit International de La Hague. ''Recueil Des Cours, 1986: Collected Courses of the Hague Academy of International Law''. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1988. p.213.〕 The annexation was originally intended to form part of an overall merger, between the Cape Colony and South West Africa, into one locally governed country. This was to be instituted by the Palgrave Commission (1876). However British interference and the resulting break-down in relations between the British Empire and the local Cape government obstructed the Commission's work long enough for Germany eventually to invade and colonise South West Africa in the early 1880s. However the offshore islands (and Walvis Bay) were protected from German occupation by their status as Cape constituencies.〔John Dugard: ''Namibia-South Africa Treaty on Walvis Bay''. American Society of International Law. ''International Legal Materials'', Vol. 33, No. 6 (NOVEMBER 1994), pp. 1526-1528.〕 This status was recognised by Germany in 1886. Thus, although close to the mainland the islands were not part of German Southwest Africa. Because of their geographic separation from South Africa the islands were considered to be a separate entity ("country") for amateur radio purposes. In 1990 South-West Africa gained independence as Namibia. However, the Penguin Islands remained under South African sovereignty, thus letting it retain an Exclusive Economic Zone off the Namibian coast. Finally, after further negotiation, at midnight on 28 February 1994 sovereignty over the islands, as well as Walvis Bay, was formally transferred to Namibia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Penguin Islands」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|