Background: This uninhabited volcanic island in Antarctica is almost entirely covered by glaciers, making it difficult to approach. Bouvet Island is recognized as the most remote island on Earth because it is furthest from any other point of land (1,639 km from Antarctica). The island was named after the French naval officer who discovered it in 1739, although no country laid claim to it until 1825, when the British flag was raised. A few expeditions visited the island in the late 19th century. In 1929, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island two years previously. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters as a nature reserve. Since 1977, Norway has run an automated meteorological station and studied foraging strategies and distribution of fur seals and penguins on the island. In 2006, an earthquake weakened the station's foundation, causing it to be blown out to sea in a winter storm. Norway erected a new research station in 2014 that can hold six people for periods of two to four months.

Area
Total: 49 km²
Land: 49 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 29.6 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 4 nm

Climate: antarctic

Terrain: volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

Elevation
Highest point: Olavtoppen (Olav Peak) 780 m
Lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 0% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Other: 100% (2018 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional volcanism, rock slides; harsh climate, surrounded by pack ice in winter

Geography
Note: almost entirely covered by glacial ice (93%); declared a nature reserve by Norway; the distance from Bouvet Island to Norway is 12,776 km, which is almost one-third the circumference of the earth

Population
Total: uninhabited
Note: a small, seasonal research station is located in the northwest corner of Bouvet Island

Legal system: the laws of Norway apply