Campbell Island - A Sub Antarctic Island

There are a number of islands around Antarctica that are in the Southern Ocean but are north of the Antarctic Circle, these are called sub-Antarctic Islands. They are characterized by significantly warmer temperatures than Antarctica within the circle, while they may still have ice-caps and glaciers, they are usually substantially ice free.

Their position, climate and lack of ice mean that they are almost inevitably a haven for wildlife such as sea-birds and seals that feed at sea in the rich Antarctic waters especially in the summer months. This is all the more so as such islands are relatively few and very far between, so they often serve as a nest site and general respite for many thousands of birds and mammals.

While penguin colonies further south may provide the classic scenery for penguins amongst the snow and ice, it is the sub-Antarctic Islands that are home for the great majority of penguins in Antarctica.
As maritime Antarctic islands, the weather is usually cloudy, wet and windy - this goes for pretty much all of the islands.

Campbell Island is a World Heritage Site as designated by UNESCO.