Beaver Island, Falkland Islands
Beaver Island (Isla San Rafael) is part of the Beaver Island group in the Falkland Islands. It lies west of Weddell Island and south of New Island. The island covers about 48.6 square kilometers (12,000 acres).
In the Beaver Island group there are a few other islands: Staats Island (about 500 hectares), Tea Island (310 hectares), Governor Island (220 hectares), Split Island (70 hectares), and several smaller ones. The larger islands are very hilly, with many peaks over 150 meters and some over 200 meters. The highest point in the group reaches 234 meters.
Beaver Island was named after the whaling ship Beaver, the first to double Cape Horn. Beaver Settlement sits on the island, with an airstrip nearby. The island is owned by Sally and Jerome Poncet.
Wildlife includes gentoo penguins, South American gray foxes (an introduced species), peregrine falcons, crested and striated caracaras, guanacos, fur seals, and many seabirds. Off the coast there are beds of kelp.
The Beaver Island Group is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. About 40 species have been recorded there, with 34 known to breed on the islands. Key breeding species include Falkland steamer ducks (about 245 pairs), gentoo penguins (about 2,850 pairs), Magellanic penguins (about 2,000 pairs), and southern giant petrels (about 300 pairs).
Timezone: UTC−3 (FKST).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:59 (CET).