an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, 300 km from the Oates Coast (Eastern Antarctica). The archipelago is composed of three large islands (Young, Buckle, and Sturge) and several small islands, stretching 160 km from southeast to northwest. They reach a height of 1,524 m. The islands are covered with glaciers and are uninhabited. They were discovered in 1839 by the English expedition of J. Balleny.