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Elephant IslandElephant Island is an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands in the Southern Ocean. It lies at latitude , 1300 kilometers south-west of South Georgia. The island is approximately 10 by 2 km in an east to west orientation, with a maximum elevation of 2795 feet (852 m) above sea level at Pardo Ridge. Significant named features of the island are Cape Valentine and Cape Lookout at its north-eastern and southernmost extremes, and Point Wild, a spit of land on its northern coast. The island supports no significant flora or native fauna although migratory Gentoo penguins and seals may be found on its shores, and Chinstrap penguins nest there in season. A lack of safe anchorage has prevented any permanent human settlements being formed, despite the island being well placed to support scientific, fishing and whaling activities in the area. The island is most famous as the refuge of the surviving members of Ernest Shackleton's crew in 1914 following the loss of their ship Endurance in Antarctic ice.
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