Prince Edward Island (South Africa) Island
Subantarctic island administered by South Africa's Western Cape.
Prince Edward Island lies in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean as part of South Africa's Prince Edward Islands. Access is restricted to scientists and occasional expeditions; the islands support seabird colonies, seals and research stations.
Prince Edward Island (South Africa) at a Glance#
About Prince Edward Island (South Africa)#
Prince Edward Island is one of the two subantarctic Prince Edward Islands administered by South Africa and lies in the subantarctic Indian Ocean. It is smaller than its neighbour Marion Island and is volcanic in origin.
The island has no permanent civilian population and is important for seabird colonies, sealing populations and subantarctic flora; it is managed for scientific research and conservation. Human activity is limited to occasional visits by research and conservation teams rather than tourism.
Administratively the island is part of the Western Cape province of South Africa and is managed as a protected area under national programmes for subantarctic ecosystems.
Geographically it lies in the southern Indian Ocean well to the south of the African mainland, forming a remote island group alongside nearby Marion Island.
- Population and use: There is no permanent civilian population; the island is treated as a subantarctic conservation area and is visited only by government research and conservation teams.
- Access: Access is by long-range research and supply vessels only; recreational visits are not available by commercial services.
Weather & Climate near Prince Edward Island (South Africa)#
Prince Edward Island (South Africa)'s climate is classified as Tundra - Tundra climate with consistently warm temperatures year-round. Temperatures range from -1°C to 9°C. Heavy rainfall (2504 mm/year), wettest in May, distributed fairly evenly throughout the year.
| Month | Comfort | Temp | Feels | Rain | Sky | Humidity | Wind | UV | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor | 2° - 9° | 1° | 224 mm | overcast | 88% | 8.2 m/s | 1.9 very high | 15.1h |
| February | Poor | 3° - 9° | 2° | 197 mm | overcast | 89% | 8.2 m/s | 1.5 very high | 13.8h |
| March | Poor | 3° - 9° | 1° | 203 mm | overcast | 88% | 9.4 m/s | 0.9 moderate | 12.3h |
| April | Poor | 2° - 8° | 0° | 232 mm | overcast | 88% | 8.8 m/s | 0.4 low | 10.6h |
| May | Poor | 1° - 6° | -2° | 252 mm | overcast | 86% | 8.4 m/s | 0.2 low | 9.2h |
| June | Poor | 0° - 5° | -4° | 215 mm | overcast | 86% | 10.1 m/s | 0.1 low | 8.4h |
| July | Poor | -1° - 5° | -4° | 208 mm | overcast | 85% | 9.0 m/s | 0.1 low | 8.8h |
| August | Poor | -1° - 4° | -4° | 190 mm | overcast | 85% | 7.2 m/s | 0.2 low | 10.0h |
| September | Poor | -1° - 5° | -4° | 191 mm | overcast | 84% | 7.0 m/s | 0.5 moderate | 11.6h |
| October | Poor | -1° - 6° | -3° | 189 mm | overcast | 86% | 8.7 m/s | 1.0 high | 13.3h |
| November | Poor | 1° - 7° | -2° | 185 mm | overcast | 86% | 8.2 m/s | 1.5 very high | 14.7h |
| December | Poor | 2° - 8° | 0° | 218 mm | overcast | 88% | 8.5 m/s | 1.9 very high | 15.5h |