Flatvaer Islands
archipelago of Antarctica
The Flatvaer Islands (Norwegian: Flatvær, meaning "flat islands"), also known as the Ongul Islands, are a group of small islands lying at the east side of the entrance of Lützow-Holm Bay, 4 km from the coastline of Antarctica. They were mapped by Norwegian cartographers from air photos taken by the Lars Christensen Expedition (LCE), 1936–37. Many of the islands and their features were subsequently named by members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE); unless otherwise noted, features noted in this article were named by JARE.
The Flatvaer Islands are separated from Lützow-Holm Bay by Ongul Sound, which is 2 mi (3.2 km) wide and named in association with Ongul Island. On its east margin, opposite East Ongul Island, sits a small cluster of rocks called the Mukai Rocks. The name Mukai-iwa, meaning "facing rocks" or "opposite rocks," was given by JARE Headquarters in 1972.
Ongul and East Ongul Islands
The largest of the Flatvaer Islands is Ongul Island, at 2.8 kilometres (1.5 nmi) long. When initially surveyed, the LCE believed this island to be connected to East Ongul Island, a 2 kilometres (1 nmi) island immediately east of the northern part of Ongul Island. The LCE applied the name "Ongul" ("fishhook"), which is suggestive of the outline of the two islands when taken together. In 1957, the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) discovered that "Ongul" was actually two islands, separated by the Nakano-seto Strait, meaning "central strait". The name Ongul Island was retained for the largest island in the group, and the smaller island was given the name East Ongul Island.
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