Islands of Jan Mayen and Bouvet

Islands of Jan Mayen and Bouvet as parts of a serial transnational nomination of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge system is part of the Tentative list of Norway in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a submarine mountain chain forming the boundary between the North and South American Plates and the European and the African plates. The Norwegian islands of Jan Mayen (71 degrees N) and Bouvet (55 degrees S) form the northern and southern supramarine extremities of the ridge. The islands have been created by a geological process. Several environmental factors place Jan Mayen in a unique biogeographical position including endemic and rare species of plants, 98 recorded species of birds and 25% of the world population of hooded seals. The stratovolcano Beerenberg, is the northernmost active supramarine volcano in the world. Island of Bouvet is located 2.400 km southwest of Cape of Good Hope and is considered one of the most isolated islands in the world. Despite the islands extremely though climate, it is an important nesting site for birds (mostly penguins).