Graham Land

Graham Land part of the Antarctic Peninsula , W Antarctica. This ice-covered, mountainous area was thought to be a group of islands but further exploration (1934) showed it to be peninsular. Claimed by Britain in 1832, it was also claimed by Argentina and Chile. Its name is sometimes used to describe the entire peninsula but also refers to the E portion bordering the Weddell Sea from the Hilton Inlet to James Ross Island.

Graham Land, Antarctica Trinity Land, Graham Coast The first recorded landfall on the peninsula was made in 1820 by Lieutenant Commander Edward Bransfield, of the British Royal Navy, and William Smith who called it Trinity Land. A British navigator, John Biscoe, claimed it for the UK in 1832 and named it after Sir James Graham (1792–1861), first lord of the Admiralty (1830–4, 1852–5) at the time. However, the peninsula was called the Palmer Peninsula by the Americans after Nathaniel Palmer, a sealing captain, who had also visited the area in 1820. To resolve the matter the place‐name committees in the USA and UK agreed in 1964 to call the northern part of the peninsula Graham Land and the southern part Palmer Land.