Coronation Island is the largest of the South Orkney Islands, 25 miles long and from 3 to 8 miles wide. The island extends in a general E-W direction, is mainly ice covered and comprises numerous bays, glaciers and peaks, the highest rising to 1,265 meters. It was discovered in December 1821, in the course of the joint cruise by Capt. Nathaniel Palmer, an American sealer, and Capt. George Powell, a British sealer. It was named by Powell in honor of the coronation of George IV, who had become King of Great Britain in 1820.