DIRK HARTOG ISLAND

Australian island in the Indian Ocean, just north of Edel Land Peninsula, Western Australia. Naturaliste Channel passes north to enter Denham Sound (which washes the eastern shore), and Shark Bay lies to the northeast. The island was named after a Dutch navigator who arrived in 1616 and nailed an inscribed pewter plate to a post at its northern extremity (Cape Inscription), which is now the site of a lighthouse. The island, the state's largest, measures 48 mi (77 km) by 37 mi (511km), has an area of 239 sq mi (620 sq km), and supports a sheep station. From overhanging limestone cliffs, which rise above 600 ft (180 m) along its seaward (western) edge, it descends to sand dunes along the east. The island's West Point marks Australia's westernmost point.