Kerguelen: France’s Desolate Islands | GeoCurrents Kerguelen: France’s Desolate Islands Submitted by Martin W. Lewis on April 13, 2010 – 3:13 pm | Tweet One of the most intriguing — and obscure — parts of France’s far-flung territorial domain is the Kerguelen Archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean, also known as the Desolation Islands. Dominated by Grande Terre Island, Kerguelen is one of the world’s largest remote oceanic landmasses; covering 2,786 square miles (7,215 km. sq.), it is roughly five times the size of Hawaii’s Oahu. Located far from the equator (at 49 degrees S.), the Desolation Islands are noted for their raw and windy weather. But if Kerguelen is always chilly, its maritime climate precludes real cold. Average monthly temperatures range from 46° F (7.9° C) in January to 36° F (2.3° C) in July. Isolation and harsh climate have generated some ecological curiosities.

Kerguelen’s butterflies, like its other insect species, have no wings; winds are so strong and persistent that flying insects would simply be blown out to sea. Like most oceanic islands, Kerguelen has no native land mammals. It does, however, support a number in introduced species, including rabbits, reindeer, rats, and feral house cats. The rabbits have proved destructive to the local vegetation, nearly wiping out the Azorerla “cushion plants” that once blanketed the lowlands, forming pillow-like structures up to a meter thick that were almost impossible to cross on foot. The Kerguelen cabbage, which once helped protect Antarctic mariners from scurvy, is also much reduced. Abundant lichens and mosses help support the islands’ estimated 4,000 reindeer, but they too are being over-grazed. French authorities have introduced an endangered sheep to one of the archipelago’s islands, but reproduction has been limited by the animals’ inability to adjust to the inversion of the seasons; they bear their young as winter approaches. Kerguelen’s marine ecosystems are rich in wildlife, owing in part to the area’s giant brown kelp.

Kelp forests surrounding the islands are thick enough to impede navigation, clogging ship propellers. Great rafts of kelp often wash ashore after storms, transferring nutrients from the marine to the terrestrial ecosystem. Whalers and sealers were formerly active in the area, almost wiping out local seal populations. Marine mammals are now protected, and their numbers have rebounded. Kerguelen has no permanent human inhabitants, but it is staffed year-round. France maintains several research stations, one of which is devoted to satellite and rocket tracking. The archipelago’s winter population of around 70 swells to an average of 110 in the summer. People cluster around the “settlement” of Port-aux-Francais, which contains a chapel, hospital, library, gymnasium, and pub. The chapel is appropriately named Notre-Dame des Vents (“Our lady of the Winds”). The Desolation Islands are a remnant of a long-lost continent that was once about a third the size of Australia. From roughly a hundred million years ago until 20 million years ago, most of the now largely submerged Kerguelen Plateau remained above sea level.

The existence of such a sunken continent has provoked some imaginative speculation. One expansive website argues that several lines of “pseudo-primates” evolved into highly intelligent species that constructed elaborate civilizations on Kerguelen and went on to intervene in organic evolution on other continents. Even reputable sources have let their enthusiasm lead them astray. A 1999 BBC article entitled “‘Lost Continent’ Revealed” contended that “fifty million years ago, [Kerguelen] may have been covered in lush ferns, moist with tropical humidity. Small dinosaurs would have hidden in the undergrowth stalking their prey.” That would certainly be surprising, since dinosaurs were wiped out across the globe some 15 million years earlier, when a massive asteroid collided with the earth. Find this post valuable? Please pay it forward by sharing it with others: Kerguelen travel guide - Wikitravel Regions[ edit ] Grande Terre, the main island, measures 150 km east to west and 120 km north to south. It is very rocky and home to a permanent weather base - Port Aux Francais.

The highest peak is Mont Ross, which is on the west side of the island and has an elevation of 1850 m. It is covered by Cook Glacier. The island has numerous peninsulas islets. The following is a list of some of the most important satellite islands: Île Foch in the north is the largest, with an area of 206.2 km². The highest point is 687 m at Pyramide Mexicaine. Île Saint-Lanne Gramont, also in the north, is the second largest, with an area of 45.8 km². It is 480 m at the highest point and is located at 48°55′S 69°12′E). Île du Port, also in the north in the Golfe des Baliniers, is the third largest with an area of 43.0 km², with a highest altitude of 340 m.

Île de l'Ouest (west, about 40 km²) Île Longue (southeast, about 40 km²) Îles Nuageuses (northwest) Understand[ edit ] The Kerguelen Islands or the Kerguelen Archipelago is a group of rocky islands in the southern Indian Ocean. It is very far away from any civilization and was discovered in 1772 by a French expedition. Currently is a territory of France and is home to a weather base. The Kerguelen Islands are located at 49°15′S 69°35′E. This places the archipelago just outside of the Antarctic circle. The main island, a very rocky place is known as Grande Terre, was originally called Desolation Island, a testimony to just how remote it is. Grande Terre is 6,675 km² and is surrounded by at least another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². Together, the Kerguelen Islands are slightly larger than the state of Delaware. The climate is cold and very windy with very rough seas.

Talk[ edit ] French, although most research staff will have at least some knowledge of English and possibly other languages. Get in[ edit ] This requires careful planning, as the islands are not easy to get to. Tourists can book a cabin in the base support ship Marion Dufresne for € 8,300 per person for a double cabin, or € 16,500 for a single cabin. There are apparently four trips open to tourists per year. The trip leaves from Réunion and takes about 28 days, half of them at sea and half on land. It covers 9,000 km in the Indian Ocean, visiting three or four islands in this order: Crozet , Kerguelen, and Amsterdam before returning to Réunion. If scientists need to go there, the ship stops near Saint Paul but nobody is permitted to set foot on land. Although very infrequent, a few small cruise ships have made stops in Kerguelen. Heritage Expeditions, [1] , offers a cruise visiting Kerguelen and other South Indian ocean islands in late 2012.

Quark Expeditions has also visited the island a couple of times, but the Russian scientific ship they've used retired after the Dec 11/Jan 12 voyage and they aren't planning a similar voyage in summer 12/13, but check in the future. It is almost impossible to visit any of Grande Terre's satellite islands including Île Foch. Historic localities There are also a number of historic localities, all on Grande Terre (see also the main map): Anse Betsy (historic geomagnetic station at 49°10′S 70°13′E), on Baie Accessible, on the north coast of Péninsule Courbet. At this site, an astronomic and geomagnetic observatory was erected on October 26, 1874 by a German research expedition led by Georg Gustav Freiherr von Schleinitz.

Armor (Base Armor) Baie de l'Observatoire (historic geomagnetic station at 49°21′S 70°12′E), just west of Port-Aux-Français, also at the south coast of Péninsule Courbet, northern shore of Golfe du Morbihan. A station was erected at this site by the German Antarctic Expedition led by Erich Dagobert von Drygalski (1902 to 1903).

Cabane Port-Raymond (scientific camp at 49°20′S 69°49′E), at the head of a fjord cutting off Péninsule Courbet from the south Cap Ratmanoff (geomagnetic station at 49°14′S 70°34′E, the easternmost point of Kerguelen) La Montjoie (scientific camp at 48°59′S 68°50′E), on the south of Baie Rocheuse, northern west coast Molloy (Pointe Molloy), former observatory 10 km west of later Port-Aux-Français, at the south coast of Péninsule Courbet, northern shore of Golfe du Morbihan. An American expedition led by G. P. Ryan erected a station at this site on September 7, 1874.

Port Bizet (seismographic station at 49°31′12 S°69′54), on the north coast of Île Longue) Port Christmas (historic geomagnetic station at 48°41′S 69°03′E), on Baie de l'Oiseau, Péninsule Loranchet, extreme northwest. The place was named by James Cook, who discovered the islands and who anchored there on Christmas Day, 1797. Port Couvreux (formerly a whaling station, an experimental sheep farm and a geomagnetic station, at 49°17′S 69°42′E), on Baie du Hillsborough, on the southeast coast of Presqu'île Bouquet de la Grye. From 1912 sheep were bred to create an economic basis for settlement, but the attempt had to be abandoned in 1931. Port Curieuse (harbor on the West coast at 49°22′S 68°48′E), on the west coast across Île du l'Ouest.

The site was named after ship Curieuse used by Raymond Rallier du Baty on his second visit the islands in 1913 to 1914. Port Douzième (literally Twelfth Port, hut and geomagnetic station at 49°31′S 70°09′E), on the north coast of Presqu'île Ronarch, southern shore of Golfe du Morbihan Port Jeanne d'Arc (former whaling station founded by Norwegian whalers in 1908, and historic geomagnetic station at 49°33′S 69°49′E), in the northwestern corner of Presqu'île Jeanne d'Arc, looking across Passe de Buenos Aires to Île Longue (4 km northeast). The derelict settlement consists of four residential buildings with wooden walls and tin roofs and a barn. One of the buildings was restored in 1977.

Since 1963, 49°22′S 70°14′E just east of Port-aux-Français is a launch site for sounding rockets (mainly Arcas, Dragon and Eridan). Kerguelen Islands | islands, Indian Ocean | Britannica.com Kerguelen Islands Isle of Man Kerguelen Islands, archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean . Administratively a part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises), it consists of the island of Kerguelen (also known as Desolation Island ) and nearly 300 islets, which together cover about 2,400 square miles (6,200 square km). Heavily glaciated Kerguelen Island, about 100 miles (160 km) in length, has active glaciers and peaks up to 6,445 feet (1,965 metres). Glacier in the Kerguelen Islands.

B.navez Discovered in 1772 by the French navigator Yves-Joseph de Kerguélen-Trémarec and later explored by the British explorer Captain James Cook , the archipelago was often frequented by whalers and seal hunters. In 1950 a permanent base and scientific centre, Port-aux-Français, was established on the main island. Learn More in these related articles: French Southern and Antarctic Territories French overseas territory consisting of the islands of Saint-Paul and Nouvelle Amsterdam and the island groups of Kerguelen and Crozet in the south Indian Ocean, as well as the Adélie Coast on the Antarctic continent. The barren and for the most part uninhabited lands were linked for... James Cook Oct. 27, 1728 Marton-in-Cleveland, Yorkshire, Eng. Feb.

14, 1779 Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii British naval captain, navigator, and explorer, who explored the seaways and coasts of Canada (1759, 1763–67) and conducted three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean (1768–71; 1772–75;... Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context.

(Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Date Published: January 08, 2010 URL: Access Date: January 19, 2017 Share Kerguelen Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Part 1) - Iles Kerguelen, TAAF Source: MeteoStats[ 17 ] Visit Infoclimat Europe for today's hour-by-hour report of temperature, wind-chill factor, rainfall, relative humidity, dew point, average wind speed, barometric pressure, and visibility at Port-aux-Français. Archives of past weather statistics are also available, searchable by date.

Flora & Fauna Although the windswept, treeless countenance of these islands may present a bleak and barren face to humans, the redeeming quality of this hostile environment may very well be its teeming and colorful population of wildlife. Birds, in particular, find a welcome refuge in this land so devoid of human dominance. Thirty species of birds nest on the island – including Rockhopper, Macaroni, Gentoo and King Penguins; albatross, Giant Petrels, skuas, sheathbills and the Kerguelen Tern. In addition, the southern elephant seals and Kerguelen fur seals have re-established a secure haven here, following near-extinction in the 19th century. King penguins gather on Kerguelen (Photographer: Dominique Weis / FNRS) Kerguelen Terns, like their cousins the Arctic and Antarctic Terns, are slender, long-winged grey and white birds. They have bright red bills, orangish-red legs and feet. Their heads are donned with conspicuous black caps which may be streaked with white during the summer months.

Quite gregarious in nature, fishing in flocks of up to several hundred, terns are also accomplished flyers and long-distance travelers, enjoying a life-span of 20 years. Albatrosses are considered by many to be the most majestic of all Antarctic birds, with a life-span which can exceed 50 years. Strikingly graceful, with modified wings to maximize the updrafts and thermals over the open ocean, albatrosses are supreme gliders. Adults have been recorded flying up to 550 miles per day, at a speed of 80 km/hr (50 mph). The black-browed albatross, gray-headed albatross, and light-mantled sooty albatross all call Kerguelen home. Macaroni penguins are the most abundant of sub-Antarctic/ Antarctic penguins, with an estimated breeding population of 11.8 million pairs. Orange tassels that meet between the eyes distinguish the macaroni penguin.

(The name 'macaroni' derives from the 18th century dandies who made the grand tour to Italy and affected continental tastes and fashions, dying their hair in streaks.) The penguins lay two eggs; the first is kicked out of the nest after the second is laid and only one egg ever hatches. They can dive to 260' but prefer shallower dives for hunting. Télécarte (pre-paid phone card) depicting Kerguelen cabbage In late 1998, the environmental organization Greenpeace embarked on an expedition to expose pirate fishing in the Southern Ocean. During that expedition the crew of the M/V Arctic Sunrise discovered the notorious pirate fishing vessel, Salvora, fishing illegally for Patagonian Toothfish just off the Kerguelen coast. The vessel immediately fled, and a 16-day and 2700 nautical mile chase to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius ensued.

(Follow a chronological account of that expedition.) Though the varieties of plant life on Kerguelen can be described as limited, to say the least, that which exists consists mainly of tussock grass (Poa cookii), mosses (Azorella selago and Acaena adscendens), and the famous Kerguelen cabbage (Pringlea antiscorbutica). This latter species, belonging to the same family as common cabbage (Brassicaceae), has evolved a unique method of cross-pollination which relies on Kerguelen's winds – since there are no flying insects on the island. The leaves of the cabbage contain a pale-yellow, highly pungent essential oil which is rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C); this made it a useful dietary supplement against scurvy for early sailors. Discovery & Exploration In the belief that a massive southern continent must exist to "balance" those of the northern hemisphere, King Louis XV of France commissioned the French navigator, Chevalier Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec , to discover such a continent for France.

Commanding two vessels of the Royal French Fleet, the Fortune and the Gros-Ventre, Kerguelen left Mauritius on January 16th, sailing through mist, fog and storms to discover the islands on February 12th, 1772. Inland view of Kerguelen (Photographer: Dominique Weis / FNRS) Unable to anchor and having lost contact with the Gros-Ventre, he returned to Mauritius in the Fortune to make repairs to his damaged ship. Meanwhile, the captain of the Gros-Ventre – Charles Marc du Boisguehenneuc – landed at a point now known as Gros-Ventre Cove, and annexed the island in the name of King Louis. Although he had never set foot on the islands, Kerguelen returned to France claiming they were inhabited, with forests, fruit, pastures and untold riches. In his much-exaggerated account, Kerguelen called them La France Australe, while the British explorer Captain Cook, who was to arrive here later, rather more candidly described the area as Desolation Islands. Nevertheless, Kerguelen's deceit won him the royal approval for another expedition.

On his second foray, this time with a flotilla of three ships, Le Roland, l'Oiseau and La Dauphine, the islands were spotted on December 14, 1772. Kerguelen (aboard Le Roland) once again failed to land. However, the captain de Rochegude (aboard l'Oiseau) managed to get ashore on January 6, 1773, again claiming the islands for France. Two days later, a disillusioned Kerguelen put about and returned to France, his crews ravaged by scurvy. King Louis was apparently not amused by these flights of fancy, and imprisoned Kerguelen in a château near Saumur. During the political upheaval of the French Revolution, Kerguelen was perceived to be a "victim of the monarchy", and was released. Appointed as manager of the port at Brest, he died in 1797. Hope Cottage, Pointe Charlotte Engraving of Hope Cottage, built on Courbet Peninsula by the shipwrecked John Nunn and his crew in 1825.

(click on image to enlarge) Coordinates: -49.299953, 70.532227 or 49°17'59"S, 70°31'56"E . While waiting two years and three months to be rescued when their sloop Favorite was shipwrecked at Kerguelen in 1825, the British sealer and cartographer John Nunn and his crew spent some miserable months trying to survive on Saddle Island (now called Île de l'Ouest ), buffeted by the merciless westerly winds. Nunn concluded that there was a better chance of being discovered on the southeastern part of Grande Terre, the main island, so his group gradually skirted the southern coast in search of a place to settle in. After passing Shoal-water Bay (now called Baie Norvégienne), they were eventually able to find an area suitable for monitoring passing ships at Long Point (now called Pointe Charlotte) on the east coast of Courbet Peninsula, where they built two comfortable cabins which they baptized Hope Cottage.

(see satellite view ) The group was finally spotted in 1827 by Captain Alexander Distant on the schooner Sprightly, belonging to the celebrated shipowner Enderby of London. Nunn and his crewmates joined the Sprightly in hunting whales and elephant seals until 25 March 1829, at which point they were finally returned to Harwich, England – four years after the shipwreck. In 1997, the French post office issued a 20-franc air-mail stamp to commemorate the shipwrecks and the construction of Hope Cottage. See: " Narrative of the Wreck of the Favorite on the Island of Desolation: Detailing the Adventures, Sufferings and Privations of John Nunn; an Historical Account of the Island, and Its Whale and Seal Fisheries: With a Chart and Numerous Wood Engravings." – John Nunn, W. B. Clarke (editor). The Arch of Kerguelen Coordinates: 48°41'25.97"S, 69°04'17.84"E or decimal: -48.690547, 69.071622 .

Geological arches caused by erosion can be found around the globe. In fact, human observation of these natural wonders may have contributed to the architectural forms known as the post and lintel used from Neolithic times, or the vaulted arch which came later. French postage stamp depicts the HMS Terror ship sailing past the Arch of Kerguelen in 1840 (click on image to enlarge) One such natural phenomenon is a unique basalt formation situated on a tiny peninsula near the northern extremity of Loranchet Peninsula on Grande Terre (see map ). It was first discovered in January 1774 by the navigator Chevalier Kerguelen-Trémarec on board Le Roland, during his second expedition to the region. On his charts, Kerguelen named the structure "Le Portail" (en. portal or gate). On 25 December 1776, Captain James Cook – during his third and last expedition on the HMS Resolution – anchored in a bay at the northern tip of Kerguelen, which he aptly named "Christmas Harbour" (now known as Baie de l'Oiseau).

There – at the southern point of the inlet's mouth – Cook must have also observed the splendid arch, which towered to an estimated 130 m (427 ft.). Over the years, numerous explorers and captains of whaling ships have remarked on the monumental formation. Tales told by whalers from New England were most likely the inspiration for its mention in a novel written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1838, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym [1]. During their expedition in 1840 with two ships – the HMS Terror commanded by Francis Crozier, and the HMS Erebus commanded by James Clark Ross (after whom the Ross Sea and Ross Island are named) – the latter confirmed observations of his predecessors, adding that "Inside the arch, we see fragments of silicified (i.e. petrified) wood embedded in the basalt." A four-year scientific expedition on the HMS Challenger, led by Captain George S. Nares, stopped at Christmas Harbour in January 1874.

View a magnificent engraving of the ship moored in the bay, with hundreds of penguins on shore, and the Arch of Kerguelen seen in the middle background.[2] On their 1908-09 charting expedition, the Rallier du Baty brothers were among the last mariners to see the Arch of Kerguelen in its majestic splendor. Alas, the upper rim of the arch collapsed around 1910, leaving only two giant pillars and a pile of stone rubble between them. While the arch was created by erosion in the first place, the merciless elements so common to Kerguelen had sadly taken their toll on the venerable structure just 136 years after its discovery. In 1979, the TAAF issued a 2.70-franc air mail stamp (48 x 36 mm in size), engraved by Pierre Béquet, depicting the HMS Terror ship sailing past the Arch of Kerguelen in 1840. [1] French author Jules Verne published the two-volume novel An Antarctic Mystery (fr.

Le Sphinx des Glaces, 1897) as a follow-up to Poe's work, setting the storyline in 1839; in fact, Arthur Gordon Pym is mentioned over a hundred times. While the book's first chapter – The Kerguelen Islands – refers to mooring a ship in Christmas Harbour ("Your ship may ride securely at single anchor in its waters, while the bay remains free from ice."), Verne does not allude to the Arch itself. [2] Other images depict a somewhat less glorious state of affairs, namely the cruel practice of clubbing penguins to death. Two different versions of such a scene exist: (1.) The first, an early monochrome copper plate engraving by Taylor from an original drawing by John Webber, is labeled A View of Christmas Harbour in Kerguelen's Land, with the manner of killing Penguins, a representation of a Seal & c . Published by Alex Hogg in London around 1785 in Anderson's large folio edition of the Whole of Capt Cook's Voyages & complete, it shows the Resolution and Discovery at anchor, while a man on shore wields a long club in pursuit of penguins.

(2.) The second, entitled Christmas Harbour, Kerguelens Land, 1811 , is a color copper plate engraving (200mm x 130mm) of a nearly identical scene – published by George Cooke of London and dated 1811. Kerguelen Islands : Wikis (The Full Wiki) The Full Wiki Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics Turks and Caicos Islands Did you know ... From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands (pronounced /ˈkɜrɡələn, kərˈɡeɪlən/; [1] in French commonly Îles Kerguelen or Archipel de Kerguelen but officially Archipel des Kerguelen or Archipel Kerguelen, pronounced: [kɛʁɡelɛn]), also known as Desolation Island, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean . The islands are a territory of France .

There are no indigenous inhabitants, but France maintains a permanent presence of 50 to 100 scientists, engineers and researchers. [2] The main island, Grande Terre, is 6,675 km² in area and is surrounded by another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². The climate is raw and chilly with frequent high winds, but not severely cold throughout the year, much like that of the outer Aleutian Islands of Alaska . While the surrounding seas are generally rough, they remain ice-free year-round. They are antipodal to an area in the vicinity of the meeting point of Alberta , Saskatchewan and Montana in North America . Contents History Engraving 'Christmas Harbour, Kerguelens Land', dated 1811 They were discovered by the Breton-French navigator Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec in February 1772.

Soon after their discovery, the archipelago was regularly visited by whalers and sealers (mostly British , American and Norwegian ) who hunted the resident populations of whales and seals to the point of near extinction, including fur seals in the 18th century and elephant seals in the 19th century . Since the end of the whaling and sealing era, most of the islands' species have been able to re-establish themselves. In the past, a number of expeditions briefly visited the islands, including that of Captain James Cook in 1776. In 1874–75, British, German and US expeditions visited Kerguelen to observe the transit of Venus . [3] The Nazi German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis called at Kerguelen during December 1940. During their stay the crew performed maintenance and replenished their water supplies. This ship's first fatality of the war occurred when a sailor, Bernhard Herrmann, fell while painting the funnel. He is buried in what is sometimes referred to as "the most southerly German grave" of the Second World War .

Kerguelen has been continually occupied since 1950 by scientific research teams, with a population of fifty to one hundred frequently present. [2] There is also a French satellite tracking station. Grande Terre Two Brothers Mountains (Monts des Deux Frères) Cook Glacier The main island of the archipelago is called La Grande Terre. It measures 150 km east to west and 120 km north to south. The main base, the so-called "capital" of the islands, is located at the eastern end of the Gulf of Morbihan on Grande Terre island at 49°21′S 70°13′E﻿ / ﻿49.35°S 70.217°E﻿ / -49.35; 70.217﻿ (Port-aux-Français) , and it is known as Port-aux-Français . Facilities there include scientific-research buildings, a satellite tracking station, dormitories, a hospital, a library, a gymnasium, a pub, and the chapel of Notre-Dame des Vents .

The highest point is the Galliéni Massif (Pic du Grand-Ross), which lies along the southern coast of the island and has an elevation of 1,850 meters. The Cook Glacier, which covers approximately 550 km², lies on the west-central part of the island. Grande Terre has numerous bays, inlets, fjords, and coves, as well as several peninsulas and promontories. The most important ones are listed below: Presqu'île Hoche Notable localities There are also a number of notable localities, all on Grande Terre (see also the main map): Anse Betsy [Betsy Cove] (a former geomagnetic station at 49°10′S 70°13′E﻿ / ﻿49.167°S 70.217°E﻿ / -49.167; 70.217﻿ (Anse Betsy) ), on Baie Accessible [Accessible Bay], on the north coast of the Courbet Peninsula.

On this site an astronomical and geomagnetic observatory was erected on 26 October 1874 by a German research expedition led by Georg Gustav Freiherr von Schleinitz. The primary goal of this station was the 1874 observation of the transit of Venus . Armor (Base Armor), established in 1983 forty kilometers west of Port-aux-Français at the bottom of Morbihan Gulf, for the acclimatization of salmon to the Kerguelen islands. [4] Baie de l'Observatoire [Observatory Bay] (a former geomagnetic observation station at 49°21′S 70°12′E﻿ / ﻿49.35°S 70.2°E﻿ / -49.35; 70.2﻿ (Baie de l'Observatoire) ), just west of Port-Aux-Français, on the eastern fringe of the Central Plateau, along the northern shore of the Golfe du Morbihan. For the 1874 transit of Venus , George Biddell Airy at the Royal Observatory of the U.K.

organised and equipped five expeditions to different parts of the world. Three of these were sent to the Kerguelen Islands. The Reverend Stephen Joseph Perry led the British expeditions to the Kerguelen Islands. He set up his main observation station at Observatory Bay and two auxiliary stations, one at Thumb Peak [49°31'11.8"S, 70°10'18.1"E] led by Sommerville Goodridge, and the second at Supply Bay [49°30'47.3"S, 69°46'13.2"E] led by Cyril Corbet. Observatory Bay was also used by the German Antarctic Expedition led by Erich Dagobert von Drygalski in 1902–03. In January 2007, an archaeological excavation of this site was carried out. Economy Principal activities on the Kerguelen Islands focus on scientific research – mostly earth sciences and biology.

The former sounding rocket range to the east of Port-aux-Français 49°21′S 70°16′E﻿ / ﻿49.35°S 70.267°E﻿ / -49.35; 70.267﻿ (FUSOV) is currently the site of a SuperDARN radar. Since 1992, the French Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) has operated a satellite and rocket tracking station which is located four kilometers east of Port-aux-Français . There was a need for a tracking station in the Southern Hemisphere , and the French government required that it be located on French territory, rather than in a populated, foreign place like Australia or New Zealand . Agricultural activities are limited to raising sheep (approximately 3,500 Bizet sheep — an endangered sheep breed in metropolitan France) on Longue Island for consumption by the occupants of the base, as well as small quantities of vegetables in a greenhouse within the immediate vicinity of the main French base. There are also feral rabbits and sheep that can be hunted plus wild birds.

There are also some fishing boats and vessels, owned by fishermen on Réunion Island — a department of France — who are licensed to fish within the archipelago's Exclusive Economic Zone . Geology Simplified geological map of the Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen islands form an emerged part of the submerged Kerguelen-Heard oceanic plateau , which has a total area nearing 2.2 million square kilometres. The plateau was built by volcanic eruptions associated with the Kerguelen hotspot , and now lies on the Antarctic plate. [5] The major part of the volcanic formations visible on the islands are characteristic of an effusive volcanism, which caused a trap rock formation to start emerging above the level of the ocean 35 million years ago. The accumulation is of a considerable amount; basalt flows, each with a thickness of three to ten meters, stack on top of each other, sometimes up to a depth of 1,200 metres. This form of volcanism creates a monumental relief shaped as stairs of pyramids. Other forms of volcanism are present locally, such as the strombolian volcano Mont Ross , and the volcano-plutonic complex on the Rallier du Baty peninsula.

Various veins and extrusions of lava such as trachytes , trachyphonolites and phonolites are common all over the islands. No eruptive activity has been recorded in historic times, but some fumaroles are still active in the South-West of the Grande-Terre island. Mont Ross A few lignite strata, trapped in basalt flows, reveal fossilised araucarian fragments, dated at about 14 million years of age. Glaciation caused the depression and tipping phenomena which created the gulfs at the north and east of the archipelago. Erosion caused by the glacial and fluvial activity carved out the valleys and fjords; erosion also created conglomerate detrital complexes, and the plain of the Courbet Peninsula . The islands are part of a submerged microcontinent called the Kerguelen sub-continent . [6] The microcontinent emerged substantially above sea level for three periods between 100 million years ago and 20 million years ago. The so-called Kerguelen sub-continent may have had tropical flora and fauna about 50 million years ago.

The Kerguelen sub-continent finally sank 20 million years ago and is now one to two kilometers below sea level. Kerguelen's sedimentary rocks are similar to ones found in Australia and India , indicating they were all once connected. Scientists hope that studying the Kerguelen sub-continent will help them discover how Australia , India , and Antarctica broke apart. [7] Flora and fauna Main article: Flora and fauna of the Kerguelen Islands The islands are part of the Southern Indian Ocean Islands tundra ecoregion that includes several subantarctic islands. In this cold climate plant life is mainly limited to grasses, mosses and lichens , although the islands are also known for the indigenous, edible Kerguelen cabbage , a good source of vitamin C to ancient mariners . It was frequently served with corned beef. The main indigenous animals are insects along with large populations of ocean-going seabirds , seals and penguins . [8] The wildlife is particularly vulnerable to introduced species and one particular problem has been cats. The main island is the home of a well-established feral cat population, descended from ships' cats.

They survive on sea birds and the feral rabbits that were introduced to the islands. There is also a population of feral sheep from when sheep-raising was attempted here. Kerguelen Islands in popular culture In the seafaring novel Desolation Island , one of the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian , the crew repair their disabled ship on an island that strongly resembles Kerguelen, having a sheltered anchorage with large islands. A later book in the series asserts that this was a different Desolation Island, located somewhere "further south and east," (probably Heard Island , though this island was not confirmed to exist until the 1850s and has no bay with islands.) In The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket , Edgar Allan Poe 's only complete novel, the crew of the Jane Guy alights at Kerguelen Island before eventually pushing on towards the South Pole. In Biggles' Second Case by W. E. Johns , Biggles searches for Nazi gold just after World War II on and around Kerguelen. Warbots (no. 5) Operation High Dragon involves a secret Chinese military base located on Kerguelen Island.

ISBN 1-55817-159-2 In Gundam - The 08th MS Team , the Zeon Zanzibar-class cruiser used to evacuate Ginias Sakhalin's forces from their base is named Kerguelen. In the Danish graphic novel Mikkeline på skattejagt (Mikkeline's Treasure Hunt) by draftsman and cartoonist Claus Deleuran, Desolation Island plays a major role in the plot. In the humorous story the active volcano Mont Ross serves as a back entrance to hell as described in The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri . ISBN 87-7378-244-0 The novel The Lost Flying Boat by Alan Sillitoe is situated around Kerguelen, though the islands' geography are not accurately described. The Swedish comic James Hund by Jonas Darnell & Patrik Norrmann has set at least one episode on Kerguelen, where a satanic Nazi conspiracy against the world's leaders has its seat.

The first chapter of Jules Verne 's Le Sphinx des glaces ( An Antarctic Mystery ) is entitled "Chapitre 1 — Les Îles Kerguelen" ("Chapter 1 — The Kerguelen Islands"). In Patrick Robinson 's Kilo Class (ISBN 0-06-109685-7), naval confrontations arise in the Kerguelen Islands between the Americans, the Chinese, and the Taiwanese. In the novel An Inexplicable Story by Josef Skvorecky, the chapter "A Letter from Herr Rudolf Ceeh" is a report by a German submariner about his stay on the Kerguelen Islands. The science fiction novel Rocannon's World by Ursula LeGuin mentions a planet called " New South Georgia ", whose chief city is "Kerguelen". In the G. A. Henty novel The Young Midshipman, Chapter XVI (Old Joe's Yarn), Joe relates being shipwrecked on the Kerguelens and spending a winter surviving on Kerguelen cabbage, melted snow and seal meat before hiking to Betsy Cove, off of Hillborough Bay and being rescued by passing whalers.

Journalist Matthew Parris and a cameraman spent the winter of 2000 filming a documentary about life and living conditions on the island [9] . During their stay one of the over-winterers was involved in a fatal accident with a shotgun. See also Earth Snapshot • Desolation Island April 10th, 2009 Category: Clouds Wave clouds by Kerguelen Islands - April 9th, 2009 Map of Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands, also known as Desolation Island, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The islands are a territory of France. There are no indigenous inhabitants, but France maintains a permanent presence of 50 to 100 scientists, engineers and researchers. The main island, Grande Terre, is 6,675 km² in area and is surrounded by another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². The climate is raw and chilly but not severely cold throughout the year. There are frequent high winds, and while the surrounding seas are generally rough, they remain ice-free year-round.

Although the islands themselves are hardly visible in the image, their location is easy to discern due to the presence of wave clouds . These clouds have a rippled, wave-like form similar to that of the wake created by a ship. The islands can be found at the start of that “wake”. Wave cloud patterns form from atmospheric standing waves, which are created as stable air flows over a mountain range. An air mass travels through the area, repeatedly rising and falling. If the atmosphere contains enough moisture, clouds form at the crests of those rising waves, but evaporate on the falling side, creating a ripple-effect of cloud-covered and cloud-free bands. Cruises to Kerguelen Islands (Desolation Islands), South Indian Ocean Kerguelen Islands (Desolation Islands), South Indian Ocean Kerguelen Islands (Desolation Islands), South Indian Ocean The Kerguelen Islands also known as Desolation Island, are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The islands are a territory of France. There are no indigenous inhabitants, but France maintains a permanent presence of 50 to 100 scientists, engineers and researchers. The main island of the archipelago is called La Grande Terre.

It measures 150 km east to west and 120 km north to south. The main base, the so-called "capital" of the islands, is located at the eastern end of the Gulf of Morbihan on Grande Terre island and is known as Port-aux-Français. The highest point is the Galliéni Massif (Pic du Grand-Ross), which lies along the southern coast of the island and has an elevation of 1,850 meters. The Cook Glacier, which covers approximately 403 km², lies on the west-central part of the island. Grande Terre has numerous bays, inlets, fjords, and coves, as well as several peninsulas and promontories. Things to see and do * Southern elephant seals and Kerguelen fur seals * Sea birds Îles Kerguelen Geography The Kerguelen Islands (in French commonly Îles Kerguelen, officially Archipel des Kerguelen), also known as Desolation Island, is a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. It is a territory of France.

The Kerguelen Islands are located at 49°15′S 69°35′E﻿. The main island, Grande Terre, is 6,675 km² and it is surrounded by another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². The climate is raw and chilly but not severely cold throughout the year - much like that of the outer Aleutian Islands of Alaska - with frequent high winds, and while the surrounding seas are generally rough, they remain ice-free year-round. (Source: Wikipedia ) Motivation I have decided on creating this project because the original DEM used in default FSX scenery has too low resolution and do not reply the reality anywise. First I have tried to download some finished projects, but all I have found was broken. Because I can't use DEM, where isn't most of the mountains, I have downoloaded SRTM3 DEM from NASA FTP server and made bgl scenery. It have turned out that there is an unacceptable inaccuracy between default FSX vector data and this DEM (shifts around 300 m southwise), I have been forced to make my own vector data.

I have planned that works on this project takes only one whole day, but I have entwined unseemly. I have worked ten days and this project is still full of defects. I haven't know anything about FS sceneries and making bgl and I have made a lot of geographic/cartographic lapses. I don't have time to making it once again, so this data isn't usable for mapmaking. Everyone who can make it again and properly is cordially welcome. About data The whole hypsography is derived from NASA SRTM3 version 2 data with resolution of ca 60 m in meridian and 90 m in parallel direction. The biggest problem of this data is radar shadow areas. In these areas isn't known information about height and it makes deep holes. Unfortunately I don't know relatively easy mechanism how to repair these data. I tried FSTerrain 2002 but it don't work for me. It should be possible to make hypsography from another sources, for example from topographic maps. Meanwhile there is no edits of these data.

Water areas is derieved from French National Geographic Institute's topographic map of Kerguelen in scale 1:200,000. This map has been classified, water extracted, georeferenced on NASA SRTM3 version 2 DEMs. A contour line, representing sea shore, has been vectorized abreast of 0.5 m. Resultant line has been smoothed, but too much. All islands with area smaller than 5000 sq. m was cleared out. This is geographically wrong, too. But I haven't had time to representative selection of thousands of islands. Fig. 1 - FSX Project Kerguelen ocean polygons Ocean is divided into 15 polygons (as shown on fig. 1). As a island it should be defined by the hole in water polygon. But I haven't been able to make it correctly trough resample.exe, so I has had to use SBuilderX. But when I has tried to make hole, or change the water polygon to the "outer" (change the polygon border direction), it hasn't worked or it has worked wrong. So I has had to split this one polygon to more.

Every island have to lie at least one border of two polygons. There are very high number of wrong located lakes. The IGN map had been georeferenced through ca 20 binding points and 3rd polynomial transformation. The shore is referenced very well, but in the inland is the location error up to 200 m. I haven't been able to use lower level of polynoms with credit. All lakes with area smaller than 10,000 sq. m was cleared out. This is geographically wrong, great areas with high number of small lakes changed theirs character, but I really haven't time to control and correct them. The elevation for lakes are set by their centroids height, extracted from SRTM3 DEMs. Centroids aren't ideal points for elevation representation, so in some events I has had to correct it manually. The water flows has taked most of time. I has resigned to classify it from IGN topomap because all accessible digital sources have too low resolution. Finally I have had to vectorize it by hand on the strength of SRTM3 DEM. Occasionally water flows uphill or not utterly at bottom of valleys. Bad work, too.

Roads at Kerguelen are in small count. I haven't made my own, so the default routes shifted ca 300 m southward should display. Fig. 2 - Difference between default and this scenery Known errors Entire southwest sector is not displaying. I don't know where's problem, all processed data are correct. Every help welcomed. Deep holes in surface. This is original feature of SRTM3 data. I don't know now how to easy mask it. Every help welcomed, too. Water flows aren't displayed over lake and ocean beaches. This can be solved with water flow lines buffer which frets into ocean beach lines. Lakes in central Grande Terre are bad localized. This is result of wrong georeferencing, used scanned map had too many distortions. It isn't useful to make it again, I'm bargaining for an satellite image classification into the future. Too much smoothed shorelines. It should be made again and better. Lot of small lakes and islets aren't displayed. For actual level of generalization (1:200,000) would it make lots of small simple triangles. I don't have time for representative selection and edits.

Rivers aren't in reference to DEM precisely localised. I has vectorized it in the scale of 1:25,000, but it looks that it isn't enough. Data sources NASA SRTM3 Version 2 Digital Elevation Model, in the concrete files S49E068.hgt, S49E069.hgt, S50E068.hgt, S50E069.hgt and S50E070.hgt. (Heh, I can't find address now...) French National Geographic Institute's ( IGN ) topographic map of Îles Kerguelen from year 1973 in scale of 1:200,000. Used software 3DEM v20.4, AFCAD v. 2.21 for FS2004, ArcGIS 9.2, GIMP 2.4.5, MSPaint 5.2, Notepad 5.2, OpenJUMP v1.2 D, resample.exe (FSX), SBuilderX v3.10 and FSX SP1 for testing.

Legal disclaimer Everyone can use, distribute and edit this data at no cost but nobody can use and/or offer it for any money (incl. "service" charges like "packaging"). There must be my name and this webpage address stated at all times. The source of this data is governmental institution in both cases so please respect also their terms. (This disclaimer is informative, the disclaimer in Czech section applies.) Files

Question: Where are The Kerguelen Islands, a territory of France, also known as Desolation Island?
Answer: Indian Ocean