These are far islands.
They sit in the cold sea. It is very windy there. Many scientists live there to study. They go by ship.
Would you like to visit?
The Kerguelen Islands are far away.
They sit in the cold, southern sea.
The islands are very windy. The weather is often chilly.
The sea around them is rough.
There are no airports here. People must travel by ship.
This is how scientists get there.
Many people live there to study. They stay in a base. There are about 45 to 100 people.
Large ice caps sit on the land. These are very big and cold. It is a lonely place.
The Kerguelen Islands are a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean.
They are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. These islands are very isolated. The nearest land is Australia. The nearest place with people is Madagascar.
The main island is called Grande Terre. It is surrounded by 300 smaller islands. The weather is harsh and chilly. High winds blow through the year. The seas around the islands are often rough. However, the water does not freeze.
There are no airports on the islands. All travel must be by ship.
No one lives there forever. Instead, France sends 45 to 100 people. These people are scientists, soldiers, and engineers. They stay at a base called Port-aux-Français.
The land has many big features. Mont Ross is the highest peak.
There are also large glaciers. The Cook Ice Cap is the biggest glacier. It is the largest in France. The islands have many bays and peninsulas. Some parts are very rocky and bare. This is why Captain Cook once called them the Desolation Islands.
The Kerguelen Islands are a lonely group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean.
They are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. These islands are among the most isolated places on our planet. The closest territory is the Heard and McDonald Islands of Australia. However, the nearest place with people living there is Madagascar.
Because they are so far away, there are no airports. All travel to the islands must be done by ship.
The islands sit on a huge underwater feature called the Kerguelen Plateau. This is a large area of land mostly covered by the sea. The main island is named Grande Terre. It is about three-quarters the size of the island of Corsica. Around Grande Terre, there are 300 smaller islands and islets. This large group of islands is called an archipelago. The weather here is very harsh and chilly. High winds blow across the land all year long. The surrounding seas are often rough, but the water stays ice-free.
People first officially discovered these islands in 1772. A French navigator named Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec led the way. The day after he arrived, Charles de Boisguehenneuc landed and claimed the land for France. Later, the famous Captain James Cook visited in 1776. He found a message left by the French explorers. Cook called the place Kerguelen Land to honor them. He also called them the Desolation Islands because the land looked so bare.
In the past, many ships came to the islands for different reasons. Between 1781 and 1922, many people came to hunt seals and whales. This was a hard time for the local animals. Fur seals and elephant seals almost disappeared because of the hunting. Later, people tried to mine coal and even raise sheep. In 1874, scientists visited to watch the transit of Venus. This is a special event where Venus passes in front of the sun.
Today, the islands are a place for science and research. There are no permanent residents living there. Instead, France sends between 45 and 100 people to stay. These people include scientists, soldiers, and engineers. They live and work at a base called Port-aux-Français.
The land is full of amazing sights like Mont Ross. This is the highest peak on the islands. There is also the Cook Ice Cap, which is a huge glacier. It is the largest glacier in France.
The Kerguelen Islands are a remote archipelago in the sub-Antarctic region.
They sit in the southern Indian Ocean. These islands are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. They are administered as a separate district by France. The islands are among the most isolated places on Earth. The closest territory is the Heard and McDonald Islands of Australia. Madagascar is the nearest inhabited territory, located over 3,000 kilometers away.
Geologically, the islands are part of the Kerguelen Plateau. This is a large igneous province. Most of this plateau is submerged beneath the southern Indian Ocean. The islands represent the exposed parts of this massive structure. The main island is named Grande Terre. It has an area of about 7,215 square kilometers. This makes it roughly three-quarters the size of Corsica. The archipelago includes Grande Terre and 300 smaller islands and islets.
The climate of the islands is harsh and chilly. Frequent high winds blow across the land throughout the year. The surrounding seas are generally rough. However, the waters remain ice-free all year round. The landscape features many bays, inlets, and fjords. There are also many peninsulas and promontories. The highest point is Mont Ross in the Gallieni Massif. It reaches an elevation of 1,850 meters.
Another major feature is the Cook Ice Cap. This is France's largest glacier. It covers about 430 square kilometers on the west-central part of the island.
Glaciers cover just over 1,000 square kilometers of the islands in total.
History shows that the islands were known to some before official discovery. A 1754 map by Philippe Buache showed an "Ile de Nachtegal." This name might refer to Abel Tasman's ship, the De Zeeuwsche Nachtegaal. However, the location on that map was not quite correct. The islands were officially discovered on February 12, 1772. A French navigator named Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec led this expedition. The next day, Charles de Boisguehenneuc landed and claimed the land for France. In 1776, Captain James Cook visited the islands. He found a message left by the French explorers. Cook named the area Kerguelen Land to honor them. He also called them the Desolation Islands because the landscape looked sterile.
Following discovery, the islands entered a period of intense exploitation. Between 1781 and 1922, the archipelago saw 284 recorded sealing visits. Whalers and sealers from Britain, America, and Norway arrived frequently. They hunted resident populations of whales and seals. This hunting drove fur seals and elephant seals toward near extinction. Modern industrial sealing occurred intermittently between 1908 and 1956. Many relics from this era still exist today. You can find try pots, hut ruins, graves, and inscriptions. Since the end of the sealing era, many species have increased their populations again.
Other groups have used the islands for science and industry. In 1874 and 1875, expeditions visited to observe the transit of Venus. This is when the planet Venus passes in front of the sun. Scientists set up stations at Observatory Bay and Thumb Peak. In 1877, the French attempted a coal mining operation, but it was soon abandoned. Later, there were attempts at sheep farming. In 1901, the Australian government tried to acquire the islands for strategic naval use. The British government rejected this proposal in August 1901. They did not believe the islands posed a strategic threat.
Today, the islands have no indigenous inhabitants. They are occupied by scientific research teams and a small military presence. France maintains between 45 and 100 personnel on the islands. These people include scientists, soldiers, and engineers. They live at the scientific base called Port-aux-Français.
This base is located on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Morbihan. It contains research buildings, a hospital, a library, and a satellite tracking station. Because there are no airports, all travel must be by ship.
The islands remain a vital site for studying the sub-Antarctic environment.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (10)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.