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The '''Kerguelen Islands''' ({{IPAc-en|icon|ˈ|k|ɜr|ɡ|ə|l|ɛ|n}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɜr|ɡ|ə|l|ən}}; in [[French language|French]] commonly ''Îles Kerguelen'' or ''Archipel de Kerguelen'' but officially ''Archipel des Kerguelen'' or ''Archipel Kerguelen,'' {{IPA-fr|kɛʁɡeˈlɛn|pron}}), also known as the '''Desolation Islands''', are a group of islands in the southern [[Indian Ocean]] constituting the emerged part of the otherwise submerged [[Kerguelen Plateau]]. The islands, along with [[Adélie Land]], the [[Crozet Islands]] and the [[Amsterdam Island|Amsterdam]] and [[Île Saint-Paul|Saint Paul]] Islands are part of the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]] and are administered as a separate district. 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 {{Convert|6675|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}} in area and is surrounded by a further 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an [[archipelago]] of {{Convert|7215|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}. The climate is raw and chilly with frequent high winds throughout the year, but not severely cold compared to areas such as the outer [[Aleutian Islands]] of [[Alaska]] which has a similar latitude (49° S vs. 51°–53° N). While the surrounding seas are generally rough, they remain ice-free year-round. Since there is no airport on the islands, all travel and transport from the outside world is conducted by ship.
== History ==
[[File:Christmas Harbour Kerguelens Land, 1811.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''Christmas Harbour, Kerguelens Land'', dated 1811 by [[George Cooke (painter)|George Cooke]].]]
The islands were discovered by the [[Breton people|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 [[Great Britain|British]], [[United States|American]] and [[Norway|Norwegian]]) who hunted the resident populations of whales and seals to the point of near extinction, including [[fur seal]]s in the 18th century and [[elephant seal]]s in the 19th century. Since the end of the whaling and sealing era, most of the islands' species have been able to increase their population again.
In the past, a number of expeditions briefly visited the islands, including that of [[James Cook|Captain James Cook]] in 1776. In 1874–1875, British, [[Germany|German]] and U.S. expeditions visited Kerguelen to observe the [[transit of Venus]].
The Kerguelen Islands, along with the islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul, and the Crozet archipelago were officially annexed by France in 1893, and were included as possessions in the French constitution in 1924 (in addition to that portion of Antarctica claimed by France and known as [[Adélie Land]]; as with all Antarctic territorial claims, France's possession on the continent is held in abeyance until a new international treaty is ratified that defines each claimant's rights and obligations).
The German [[auxiliary cruiser]] [[German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis|''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 war grave" of [[World War II]].
Kerguelen has been continually occupied since 1950 by scientific research teams, with a population of 50 to 100 frequently present. There is also a French [[satellite]] tracking station.
Until 1955, the Kerguelen Islands were part of the French colony of [[Madagascar]]. That same year they collectively became known as ''Les Terres australes et antarctiques françaises'' (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and were administratively part of the French ''Départment d`outre-mer de la Réunion''. In 2004 they were permanently transformed into their own entity (keeping the same name) but having inherited another group of five very remote tropical islands, ''[[Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean|les îles Éparses]]'', which are also owned by France and are dispersed widely throughout the southern Indian Ocean.
==Grande Terre==
[[File:Kerguelen RallierDuBatty.JPG|thumb|right|300px|[[Péninsule Rallier du Baty]]]]
[[File:Port aux Français.JPG|thumb|right|300px|[[Port aux Français]]]]
[[File:Kerguelen - Monts des Deux Frères.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Two Brothers Mountains (''Monts des Deux Frères'')]]
[[File:Kerguelen CookGlacier.JPG|thumb|300px|[[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 along the eastern shore of the [[Gulf of Morbihan]] on Grande Terre island at {{Coord|49|21|S|70|13|E |region:FR-TF_type:city |name=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, France`s largest glacier with an area of approximately 403 km², lies on the west-central part of the island. Overall, the glaciers of the Kerguelen Islands cover just over 500 km². Grande Terre has numerous bays, inlets, fjords, and coves, as well as several peninsulas and promontories. The most important ones are listed below:
* [[Courbet Peninsula]]
* [[Péninsule Rallier du Baty]]
* Péninsule Gallieni
* Péninsule Loranchet
* Presqu'île Jeanne d'Arc
* [[Presqu'île Ronarc'h]]
* Presqu'île de la Société de Géographie
* Presqu'île Joffre
* Presqu'île du Prince de Galles
* Presqu'île du Gauss
* Presqu'île Bouquet de la Grye
* Presqu'île d'Entrecasteaux
* Presqu'île du Bougainville
* 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 {{Coord|49|10|S|70|13|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=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.
* Baie de l'Observatoire [Observatory Bay] (a former geomagnetic observation station at {{Coord|49|21|S|70|12|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=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.
* Cabane Port-Raymond (scientific camp at {{Coord|49|20|S|69|49|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Cabane Port-Raymond}}), at the head of a fjord cutting into the Courbet Peninsula from the south.
* Cap Ratmanoff (geomagnetic station at {{Coord|49|14|S|70|34|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Cap Ratmanoff}}), the eastmost point of the Kerguelens.
* La Montjoie (scientific camp at {{Coord|48|59|S|68|50|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=La Montjoie}}), on the south shore of Baie Rocheuse, along the northwestern coast of the archipelago.
* Molloy (Pointe Molloy), a former observatory ten kilometers west of the present-day Port-Aux-Français, along the south coast of the Courbet Peninsula, or northern shore of the Golfe du Morbihan (Kerguelen), at {{Coord|49|21|38|S|70|3|50|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Molloy}}. An American expedition led by G. P. Ryan erected a station at this site on 7 September 1874. That station was also established to observe the 1874 transit of Venus.
* Port [[Bizet]] (seismographic station at {{Coord|49|31|12|S|69|54|36|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Port Bizet}}), on the northeastern coast of Île Longue. This also serves as the principal sheep farm for the island's resident flock of [[Bizet (sheep)|Bizet sheep]].
* Port Christmas (a former geomagnetic station at {{Coord|48|41|S|69|03|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Port Christmas}}), on Baie de l'Oiseau, in the extreme northwest of the Loranchet Peninsula. This place was so named by Captain [[James Cook]], who re-discovered the islands and who anchored there on Christmas Day, 1776. This is also the place where Captain Cook coined the name "Desolation Islands" in reference to what he saw as a sterile landscape.
* Port Couvreux (a former whaling station, experimental sheep farm, and geomagnetic station, at {{Coord|49|17|S|69|42|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Port Couvreux}}), on Baie du Hillsborough, on the southeast coast of Presqu'île Bouquet de la Grye. Starting in 1912, sheep were raised here to create an economic base for future settlement, however, the attempt failed and the last inhabitants had to be evacuated, and the station abandoned, in 1931. The huts remain as well as a graveyard with five anonymous graves. These are those of the settlers who were unable to survive in the harsh environment.
* Port Curieuse (a harbor on the west coast across Île de l'Ouest {{Coord|49|22|S|68|48|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Port Curieuse}}). The site was named after the ship ''La Curieuse'', which was used by Raymond Rallier du Baty on his second visit to the islands (1913–14).
* Port Douzième (literally Twelfth Port, a hut and former geomagnetic station at {{Coord|49|31|S|70|09|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Port Douzième}}), on the north coast of Presqu'île Ronarch, southern shore of the Golfe du Morbihan.
* Port Jeanne d'Arc (a former whaling station founded by a Norwegian whaling company in 1908, and a former geomagnetic station at {{Coord|49|33|S|69|49|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Port Douzième}}), in the northwestern corner of Presqu'île Jeanne d'Arc, looking across the Buenos Aires passage 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, and another in 2007.
From 1968 to 1981, {{Coord|49|21|S|70|16|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=Rocket launch site}} just east of Port-aux-Français was a launching site for [[sounding rocket]]s, some for French ([[Dragon (rocket)|Dragon rockets]]), American ([[Arcas (rocket)|Arcas]]) or French-Soviet ([[Eridan]]s) surveys, but at the end mainly for a Soviet program ([[M-100 (rocket)|M-100]]).
==The islands==
The following list the most important adjacent islands:
* '''[[Île Foch]]''' in the north of the archipelago, at {{Coord|49|0|S|69|17|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Foch}}, is the largest satellite island with an area of 206.20 km². Its highest point, at 687 m, is called ''La Pyramide Mexicaine''.
* '''[[Île Howe]]''' which lies less than one kilometre off the northern coast of Ile Foch is, at ~54.00 km², the second most important offlier in the Kerguelens {{Coord|48|52|S|69|27|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Howe}}.
* '''[[Île Saint-Lanne Gramont]]''', is to the west of Île Foch in the Golfe Choiseul. It has an area of 45.80 km². Its highest point reaches 480 m ({{Coord|48|55|S|69|12|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Saint-Lanne Gramont}}).
* '''Île du Port''', also in the north in the Golfe des Baleiniers at {{Coord|49|11|S|69|36|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île du Port}}, is the third largest satellite island with an area of 43.00 km², near its centre it reaches an altitude of 340 m.
* '''Île de l'Ouest''' (west coast, about 40.00 km², {{Coord|49|21|S|68|44|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île de l'Ouest}})
* '''Île Longue''' (southeast, about 40.00 km² {{Coord|49|32|S|69|54|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Longue}})
* '''Îles Nuageuses''' (northwest, including île de Croÿ, île du Roland, îles Ternay, îles d'Après, {{Coord|48|37|S|68|44|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Îles Nuageuses}})
* '''Île de Castries''' ({{Coord|48|41|S|69|29|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île de Castries}})
* '''Îles Leygues''' (north, including île de Castries, île Dauphine, {{Coord|48|41|S|69|29|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Îles Leygues}})
* '''Île Violette''' ({{Coord|49|07|S|69|40|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Violette}})
* '''Île aux Rennes''' [also known as Reindeer Island or Australia Island] (western part of the Golfe du Morbihan, area 36.70 km², altitude 199 m, {{Coord|49|27|S|69|51|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Australia}})
* '''Île Haute''' (western part of the Golfe du Morbihan, altitude 321 m, {{Coord|49|23|S|69|55|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Haute}})
* '''Île Mayès''' ({{Coord|49|28|20|S|69|55|55|E |type:isle_region:FR-TF |name=Île Mayès}})
==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 {{Coord|49|21|S|70|16|E |region:FR-TF_type:landmark |name=FUSOV}} is currently the site of a [[SuperDARN]] radar.
Since 1992, the [[France|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 mainland 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==
[[File:Kerguelen-geo-en.png|thumb|right|400px|Simplified geological map of the Kerguelen Islands]]
The Kerguelen islands form an emerged part of the submerged [[Kerguelen Plateau]], which has a total area nearing 2.2 million square kilometres.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} The [[Kerguelen Plateau|plateau]] was built by volcanic eruptions associated with the [[Kerguelen hotspot]], and now lies on the [[Antarctic plate]].
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 metres, 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 [[trachyte]]s, trachyphonolites and [[phonolite]]s are common all over the islands.
No eruptive activity has been recorded in historic times, but some [[fumarole]]s are still active in the South-West of the Grande-Terre island.
[[File:Kerguelen MontRoss.JPG|thumb|left|260px|[[Mont Ross]]]]
A few [[lignite]] strata, trapped in basalt flows, reveal fossilised [[Araucariaceae|araucarian]] fragments, dated at about 14 million years of age.
[[Glacier|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 [[Detritus (geology)|detrital]] complexes, and the plain of the [[Courbet Peninsula]].
The islands are part of a submerged [[microcontinent]] called the [[Kerguelen Plateau|Kerguelen sub-continent]]. 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 rock]]s are similar to ones found in [[Australia]] and [[India]], indicating they were all once connected. [[Scientist]]s hope that studying the Kerguelen sub-continent will help them discover how [[Australia]], [[India]], and [[Antarctica]] broke apart.
==Climate==
{{Weather box
|location = Port aux Français, Kerguelen
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 22.3
|Feb record high C = 22.3
|Mar record high C = 20.6
|Apr record high C = 23
|May record high C = 16.8
|Jun record high C = 14.5
|Jul record high C = 13.4
|Aug record high C = 14.4
|Sep record high C = 15.8
|Oct record high C = 19.1
|Nov record high C = 21.3
|Dec record high C = 21.6
|Jan high C = 11.1
|Feb high C = 11.5
|Mar high C = 10.5
|Apr high C = 9
|May high C = 6.7
|Jun high C = 5.2
|Jul high C = 4.7
|Aug high C = 4.6
|Sep high C = 5.3
|Oct high C = 7
|Nov high C = 8.6
|Dec high C = 10.1
|year high C = 7.8
|Jan mean C = 7.8
|Feb mean C = 8.2
|Mar mean C = 7.3
|Apr mean C = 6.1
|May mean C = 4.2
|Jun mean C = 2.8
|Jul mean C = 2.2
|Aug mean C = 2.1
|Sep mean C = 2.5
|Oct mean C = 3.9
|Nov mean C = 5.3
|Dec mean C = 6.8
|year mean C = 4.9
|Jan low C = 4.4
|Feb low C = 4.7
|Mar low C = 4.1
|Apr low C = 3.2
|May low C = 1.5
|Jun low C = 0.4
|Jul low C = -0.3
|Aug low C = -0.4
|Sep low C = -0.2
|Oct low C = 0.7
|Nov low C = 2
|Dec low C = 3.4
|year low C = 1.9
|Jan record low C = -1.5
|Feb record low C = -1
|Mar record low C = -0.9
|Apr record low C = -2.7
|May record low C = -5.9
|Jun record low C = -8.3
|Jul record low C = -8
|Aug record low C = -7.3
|Sep record low C = -7.7
|Oct record low C = -5
|Nov record low C = -3.7
|Dec record low C = -1.2
|Jan precipitation mm = 72.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 49.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 57.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 59.6
|May precipitation mm = 59.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 75.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 62.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 63.4
|Sep precipitation mm = 62.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 59.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 51.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 55.1
|Jan humidity = 78
|Feb humidity = 79
|Mar humidity = 82
|Apr humidity = 86
|May humidity = 88
|Jun humidity = 89
|Jul humidity = 89
|Aug humidity = 87
|Sep humidity = 84
|Oct humidity = 80
|Nov humidity = 75
|Dec humidity = 77
|source 1 = MeteoStats
|date=August 2010
}}
==Flora and fauna==
{{Main|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, [[moss]]es and [[lichen]]s, although the islands are also known for the indigenous, edible [[Kerguelen cabbage]], a good source of [[vitamin C]] to ancient [[mariner]]s. It was frequently served with corned beef. The main indigenous animals are insects along with large populations of ocean-going [[seabird]]s, [[Pinniped|seal]]s and [[penguin]]s.
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]] [[rabbit]]s that were introduced to the islands. There are also populations of feral [[sheep]] and [[reindeer]].
===Coleoptera===
* [[Carabidae]]
** [[species:Oopterus soledadinus|''Oopterus soledadinus'']] [adventive]
* [[Hydraenidae]]
** [[species:Meropathus chuni|''Meropathus chuni'']] [endemic]
==Kerguelen Islands in popular culture==
{{in popular culture|date=November 2011}}
* In ''[[The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket]]'' (1838), [[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 [[Edward Page Mitchell]]'s 1874 short story "[[The Tachypomp]]," a hollow tube through the earth connects Kerguelen's Land with its [[antipodes]].
* In the second chapter of [[James De Mille]]'s 1888 novel ''[[A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder]]'', the protagonists pass "Desolation Island" before continuing to the Antarctic.
* In [[George Griffith]]'s 1894 novel ''[[Olga Romanoff]]'', the islands are the site of the largest submarine and airship base in the southern hemisphere.
* The first chapter of [[Jules Verne]]'s 1897 novel ''Le Sphinx des glaces'' (''[[An Antarctic Mystery]]'') is entitled "Chapitre 1 — Les Îles Kerguelen" ("Chapter 1 — The Kerguelen Islands").
* In the 1978 seafaring novel ''[[Desolation Island (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 and the same latitude and longitude. A later book in the series, ''[[The Thirteen Gun Salute]]'', asserts that this was a different Desolation Island, located somewhere "farther south and east," (probably [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands|Heard Island]], though this island was not confirmed to exist until the 1850s and has no bay with islands.)
* 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 is 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.
* In [[Patrick Robinson (author)|Patrick Robinson]]'s ''[[Kilo Class (novel)|Kilo Class]]'' (ISBN 0-06-109685-7), naval confrontations arise in the Kerguelen Islands between the Americans, the Chinese, and the Taiwanese.
* The naval warfare simulation computer game ''[[Jane's Fleet Command]]'' by Sonalysts Inc. contains a fictitious mission 'Kerguelen surprise', featuring a carrier battle between India and France, as a result of India's intentions to annex the islands.
* The [[science fiction]] novel ''[[Rocannon's World]]'' by [[Ursula K. Le Guin]] mentions a planet called "[[Hainish Cycle#New South Georgia|New South Georgia]]", whose chief city is "Kerguelen".
* 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.
* 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 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. During their stay one of the over-winterers was involved in a fatal accident with a hunting rifle.
* In the British [[science fiction]] series "Blake's Seven" the character of Kerr Avon mentions the true meaning of his full first name "Kerguelen", when asked by another, by saying: "Desolation".
* In Season 3 of [[Whale Wars]] the ''[[MY Steve Irwin|Steve Irwin]]'' and the ''[[MY Bob Barker|Bob Barker]]'' rendezvous in the Kerguelen Islands to swap crew and exchange provisions.
==See also==
{{Portal box|Geography}}
* [[Administrative divisions of France]]
* [[Crozet Islands]]
* [[Falkland Islands]]
* [[French overseas departments and territories]]
* [[Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans]]
* [[South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands]]
* [[Sub-antarctic islands]]
==External links==
{{Commons|Kerguelen Islands}}
* [http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr/outremer/front?id=outremer/decouvrir_outre_mer/taaf Official site] (In French)
* [http://www.taaf.fr/ Official site] (In French)
* [http://membres.lycos.fr/ker18/Carto/frameIgn.html Cartography of the Kerguelen], including a toponymy index (In French)
* [http://www.kerguelen-island.org/ Personal site with many pictures]
* [http://www.astronautix.com/sites/keruelen.htm Rocket launches on the Kerguelen Islands]
* [http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/kerguelen/kerguelen_islands.html South Atlantic & Subantarctic Islands site, Kerguelen Archipelago page]
{{Districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands}}
{{French overseas departments and territories}}
{{Outlying territories of European countries}}
{{Coord|49|15|S|69|10|E |region:FR-TF_scale:1250000 |display=title}}