What are the climate and geography of the Kerguelen Islands?

The Kerguelen Islands form a remote subantarctic archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean and serve as a district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Their geography features the main island of Grande Terre surrounded by hundreds of smaller islets, sitting atop a largely submerged igneous plateau. The regional climate is notably harsh and chilly, characterized by persistent high winds and year-round ice-free rough seas.

What we know

• The Kerguelen Islands are a subantarctic island group located in the southern Indian Ocean. [1, 2]
• The main island, Grande Terre, has an area of 6,675 square kilometres and is surrounded by about 300 smaller islands and islets. [2]
• The islands represent one of the two exposed parts of the mostly submerged Kerguelen Plateau. [2]
• The local climate is harsh and chilly with frequent high winds throughout the year. [2]

Where to go next

• how it workedHow do researchers travel to these isolated islands?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the Kerguelen Plateau?
• a case in pointWhere is Mount Pouce located?
• compared withHow does Heard Island compare geographically?
• whereWhat are the other districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands?
• an unexpected connectionWhy are these remote islands also known as the Desolation Islands?The severe climate and extreme isolation of the archipelago led to its historical moniker reflecting utter emptiness.

Sources

• [1]Kerguelen Islands (Wikidata Q46772) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Kerguelen Islands · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Pouce (Kerguelen) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Kerguelen (disambiguation) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of rivers of the Kerguelen Islands · CC BY-SA 4.0