Basic Information

Location: (49°21’05”S, 70°12'20”E) Kerguelen Island in the Southern Indian ocean.
Completed: 1951

History

The island Kerguelen was discovered by a French navigator, Chevalier Yves de Kerguelen-Trémarec, on 12 February 1772. On the day after the discovery, the Captain of the Gros-Ventre (a ship), de Boiguehenneue, managed to land in a bay, now called Gros-Ventre Cove. He left for home after claiming the island for France. Captain Kerguelen never actually set foot on the island, even though he discovered it. Two days after the discovery, he sailed back to France.

Science

There are over thirty bird species on the island, including penguins, gulls, petrals, and albatrosses.