Читать книгу The Terrestrial Macroinvertebrates of the Sub-Antarctic Iles Kerguelen and Ile de la Possession - Maurice Hulle - Страница 14

The sub-Antarctic Îles Kerguelen and Îles Crozet belong to the South Indian Ocean Province, as do the Heard and McDonald Islands, and the Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) (Figure 1.1). Only Heard Island and McDonald Island are located in the very cold Antarctic waters. The others are located above the Polar Front, separating the very cold Antarctic waters from the sub-Antarctic cold waters.

The Îles Kerguelen are located at 49°21’S, 70°13’E (Port-aux-Français) and Île de la Possession at 46°24’S, 51°46’E (Base Alfred-Faure). They are respectively 3,250 km and 2,800 km from Île de la Réunion, 3,800 km and 2,400 km from South Africa and 1,900 km and 2,100 km from the Antarctic Continent. The Îles Kerguelen and Heard Island are located on the same continental shelf and are only 423 km apart. The Îles Crozet and the Prince Edward Islands are a second, more western subgroup.

The Îles Kerguelen are 130 km long and 120 km wide. Their total area is 7,215 km² including 6,675 km² for the main island which is called Grande Terre (Figure 1.2). The Îles Crozet are composed of an eastern group of islands (Île de l’Est and Île de la Possession) and a western group about 110 km away (Îlots des Apôtres, Île aux Cochons and Île des Pingouins) (Figure 1.3). Île de la Possession, the only inhabited island, is much smaller than Grande Terre, at only 150 km².