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The Kerguelen Islands (c-eniconˈkɜrɡəˌlɛn or c-enˈkɜrɡələn; in French commonly Îles Kerguelen or Archipel de Kerguelen but officially Archipel des Kerguelen or Archipel Kerguelen, -frkɛʁɡeˈlɛnpron), 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 are a territory of France. 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 6675 km2 in area and is surrounded by a further 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7215 km2. 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. 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.
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