NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Îles Crozet

The Crozet Islands (French Îles Crozet) are a sub-antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean, part of the French Southern Territories. French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ... An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... The Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earths water surface. ... The French Southern Territories (long name: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, French: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises or TAAF) are antarctic, volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Africa and about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia. ...

Map of the Crozet Islands

Contents

1 Geography, geology, and climate

2 History

3 Biology

4 See also

Download high resolution version (1279x784, 205 KB)From the Perry-Castañeda Library. ... Download high resolution version (1279x784, 205 KB)From the Perry-Castañeda Library. ...

Geography, geology, and climate

The Crozet Islands are located between latitudes 45°95' and 46°50' S and longitudes 50°33' and 52°58' E in the southern Indian Ocean. The archipelago is divided in two groups. The westernmost is called L'Occidental and comprises Île des Cochons ("Pigs' Island") and the smaller Île des Pingouins ("Penguin Island") and the Îlots des Apôtres. The two other larger islands, Île de la Possession and Île de l'Est form the other group, called L'Oriental, about 60 nm to the east. Latitude, denoted φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... Map of Earth showing curved lines of longitude Longitude, sometimes denoted λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... The Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earths water surface. ... A nautical mile is a unit of distance, or, as physical scientists like to call it, length. ...

Île de la Possession is the largest of these islands with some 150 km², Île de l'Est cover 130 km², and Île des Cochons is some 67 km² large. The islands reach elevations between 800 and 1000 m above sea level, the highest point being Pic Marion-Dufresne on Île de l'Est at 1090 m. They are rocky islands: even the smaller Île des Pingouins (3 km²) rises to 340 m, and the highest point of the Îlots des Apôtres, a group of 14 very small isles, the largest covering a mere 1.2 km² is at 289 m. Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... metre or meter, see meter (disambiguation) The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units. ...

Analysis of magnetic anomalies on the sea floor indicates that the Crozet Plateau, of which the islands form the highest points, formed some 50 million years ago. The islands are of volcanic origin, and basalt dating to at least 8.8 million years back has been found. This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... Basalt Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock, sometimes porphyritic, and is often both fine-grained and dense. ...

The Crozet Islands are generally not glaciated. Precipitation is with over 2500 mm per year very abundant. It rains on the average on 300 days a year, and winds exceeding 100 km/h occur on 100 days. The temperatures may rise to 18°C in summer and rarely go below 5°C even in winter. A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed it in 1742. ...

History

The Crozet Islands were first discovered by the expedition of Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, a French explorer, who landed on January 24, 1772 on Île de la Possession, claiming the archipelago for France. He named the islands after his second-in-command Jules Crozet. (He had already named Marion Island after himself...) Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (1724 - 1772) was a French explorer. ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 17 - First partition of Russia and Prussia, later including Austria May - Watauga Association formed in East Tennessee as the first independent Anglo-American government. ... This article is about a small sub-antarctic island. ...

In the early 19th century, the islands were often visited by sealers, to the extent that the seals had been nearly exterminated by 1835. Subsequently, whaling was the main activity around the islands, especially by the whalers from Massachusetts. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... subfamilies Otariidae Phocidae Odobenidae Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the Pinnipedia, a family (sometimes a suborder or superfamily, depending on the classification scheme) of the order Carnivora. ... 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch Whaling is the hunting and killing of whales. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th) - Land 20,317 km² - Water 7,043 km² (25. ...

Shipwrecks occurred frequently at the Crozet Islands. The British sealer Princess of Wales sank in 1821, and the survivors spent two years on the islands. In 1887, the French Tamaris was wrecked and her crew stranded on Île des Cochons. They tied a note to the leg of a Giant Petrel, which was found seven months later in Fremantle. Alas, the crew was never recovered. Because shipwrecks around the islands were so common, the Royal Navy for some time sent a ship every few years there to look for stranded survivors. Events February 23 - The Philadelphia College of Apothecaries founds the first pharmacy college. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... Fremantle is a city located within the Perth metropolitan area on Australias western coast, at the mouth of the Swan River, 19 kilometres south from Perths Central Business District. ... Royal Navy Ensign The Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. ...

France originally administered the islands as a dependency of Madagascar, but they became part of the French Southern Territories in 1955. In 1961, a first research station was set up, but it wasn't until 1963 that the permanent station Albert Faure opened at Port Albert on Île de la Possession (both named after the first leader of the station). The station is staffed by 18 to 30 people (depending on the season) and does meteorological, biological, and geological research and maintains a seismograph. This article is about the country; for the movie see Madagascar (movie) Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa. ... The French Southern Territories (long name: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, French: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises or TAAF) are antarctic, volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Africa and about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first upside-down year - i. ... Events January-February January 11 - The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. ... Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ... Biology is the science of life (from the Greek words bios = life and logos = reasoned account). ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ... Seismographs (in Greek seismos = earthquake and graphein = write) are used by seismologists to record seismic waves. ...

Biology

The Crozet Islands are home to four species of penguins. Most abundant are the Macaroni Penguin, of which some 2 million pairs breed on the islands, and the King Penguin. The Eastern Rockhopper Penguin also can be found, and there is a small colony of Gentoo Penguins, too. This article is about penguin birds. ... Binomial name Eudyptes chrysolophus (Brandt, 1837) The Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) is a species of penguin closely related to the Rockhopper Penguin. ... Binomial name Aptenodytes patagonicus Miller,JF, 1778 The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin at about 90cm tall and 11 to 15kg weight, second only to the Emperor Penguin. ... Binomial name Eudyptes chrysocome Forster, 1781 The Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) is a species of penguin closely related to the Macaroni Penguin. ... Binomial name Pygoscelis papua Forster, 1781 The Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua) is easily recognised by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head. ...

Other animals living on the Crozet Islands include seals, Southern Elephant Seals, petrels, and albatross, including the Wandering Albatross. Binomial name Mirounga leonina Linnaeus, 1758 The Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the Northern Elephant Seal). ... This article is about petrel seabirds. ... Genera Diomedea Thallasarche Phoebastria Phoebetria The albatrosses (from Portuguese Alcatraz, a pelican) are seabirds in the family Diomedeidae, which is closely allied to the petrels. ... Binomial name Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758 The best known Albatross is the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), which occurs in all parts of the Southern Oceans. ...

The Crozet Islands are a nature reserve since 1938. Introduction of foreign species (mice, rats, subsequently cats as a pest control) has caused severe damage to the original ecosystem. The pigs once introduced on Île des Cochon and the goats brought to Île de la Possession—both as a food resource—have been exterminated. 1938 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the input device, see computer mouse. ... This is an article about wild rats; for pet rats, see Fancy rat Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... Cat or CAT may have several different meanings: Animals Cat, the common name for the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus). ... In ecology, an ecosystem is a community of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms - also referred as biocenose) together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a unit. ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it , reserving for the wild boar. ... Categories: Animal stubs ...

An on-going concern is the overfishing of the Patagonian Toothfish and the monitoring of the Albatross population. The waters of the Crozet Islands are patrolled not only by the French but also by Greenpeace. Overfishing is a situation where one or more fish stocks are reduced below predefined levels of acceptance by fishing activities. ... The Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) is a large, slender fish found in the cold, temperate waters (from 50 to 3850m) of the Southern Atlantic, Southern Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans on seamounts and continental shelves around most sub-Antarctic islands. ... Genera Diomedea Thallasarche Phoebastria Phoebetria The albatrosses (from Portuguese Alcatraz, a pelican) are seabirds in the family Diomedeidae, which is closely allied to the petrels. ... Greenpeace is an international environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971. ...