Île des Pingouins
| Île des Pingouins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Waters | Indian Ocean |
| Archipelago | Crozet Islands |
| Geographical location | 46 ° 25 ′ 1 ″ S , 50 ° 24 ′ 28 ″ E |
 |
|
| length | 4 km |
| width | 2 km |
| surface | 4 km² |
| Highest elevation |
Mont des Manchots 340 m |
| Residents | uninhabited |
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|
The Île des Pingouins ( German "Penguin Island" ) is the fourth largest and most remote island in the archipelago of the Crozet Islands in the southern Indian Ocean . It belongs to the French overseas territory "Terres australes et antarctiques françaises" .
geography
The Île des Pingouins is located in the western group of the archipelago, about 30 km south of the Île aux Cochons , from which it is separated by the Chenal du Sud . It is about 100 km away from the Île de la Possession , the largest island in the archipelago. The island is about 4 km long, up to 2 km wide and has an area of about 4 km². It reaches a height of 340 m above sea level in Mont des Manchots . In front of the island are the small rocky rises Rocher de l'Arche in the northwest and Île Riou in the south.
history
The island was discovered by Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne on January 24th, 1772 and was originally named Île Inaccessible ( inaccessible island ). Because of the numerous penguins there , it was later given its current name. The island was visited by whale and seal hunters in the past , but is now uninhabited.
Bird life
The island is designated as an Important Bird Area (TF005) by BirdLife International . It has an exceptionally high density of marine birds , of which at least 29 species breed here. These include the gray-headed , dark and Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses classified as endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species, as well as the Salvin Albatross, which is considered endangered (VU) . The golden crested penguin , which is also endangered , had one million breeding pairs in 1984. Also widespread is the Petrel .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Important Bird Areas factsheet: Île des Pingouins. In: BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International , accessed November 12, 2016 .
