French Southern Territories Travel Guide

French Southern Territories OVERVIEW

Scattered over the South Pacific Ocean, the French Southern Territories comprise a number of sub-Antarctic rugged volcanic islands forming an overseas territory of France. The island components include St. Paul and Amsterdam Island as well as two groups of islands, the Kerguelen and Crozet Islands with an overall area totaling 7781 square kilometers. For those who barely have an idea about them, the islands and their appearance come as a shock. Bleak and treeless, lashed with cold ocean winds and bitten by frost, they present a rather unwelcoming face to humans. Take a look round and what you see are black volcanic sand beaches, steep barren mountain ridges, peat marshes and plenty of freezing cold glacial melt water. No wonder, they either uninhabited or simply inhabitable, visited only for scientific research by the most keen of scientists. No airstrips and only offshore anchorages make the access a feast of endurance and money. But for those who come, the islands are worth the effort. Bubbling with life, they marvel with cheerful chatting of macaroni penguins, peaceful gliding of the majestic albatrosses, sea lions basking on the shores and the famous Kerguelen cabbage which enlivens the somewhat gloomy surroundings with a splash of juicy green. Once you realize that your inner geologist, botanist or ornithologist can no longer be tamed, contact the Marion Dufresne, the world's biggest and most sophisticated oceanographic research vessel, which provides supplies and rotates crews in the French Southern Territories. Who knows, maybe there is a vacancy for an frost-proof enthusiast like you.