Nickname: Possession Island | |
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 Interactive map of Île de la Possession | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 46°24′27″S51°45′27″E / 46.40750°S 51.75750°E /-46.40750; 51.75750 |
| Archipelago | Crozet Islands |
| Area | 150 km2 (58 sq mi) |
| Length | 18 km (11.2 mi) |
| Width | 13 km (8.1 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 934 m (3064 ft) |
| Highest point | Pic du Mascarin |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | No permanent inhabitants; temporary research station staff only |
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Île de la Possession (French pronunciation:[ildəlapɔsɛsjɔ̃]), orPossession Island, formerly Île de la Prise de Possession, is part of theSubantarcticCrozet Archipelago. Administratively, it is part of theFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands. It is in the eastern group of the archipelago, about 17 kilometres (11 mi) west ofÎle de l'Est (East Island). The highest point is at Pic du Mascarin in the southern central part of the island at 828 metres (2,717 ft), rising above Lac Perdu.
Île de la Possession is an important nesting site forseabirds. In January 1841 theRoss expedition anchored near the island.[1] The island contains theAlfred Faure research station.
Île de la Possession lies in the eastern group of the archipelago, about 17 kilometres (11 mi) west ofÎle de l'Est (East Island).[2] With an area of 150 km2 (58 sq mi) it is the largest island of the group and the only inhabited one. It has a rugged landscape of mountains cut by deep glaciated valleys.[3]
Pic du Mascarin is the highest point of the island with an elevation of 828 metres (2,717 ft),[4] rising above Lac Perdu in the southern, central part of the island.[5] Mont des Cratères has an elevation of 679 metres (2,228 ft),[6] and Cirque aux Mille Couleurs has an elevation of 366 metres (1,201 ft).[7]
The coastal areas and valleys are covered withherbaceous subantarctic vegetation. It is uninhabited except for the staff of a research station.[3]
TheAlfred Faure research station (Base Alfred-Faure) is located at the eastern end of Île de la Possession, at an elevation of 143 m above Baie Marin (Port Alfred). It comprises about 12 main buildings and supports up to about 45 visiting personnel. It is named after a leader of the base in the 1960s. A 1.6 km road andaerial cableway connect the base to the sea, where supplies are brought by the vesselMarion Dufresne. The daily temperature at the site varies annually from an average high of 7.9°C to an average low of 2.7°C.[8]
The island has been identified as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International as a breeding site for seabirds, of which there are at least 26 breeding species. Birds nesting in relatively large numbers includeking,northern rockhopper andmacaroni penguins,wandering,sooty andlight-mantled albatrosses,northern giant petrels,medium-billed prions,Kerguelen andsoft-plumaged petrels, andSouth Georgia diving petrels. Other island breeders in smaller numbers aresouthern giant petrels,grey-headed albatrosses andKerguelen terns.Crozet blue-eyed shags,black-faced sheathbills andEaton's pintails are resident. The smaller birds nest only at higher altitudes because of their vulnerability to rat predation at lower levels.[3]
The goats that wereintroduced have been eradicated, thoughblack rats remain and are a threat to the birdlife. BothAntarctic andsubantarctic fur seals, as well assouthern elephant seals, breed on the island. A pod of about 80killer whales inhabits the surrounding waters. Two plants and 59arthropod species endemic to the archipelago are present.[3]
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