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The Kerguelen Archipelago is situated at 49°20' South, 70°20' East, midway between Africa, Antarctica and Australia. Kerguelen is a French possession, lying some 13,000 km from France in the Southern Indian Ocean. The main island occupies measures roughly 120 km by 140 km, occupies 6,675 sq km and is surrounded by around 300 other smaller islands, reefs and rocks, forming an archipelago of 7,215 sq km.
The coast of Kerguelen is deeply indented with fjords, whilst the interior is heavily glaciated. The highest point is Mount Ross, at 1,850m, in the south of the island.
Scattered French possessions in the Southern Ocean contribute to it's position as the country with the largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world. It is one of the four parts of the Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, which include Terre Adelie (Antarctica), the Crozet Islands and the islands of Amsterdam St-Paul.
Climate
Kerguelen's weather is harsh, with rain and snow most days of the year. Winds blow continuously from the west, as the islands lie in the path of the "Furious Fifties". Winds of 150 kph are common, and gusting up to 200 kph has been known. As Kerguelen lies on the Antarctic Convergence where upwelling cold water from the Antarctic mixes with the the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean, birdlife and marine mammals are abundant. The state of the sea reflects the high wind speeds, with wave heights of 12 - 15 m being common. The sea around Kerguelen is, however, ice free.
You can find historic temperature data (1950 - date) here.
