Port-aux-Français () is the main settlement of the

Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the subantarctic, sub-Antarctic region. They are among the Extremes on Earth#Remoteness, most i ...

, and French Southern and Antarctic Lands, in the south

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

Occupancy

The settlement is located on the shore of the Gulf of Morbihan. About 45 residents spend winter there, although the group can reach over 120 people in the summer. The location was chosen in 1949 by the head of the mission Pierre Sicaud for sheltered location which was suitable for the construction of an air field, though this was never built. From 1955 to 1957, a French slaughterhouse company, SIDAP, built an elephant seal processing plant equipped with

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n machinery. The factory opened its doors just after the wedding of the director, , and Martine Raulin on 16 December 1957. This was the first marriage ever celebrated on the islands. The factory closed in 1960, and the equipment was sent to

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

in 2005. Port-aux-Français has a shallow

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

which allows the unloading of supply ships (usually the '' Marion Dufresne'') with

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

s shuttling to the

quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

. The settlement, in addition to the logistical facilities for its own operation, hosts scientific laboratories (

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and Physical property, properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct i ...

), technical stations (such as

meteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agricultur ...

telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

s and satellite tracking), a cinema and a small medical centre. There is also a small Catholic Church Notre-Dame des Ventsin the settlement.

Tidal gauges

The base of Port-aux-Français is equipped with a marigraphic station, having three measuring devices: * two tide gauges to measure pressure at sea bottom * a

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

measuring the sea level. The two marigraphs and the radar send data to a local server, which relays them hourly to the Internet via the Argos satellite system.

Climate

Port-aux-Français has an ocean-moderated mild tundra climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''ET''). Temperatures (without windchill) tend to remain fairly stable throughout the year, rarely reaching over or falling below . The average temperature in February, the warmest month, is with a maximum of during the day and during the night. In winter, July and August are the coldest months, averaging during the day and at night. Snowfall is possible in all months, though more common in winter. The climate is windier than in most places, with a recorded gust of . The lowest recorded temperature was on 11 August 2014, which beats the old record of set in June 1953. The highest temperature was on 30 January 1959.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Port-Aux-Francais Geography of the Kerguelen Islands Populated places established in 1944 Outposts of Antarctica

Occupancy

Tidal gauges

Climate

See also

References