Îles Leygues
Kerguelen | |
| Major islands | Île de Castries, Île Dauphine |
|---|---|
| Area | 24 km2 (9.3 sq mi) |
| Length | 6 km (3.7 mi) |
| Width | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 71 m (233 ft) |
| Highest point | Île Dauphine Highest point |
| Administration | |
France | |
| Zone | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Les Îles Leygues or the Leygues Islands, occasionally called « les Îles Swain », are a group of small islands and islets that are part of the subantarctic Kerguelen archipelago, a French territory in the southern Indian Ocean.
They were named after
Minister of Marine. They are important as a breeding site for seabirds
and fur seals.
Geography
The Îles Leygues lie across the Passe de la Résolution from
giant kelp
surrounding the group.
Ecology
Humans have never set foot on the islands. A large colony of Antarctic fur seals occurs which has probably never been hunted and which has enabled the recolonisation of other sites from which the species was formerly exterminated.[2]
Important Bird Area
The islands have been identified as a 24 km2
wandering albatrosses breed there as well as unknown numbers of northern giant petrels and Kerguelen shags. Other petrels may also nest on the islands, but data are lacking because the only available information is from offshore observations.[2]
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References
- ^ "Îles Leygues". Mapcarta. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ a b BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Îles Leygues. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-01-20.
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