Île aux Cochons

Île aux Cochons
Nickname: Pig Island

Satellite image of the island
Geography
Location South Indian Ocean
Coordinates 46°06′S 50°14′E / 46.100°S 50.233°E / -46.100; 50.233
Archipelago Crozet Islands
Area 67 km2 (26 sq mi)
Length 10 km (6 mi)
Width 9 km (5.6 mi)
Highest elevation 770 m (2,530 ft)
Highest point Mont Richard-Foy
Country
Demographics
Population 0

Île aux Cochons, or Pig Island, is an uninhabited island in the subantarctic Crozet Archipelago. With an area of 67 km2 (26 sq mi) it is the third largest island of the group. Administratively, it is part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Description

Île aux Cochons photographed from on Loch Etive in between 1885 and 1911.
Île aux Cochons photographed from on Loch Etive in between 1885 and 1911.

Île aux Cochons is the westernmost island of the archipelago, lying some 30 km north-west of Île des Pingouins and 15 km south-west of the Îlots des Apôtres. It is an eroded volcanic dome, scattered with inactive craters, and a coastline consisting partly of low cliffs. Introduced species include cats, rabbits and mice. The introduced pigs that gave the island its name have been eradicated. There is no human infrastructure and visits by researchers are rare.[1]

Important Bird Area

The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International as a breeding site for seabirds, and notably for its large penguin populations. It holds the world’s largest king penguin colony, with about half a million breeding pairs, as well as substantial numbers of gentoo, macaroni and northern rockhopper penguins. It also has the largest colony of wandering albatrosses in the Indian Ocean, with some 1200 pairs, as well as four million pairs of medium-billed prions and a million pairs of South Georgia diving petrels. Eaton's pintails are present. There are large populations of southern elephant seals, Antarctic fur seals and subantarctic fur seals.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Île aux Cochons. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-01-09.

Coordinates: 46°06′S 50°14′E / 46.100°S 50.233°E / -46.100; 50.233

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