Kerguelen's Land

Kerguelen's Land, or DESOLATION ISLAND, of volcanic origin, situated in the Antarctic Ocean, between 48° 39' and 49° 44' S. lat. and 68° 42' and 70° 35' E. long., being 85 miles long by 79 wide. The surface is mountainous (Mount Ross, 6120 feet), and most of the interior is covered with an ice-sheet and its glaciers. Numerous islands and rocks encircle the coasts. The shores are very irregular, long fjords penetrating far inland and forming good harbours. The climate is raw, and storms are nearly constant. The island was discovered in 1772 by a Breton sailor, Kerguelen-Trémarec, and was visited by Captain Cook (who christened it Desolation Island) in 1776, and in 1874 by the Challenger, and by English, American, and German expeditions to observe the transit of Venus. It was annexed by France in 1892.