Crozet Islands

The Crozet Islands rise from the southern Indian Ocean in two groups of volcanic islands, separated by a stretch of open sea. Storms sweep their treeless shores, where penguins, albatrosses and seals gather. In January 1772, the expedition of Marion du Fresne sighted the archipelago; Julien-Marie Crozet landed on Île de la Possession and claimed it for France. Sealers followed, and by 1835 hunting had nearly exterminated the islands' seals.