ÃŽle Foch

The Île Foch [ fɔʃ ] is (slightly larger than, for example, the German Baltic island of Fehmarn ) with 206.2 km ² the second largest island of the Kerguelen Archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean. Is named the island after the French officer Ferdinand Foch ( 1851-1929 ).

Geography

The 28- kilometer-long island is surrounded by the land masses of the Société de Géographie peninsulas and Joffre and the islands of Saint- Lanne Gramont and Howe. In the hills of the interior of the island and the north-east of the mountain peaks reach some 400 to 600 m, the highest point marks the pyramid Mexicaine with 687 meters.

Fauna and Flora

From outside influences virtually untouched, the island forms an ecosystem, which has the original vegetation of the Kerguelen before the colonization attempts. So here find any of the introduced human vertebrate species such as rabbits, cats, rats and mice, which may endanger either the natural vegetation or bird numbers seriously. In order to maintain this condition as far as possible, access to the Ile Foch is severely restricted and subject to strict regulations.