Which country administers the Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean? France. The remote archipelago is a district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, a French overseas territory.
The Kerguelen Islands are sub-Antarctic volcanic islands located thousands of kilometres from Madagascar. French navigator Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec sighted the main island in 1772, and France formally reasserted possession in 1893. The islands became part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands when that territory was created in 1955.
Kerguelen has no permanent civilian population, but French scientific and support teams maintain a continuous presence at Port-aux-Français, established as a permanent research station in 1950. The archipelago is sometimes nicknamed the “Desolation Islands” because of its isolation and harsh weather. It is also easily confused with nearby Heard Island and the McDonald Islands, which are administered by Australia, not France.