archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean, 1,500 miles (2,400 km) off the coast of Antarctica, administratively a part of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (French Southern and Antarctic Territories) (q.v.). It consists of several small uninhabited islands of volcanic origin. Discovered by Captain Nicolas-Thomas Marion-Dufresne in 1772, the islands cover an area of 195 square miles (505 square km). Rising to 6,560 feet (2,000 m) on the Île de la Possession, they are rugged, with steep cliffs, and have been the scene of many shipwrecks. They have been designated a national conservation area.