- Port-aux-Français
Port-aux-Français is the capital settlement of the
Kerguelen Islands , French territory in the southIndian Ocean . The port station is located on the Gulf of Morbihan, at coord|49.35|S|70.219|E. Created in1944 , it has about 60 winter inhabitants, which can rise to more than 120 in summer.The station was selected because of its sheltered position, suitable for a runway that was never built. From
1955 to1957 , and usingAustralia n equipment, a Frenchslaughterhouse company called Sidap constructed a sealing factory. The factory opened following the first marriage on the islands, that of Marc Pechenart and Martine Raulin on 16 December 1957. The factory closed in1960 , and the equipment was sent toRéunion in2005 .Organisation
Port-aux-France has a shallow seaport and a
quay for unloading supply ships (including in2006 , "Marion Dufresne 2"). The station, in addition to logistics necessary to its operation, consists of scientific laboratories (biology ,geophysics ), technical installations (meteorology , telecommunications, satellite tracking, et cetera), and a small medical centre.Tidal gauges
The base of Port-aux-Français is equipped with a maregraphic station, recently installed, having 3 measuring devices:
* two
tide gauges to measure pressure at sea bottom
* a radar measuring the sea level. The two marigraphs and the radar send data to a local server, which relays them hourly to the Internet via the satellite system Argos.
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