| Îlots des Apôtres | |
| Nickname: | Apostle Islets |
| Coordinates: | -45.955°N 50.425°W |
| Area Km2: | 2.011 |
| Highest Mount: | Mont Pierre |
| Elevation M: | 289 |
| Population: | Uninhabited |
| Country: | France |
The Îlots des Apôtres or Îles des Apôtres (English: Apostle Islets or Islands) are a group of small and uninhabited rocky islands in the north-western part of the Crozet Archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean, north of Île aux Cochons. Their total area is about .
There are two larger islands (Île Grande - Big Island, and Île Petite - Little Island), together occupying almost 90 percent of the area. The highest peak is Mont Pierre (on Île Grande. In addition, there are about 20 rocks, with elevations between . The islands are very steep. Despite their small size, Île Grande reaches a height of, and Île Petite .
On the night of 1 July 1875, the Strathmore, a three-masted ship sailing between the United Kingdom and New Zealand, was wrecked in the vicinity after striking a reef. Of the 89 passengers on board, 44 survived on Île Grande until 21 January 1876, when they were rescued by another ship.[1]
The islets have been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International as a breeding site for seabirds, with at least 25 species nesting there. The birds include wandering, grey-headed, light-mantled, sooty, black-browed and Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses, great-winged, soft-plumaged, white-chinned and blue petrels, medium-billed prions, northern giant petrels, common diving petrels, Crozet blue-eyed shags and Kerguelen terns.[2]
| Island or Rock (English) | Area (ha) | ||
| 1 | Rocher Nord (Northern Rock) | ||
| 2 | L’Enclume (The Anvil) | ||
| 3 | Grande Île (Big Island) | ||
| 4 | Le Clown (The Clown) | ||
| 5 | La Sentinelle perdue (The Lost Sentinel) | ||
| 6 | Les Jumeaux (The Twins) | ||
| 7 | Rocher Fendu (Split Rock) | ||
| 8 | Petite Île (Little Island) | ||
| 9 | Les Sentinelles du Diable (The Devil's Sentinels) | ||
| 10 | La Grande Aiguille (Big Needle) | ||
| 11 | La Petite Aiguille (Little Needle) | ||
| 12 | Le Hangar (The Hangar) | ||
| 13 | Le Donjon (The Keep) | ||
| 14 | (unnamed rock) | < | |
| 15 | Rocher Sud (Southern Rock) | ||
| 16 | Le Torpilleur (The Destroyer) | ||
| 17 | Le Caillou (The Stone) | ||
| 18 | L'Obélisque (The Obelisk) | ||
| 19 | Rocher Percé (Bored Rock) | ||
| Îlots des Apôtres (Apostle Islets) |
also see "This barren rock", by Silvie Haisman., also a radio play on the ABC National radio - tell me a shipwreck