Prince Edward Islands
Map of Prince Edward Islands | |
Orthographic projection centred on the Prince Edward Islands | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 46°52′48″S 37°45′00″E / 46.88000°S 37.75000°E |
| Area | 343 km2 (132 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,230 m (4040 ft) |
| Highest point | Mascarin Peak |
| Administration | |
| Province | Western Cape |
| Municipality | City of Cape Town |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 (permanent) 50 (non-permanent research staff) |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Designated | 24 January 1997 |
| Reference no. | 1688 |
The Prince Edward Islands are two small uninhabited subantarctic volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean that are administered by South Africa. They are named Marion Island (named after Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, 1724–1772) and Prince Edward Island (named after Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, 1767–1820).
The islands in the group have been declared Special Nature Reserves under the South African Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, No. 57 of 2003, and activities on the islands are therefore restricted to research and conservation management. Further protection was granted when the area was declared a marine protected area in 2013. The only human inhabitants of the islands are the staff of a meteorological and biological research station run by the South African National Antarctic Programme on Marion Island.