Amsterdam Island

Amsterdam Island is a volcanic island in the middle of the indan ocean. Along with the island of Saint-Paul located 91 km south, the two islands form the district of Saint-Paul and Amsterdam, one of the five districts of the French Austral and Antarctic Lands (the others are Crozet, Kerguelen, Terre Adélie (Antarctica) and the Scattered Islands of the indian ocean). '

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The island's total area is 58 km^2, it is 10 km long in its greatest length (nord-south axis) and 7 km long in its smallest length (east-west axis). The western side of the island is bordered by high cliffs (400 to 700 m high) and the eastern side goes down more softly towards the sea. The french base Martin de Vivies is located on that coast, where 20 to 40 people live during the year.

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Amsterdam island was mentionned by Magellan in his expedition journal on march 18 1522. The island was observed a few times by navigators in the beginning of the XVIIth century. The dutch governor Van Diemen gave it the name of his boat, "Niew Amsterdam", in 1633. 

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There are no inhabitants on Saint-Paul island,. Some scientists can get off the boat and on to this island for a few hours during the boat trip, to collect data from scientific equipment that is installed there.