Prince Edward Islands, South Indian Ocean

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC, Posted on: Sunday, 9 November 2008, 08:50 CST Download full size image

Though there is a famous Prince Edward Island in Canada, this similarly named grouping of islands lies in the South Indian Ocean. This image of the Prince Edward Islands was acquired by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on November 5, 2008.

The Prince Edward Islands consists of two small islands located south of Africa and north of Antarctica. They are waters that are considered the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean. Politically, these islands are a part of South Africa. The smaller of the two islands is called Prince Edward Island, and the larger is Marion Island - both are volcanic in origin. The snowy mountains on Marion Island are visible in the satellite image. Mascarin Peak is the tallest.

The islands are currently occupied only by scientific researchers.

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