Following the Second World War, the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) regularly visited Kerguelen between 1947 and 1954, and France was obliged to occupy the island to retain sovereignty. Today, Kerguelen’s population of scientists and engineers varies between 50 and 100. The French base at Port-aux-Français is large and well-appointed, boasting a hospital, restaurant, library, sports center, cinema and chapel. The base is shared with CNES (the French National Space Center), whose operations are dedicated to the tracking of satellites — notably the Ariane rockets launched from Kourou in French Guiana.

Not true. Mecca and Medina were always worth something. Imagine how much Greenland would be worth if Jesus had proclaimed that it was every Christian’s duty to show up up there at least once in his lifetime, and preferably several times if possible. It would be like Disneyland type tourist dollars without the expense of actually having to put up new multi-million dollar rides every few years.