Île Saint-Paul (St. Paul Island) is an island forming part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, TAAF) in the Indian Ocean, with an area of . The island is located about south of the larger Île Amsterdam (), northeast of the Kerguelen Islands, and southeast of Réunion. It is an important breeding site for seabirds. A scientific research cabin on the island is used for scientific or ecological short campaigns, but there is no permanent population. It is under the authority of a senior administrator on Réunion. Geography Île Saint-Paul is a volcanic island with triangular in shape that measures no more than at its widest point. It is the top of an active volcano; the volcano last erupted in 1793 (from its SW Flank), and is rocky with steep cliffs on the east side. The thin stretch of rock that used to close off the crater collapsed in 1780, admitting the sea through a channel; the entrance is only a few meters deep, thus allowing only very small ships or boats to enter the crater. The interior basin, wide and deep, is surrounded by steep walls up to high. There are active thermal springs. The island is antipodal of Cheyenne County, Colorado, one of the few places in the continental United States with a non-oceanic antipode. History Early sightings Île Saint-Paul was first discovered in 1559 by the Portuguese. The island was mapped, described in detail and recorded in paintings by members of the crew of the Nau São Paulo, among them the Father Manuel Álvares and the chemist Henrique Dias. Álvares and Dias correctly calculated the latitude as 38° South. The ship was commanded by Rui Melo da Câmara and was part of the Portuguese India Armada commanded by Jorge de Sousa. The São Paulo, which also carried women and had sailed from Europe and stopped in Brazil, would be the subject of a dramatic and moving story of survival after it sank south of Sumatra. The next confirmed sighting was made by Dutchman Harwick Claesz de Hillegom on 19 April 1618. There were further sightings of the island through the 17th century. One of the first detailed descriptions of it, and possibly the first landing, was made in December 1696 by Willem de Vlamingh. 19th century During sailing-ship days captains would occasionally use the island as a check on their navigation