The ÃÂlots des Apôtres () or ÃÂles des Apôtres () are a group of small and uninhabited rocky islands in the north-western part of the Crozet Archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean, north of ÃÂle aux Cochons. Their total area is about .
There are two larger islands (ÃÂle Grande - Big Island, and ÃÂle Petite - Little Island), together occupying almost 90 percent of the area. The highest peak is Mont Pierre ( on ÃÂle Grande. In addition, there are about 20 rocks, with elevations between . The islands are very steep. Despite their small size, ÃÂle Grande reaches a height of , and ÃÂle Petite .
On the night of 1 July 1875, the Strathmore, a three-masted ship sailing between the United Kingdom and New Zealand, was wrecked in the vicinity after striking a reef. Of the 89 passengers on board, 44 survived on ÃÂle Grande until 21 January 1876, when they were rescued by another ship.
The islets have been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International as a breeding site for seabirds, with at least 25 species nesting there. The birds include wandering, grey-headed, light-mantled, sooty, black-browed and Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses, great-winged, soft-plumaged, white-chinned and blue petrels, medium-billed prions, northern giant petrels, common diving petrels, Crozet blue-eyed shags and Kerguelen terns.
also see "This barren rock", by Silvie Haisman. , also a radio play on the ABC National radio - tell me a shipwreck