They are located 38 kilometres (24 miles) northwest of Cape Serrat, the closest point of the Tunisian mainland coast, from which they are separated by the Galite Channel, and almost 80 km (50 mi) north-by-northeast of the city of Tabarka, and 150 km (93 mi) south of Cape Spartivento in the south of Sardinia.

This group consists of three rocks, which are, from north to south, Gallo, Pollastro and Gallina (meaning "rooster", "chicken" and "hen" in Italian).

[citation needed] Salvatore Todaro, an Italian war hero, died on La Galite on December 14, 1942.

Tunisian independence leader Habib Bourguiba was exiled to La Galite by the French colonial authorities from May 21, 1952 through May 20, 1954.

The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of Audouin's gulls, Eleonora's falcons and Sardinian warblers.