French Southern and Antarctic Lands

§1. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Introduction

Background:
  The Southern Lands consist of two archipelagos, Iles Crozet and Iles
  Kerguelen, and two volcanic islands, Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul. They
  contain no permanent inhabitants and are visited only by researchers
  studying the native fauna. The Antarctic portion consists of "Adelie Land,"
  a thin slice of the Antarctic continent discovered and claimed by the
  French in 1840.

§2. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Geography

Location:
  southeast of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about
  equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - French
  Southern and Antarctic Lands include Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles
  Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the
  French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie Land"; the US does not
  recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land"

Geographic coordinates:
  43 00 S, 67 00 E

Map references:
  Antarctic_Region

Area:
  total: 7,829 kmē
  land: 7,829 kmē
  water: 0 kmē
  note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles
    Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 kmē in
    Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Area - comparative:
  slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  1,232 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen (does not include the
    rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands)

Climate:
  antarctic

Terrain:
  volcanic

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Mont Ross on Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m

Natural resources:
  fish, crayfish

Land use:
  arable land: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  0 kmē (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes

Environment - current issues:
  NA

Geography - note:
  islands component is widely scattered across remote locations in the
  southern Indian Ocean

§3. French Southern and Antarctic Lands People

Population:
  no indigenous inhabitants
  note: in 2002, there were 145 researchers whose numbers vary from winter
    (July) to summer (January) (July 2006 est.)

§4. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic
    Lands
  conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands
  local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises
  local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises

Dependency status:
  overseas territory of France since 1955; administered from Paris by
  Administrateur Superieur Michel CHAMPON (since 20 December 2004), assisted
  by Secretary General Jean-Yves HERMOSO (since NA)

Administrative divisions:
  none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order
  administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are
  three districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Iles Saint-Paul et
  Amsterdam; excludes "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica that is not
  recognized by the US

Legal system:
  the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description:
  the flag of France is used

§5. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Economy

Economy - overview:
  Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical
  research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The fish catches
  landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and
  Reunion.

§6. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Communications

Internet country code:
  .tf

Internet hosts:
  39 (2005)

§7. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Transportation

Airports:
  none (2005)

Merchant marine:
  total: 77 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,574,270 GRT/5,647,334 DWT
  by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 22, container 18,
    liquefied gas 8, petroleum tanker 17, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier
    4
  foreign-owned: 77 (Belgium 5, Denmark 2, France 45, Germany 2, Greece 2,
    Hong Kong 3, Japan 4, Norway 3, Saudi Arabia 1, Sweden 8, Switzerland 1,
    UK 1) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  none; offshore anchorage only

§8. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of France

§9. French Southern and Antarctic Lands Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  French claim to "Adelie Land" in Antarctica is not recognized by the US


<Factbook 2006>
