French Southern and Antarctic Lands   Click to enlarge	Introduction   Geography   People   Government   Economy   Communications   Transportation   Military   Transnational Issues
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Legend: Definition of Term Arranged by Countries Field Listing    Introduction    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page 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.    Geography    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page Location: south 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 sq km note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US water: 0 sq km land: 7,829 sq km Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 1,232 km Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM from Iles Kerguelen only territorial sea: 12 NM 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% (1998 est.) Irrigated land: 0 sq km (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    People    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page Population: no indigenous inhabitants (July 2002 est.) note: in 2002, there were 145 researchers whose numbers vary from winter (July) to summer (January)    Government    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page 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 Francois GARDE (since 24 May 2000), 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 3 districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, and 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    Economy    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page 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.    Communications    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page Internet country code: .tf    Transportation    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page Waterways: none Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only Merchant marine: total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,815,472 GRT/4,806,161 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 5, chemical tanker 13, container 11, liquefied gas 7, petroleum tanker 19, roll on/roll off 11 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 2, France 62, Japan 3, Monaco 1, Norway 5, Sweden 1 (2002 est.) Airports: none (2001)    Military    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France    Transnational Issues    French Southern and Antarctic Lands Top of Page Disputes - international: "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US

Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Updated: 19 March 2003