French Southern and Antarctic Lands. English. |
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Lands | 
|
|
|
| Introduction | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Internet
country code: |
.tf |
| Transportation | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| 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 |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the responsibility of France |
| Transnational Issues | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| Disputes
- international: |
"Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
2000-2007
Association for Human Rights Defense International
www.4humanrights.org : www.hrd1.org : DONATE
www.4humanrights.org : www.hrd1.org : DONATE
