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French Southern Territories
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Background:
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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 |
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Location:
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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" |
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Geographic coordinates: | 43 00 S, 67 00 E |
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Map references:
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Antarctic Region |
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Area:
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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 |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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1,232 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
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territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM from Iles Kerguelen (does not include the rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands) |
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Climate:
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antarctic |
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Terrain:
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volcanic |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Ross on Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m |
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Natural resources:
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fish, crayfish |
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Land use:
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arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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islands component is widely scattered across remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean |
| People | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
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Population:
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no indigenous inhabitants (July 2002 est.)
note: in 2002, there were 145 researchers whose numbers vary from winter (July) to summer (January) (July 2004 est.) |
| Government | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
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Country name:
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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 |
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Dependency status:
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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) |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Legal system:
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the laws of France, where applicable, apply |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas territory of France) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas territory of France) |
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Flag description:
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the flag of France is used |
| Economy | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
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Economy - overview:
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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 |
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Internet country code:
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.tf |
| Transportation | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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none; offshore anchorage only |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 70 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,092,387 GRT/5,056,658 DWT
by type: bulk 4, cargo 2, chemical tanker 19, container 11, liquefied gas 7, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 11, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: Denmark 2, France 49, Japan 4, Monaco 5, Norway 5, Sweden 5 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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none |
| Military | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
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Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of France |
| Transnational Issues | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
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Disputes - international:
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French claim to "Adelie Land" in Antarctica is not recognized by the US |