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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. |
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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:
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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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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 |
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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.) |
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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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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. |
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Internet country code:
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.tf |
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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 |
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Military - note:
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defense is the
responsibility of France |
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Disputes - international:
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French claim to
"Adelie Land" in Antarctica is not recognized by the
US |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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