French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Highways

total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA

Merchant marine

21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 441,962 GRT/813,779 DWT, bulk 3, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, liquified gas 2, multifunction large load carrier 1, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4 note: a captive subset of the French register

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only

Telecommunications

NA

Note

defense is the responsibility of France

Budget

revenues: $17.5 million expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Overview

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

Area

total area: 7,781 sq km land area: 7,781 sq km comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Delaware note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Kerguelen, and Iles Crozet; excludes Terre Adelie claim of about 500,000 sq km in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Climate

antarctic

Coastline

1,232 km

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes international agreements: NA

International disputes

Terre Adelie claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US

Irrigated land

0 sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%

Location

Southern Africa, in the southern Indian Ocean, about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia

Map references

Antarctic Region, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen only territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

fish, crayfish

Note

remote location in the southern Indian Ocean

Terrain

volcanic

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 Terre Adelie claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Capital

none; administered from Paris, France

Digraph

FS

Flag

the flag of France is used

Independence

none (overseas territory of France)

Names

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

Type

overseas territory of France since 1955; governed by High Administrator Bernard de GOUTTES (since May 1990), who is assisted by a 7-member Consultative Council and a 12-member Scientific Council

Population

no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are researchers whose numbers vary from 150 in winter (July) to 200 in summer (January)