countries/FS

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

territoryFIPS: FS|Edition: 1996|35 fields

COMMUNICATIONS(7 fields)

Defense note

defense is the responsibility of France

Radio broadcast stations

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios

NA

Telephone system

domestic: NA international: NA

Telephones

NA

Television broadcast stations

NA

Televisions

NA Defense

ECONOMY(2 fields)

Budget

revenues: $22.6 million expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995)

Economic 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.

GEOGRAPHY(15 fields)

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 Crozet and Iles Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" 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

Geographic coordinates

43 00 S, 67 00 E

Geographic note

remote location in the southern Indian Ocean

International disputes

"Adelie Land" 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, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - French Southern and Antarctic Lands includes 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"

Map references

Antarctic Region

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources

fish, crayfish

Terrain

volcanic lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Ross on Kerguelen 1,850 m

GOVERNMENT(7 fields)

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

Capital

none; administered from Paris, France

Data code

FS

Flag

the flag of France is used

Independence

none (overseas territory of France)

Name of country

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 of government

overseas territory of France since 1955; governed by High Administrator Christian DORS (since 4 December 1991)

PEOPLE(1 fields)

Population

no indigenous inhabitants; note - there were 145 (1995) mostly researchers whose numbers vary from winter (July) to summer (January)

TRANSPORTATION(3 fields)

Airports

none (1994 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 66 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,133,942 GRT/3,617,863 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 6, chemical tanker 7, container 10, liquefied gas tanker 4, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, specialized tanker 1 note: a subset of the French register allowing French-owned ships to operate under more liberal taxation and manning regulations than permissable under the main French register (1995 est.)

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only