countries/FS

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

territoryFIPS: FS|Edition: 1997|39 fields

COMMUNICATIONS(6 fields)

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

ECONOMY(2 fields)

Budget

revenues: $24.5 million expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996)

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.

GEOGRAPHY(18 fields)

Area

total: 7,781 sq km land: 7,781 sq km water: 0 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

Area - comparative

slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware

Climate

antarctic

Coastline

1,232 km

Elevation extremes

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

Environment - current issues

NA

Environment - international agreements

party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

Geographic coordinates

43 00 S, 67 00 E

Geography - note

remote location in the southern Indian Ocean

Irrigated land

0 sq km (1993)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

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

Location

South of 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 hazards

Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes

Natural resources

fish, crayfish

Terrain

volcanic

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

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

Data code

FS

Dependency status

overseas territory of France since 1955; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic

Flag description

the flag of France is used

Independence

none (overseas territory of France)

National capital

none; administered from Paris, France

MILITARY(1 fields)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France

PEOPLE(1 fields)

Population

no indigenous inhabitants note: there were 134 (1996) mostly researchers whose numbers vary from winter (July) to summer (January)

TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(1 fields)

Disputes - international

"Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US GABON

TRANSPORTATION(3 fields)

Airports

none

Merchant marine

total: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,535,552 GRT/4,382,987 DWT ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 7, chemical tanker 7, container 11, liquefied gas tanker 5, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, specialized tanker 1 note: a subset of the French register allowing French-owned ships to operate under more liberal taxation and manning regulations than permissible under the main French register (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors

none; offshore anchorage only