NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises
INTRODUCTION
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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
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Location:
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south 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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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM from Iles Kerguelen only
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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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
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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) |