ve fauna. The Antarctic
portion consists of "Adelie Land," a thin slice of the Antarctic
continent discovered and claimed by the French in 1840.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands Geography

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"

Geographic coordinates: 43 00 S, 67 00 E

Map references: Antarctic Region

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,232 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM from Iles
Kerguelen only

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: antarctic

Terrain: volcanic

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Ross on Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m

Natural resources: fish, crayfish

Land use: arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 100%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct
volcanoes

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: islands component is widely scattered across
remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean

French Southern and Antarctic Lands People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants (July 2001 est.)

note: in 1997, there were about 100 researchers whose numbers vary
from winter (July) to summer (January)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands Government

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

Dependency status: overseas territory of France since 1955;
administered from Paris by High Commissioner of the Republic
Brigitte GIRARDIN (since 25 March 1998), as