(From the CIA World Fact Book 1995)


FRENCH SOUTHERN AND ANTARCTIC LANDS

Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces

FRENCH SOUTHERN AND ANTARCTIC LANDS

 (overseas territory of France) 

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Geography

 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 Antartica, "Terre Adelie"; the
 United States does not recognize the French claim to "Terre Adelie"

 Map references: Antarctic Region

 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 "Terre Adelie" claim of about 500,000 sq km in
 Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

 Land boundaries: 0 km

 Coastline: 1,232 km

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

 International disputes: "Terre Adelie" claim in Antarctica is not
 recognized by the US

 Climate: antarctic

 Terrain: volcanic

 Natural resources: fish, crayfish

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

 Irrigated land: 0 sq km

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

 Note: remote location in the southern Indian Ocean

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:People

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

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Government

 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

 Digraph: FS

 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

 Capital: none; administered from Paris, France

 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

 Independence: none (overseas territory of France)

 Flag: the flag of France is used

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.

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

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Transportation

 Highways:
 total: NA
 paved: NA
 unpaved: NA

 Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

 Merchant marine:
 total: 48 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,290,975 GRT/2,403,050
 DWT
 ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 6, chemical tanker 4, container 1,
 liquefied gas tanker 3, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker
 15, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8, specialized
 liquefied 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

 Airports: none

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Communications

 Telephone system: NA telephones
 local: NA
 intercity: NA
 international: NA

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: NA
 televisions: NA

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Defense Forces

 Note: defense is the responsibility of France


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