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Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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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.
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Location:
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southeast 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
land: 7,829 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
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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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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen (does not include the rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands)
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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% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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0 sq km
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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Airports:
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none (2005)
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Merchant marine:
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total: 77 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,574,270 GRT/5,647,334 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 22, container 18, liquefied gas 8, petroleum tanker 17, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 4
foreign-owned: 77 (Belgium 5, Denmark 2, France 45, Germany 2, Greece 2, Hong Kong 3, Japan 4, Norway 3, Saudi Arabia 1, Sweden 8, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2005)
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Ports and terminals:
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none; offshore anchorage only
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Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of France
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Disputes - international:
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French claim to "Adelie Land" in Antarctica is not recognized by the US
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This page was last updated on 16 May, 2006
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