Territoire des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises  (TAAF) Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Flag
Motto "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"
Click on map to enlarge
Capital		Port-aux-Français
Official languages		French
Government
-	Prefect	Michel Champon
Territoire d'outre-mer
-	Date	1955
Population
-	estimate	140 hab.
Internet TLD		.tf
Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands: see CIA World Factbook

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (French: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, abbreviated TAAF), full name Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (French: Territoire des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises), consist of: Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The national flag of France (known in French as drapeau tricolore, drapeau bleu-blanc-rouge, drapeau français, rarely, le tricolore and, in military parlance, les couleurs) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue (hoist side), white, and red. ... A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about a city that serves as a center of government and politics. ... Port-aux-Français is the capital settlement of the French Kerguelen Islands in the far southern Indian Ocean. ... An official language is a language that is given a unique legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... A Territoire doutre-mer (TOM, French for Overseas territory) is an administrative division of France. ... A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a top-level domain used and reserved for a country or a dependent territory. ... .tf is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the French Antarctic (French Southern Territories) territories. ...

1. a group of volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Africa, approximately equidistant between Africa, Antarctica and Australia.
2. Adélie Land. French claim exercises over this part of the Antarctica continent according to the Antarctic Treaty System.
3. the Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean.

The territory is also often called the French Southern Territories, which excludes Adélie Land where French sovereignty is not recognized internationally. [1] For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Adélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12S, 136°11E and Point Alden at 66°48S, 142°02E, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2600 km toward... The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earths only uninhabited continent. ... Location of the Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean: • 1 : Bassas da India • 2 : Europa Island • 3 : Glorioso Islands • 4 : Juan de Nova Island • 5 : Tromelin Island (KM : Comoros, MG : Madagascar, MU : Mauritius, MZ : Mozambique, RE : Réunion, YT : Mayotte) The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (French: ÃŽles Éparses...

These lands are not the same as France Antarctique, a former French colony in Brazil. France Antarctique was the name of the failed French colony south of the Equator, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which existed between 1555 and 1567. ...

Administration

TAAF Administrator's flag

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands have formed a territoire d'outre-mer (an overseas territory) of France since 1955. Formerly, they were administered from Paris by an administrateur supérieur assisted by a secretary-general; since December 2004, however, their administrator has been a préfet, currently Michel Champon, with headquarters in Saint-Pierre on Réunion Island. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_French_Southern_and_Antarctic_Lands. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_French_Southern_and_Antarctic_Lands. ... A Territoire doutre-mer (TOM, French for Overseas territory) is an administrative division of France. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... In France and many other French-speaking countries, a préfet (English: prefect) is the States representative in a département or région (in the later case, he is called a préfet de région). ... Saint-Pierre is a commune of the Réunion département doutre-mer of France. ... (Region flag) (Region logo) Location Administration Capital Saint-Denis Regional President Paul Vergès (PCR) (since 1998) Departments Réunion Arrondissements 4 Cantons 49 Communes 24 Statistics Land area1 2,512 km² Population (Ranked 21st)  - January 1, 2006 est. ...

The territory is divided into five districts:

⁽¹⁾According to new law 2007-224 of February 21, 2007 Scattered Islands constitute the 5th district of TAAF [2]. The website of the TAAF do not mention their population. The data are not included in the totals. In international maritime law, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is a seazone extending from a states coast over which the state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ... Map of St. ... ÃŽle Amsterdam IPA: (meaning Amsterdam island, after the Dutch capital) is a French island in the Indian Ocean located at . ... ÃŽle Amsterdam is a sub-Antarctic island discovered by Juan Sebastián de Elcano on March 18, 1522. ... The Crozet Islands (French ÃŽles Crozet) are a sub-antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean, part of the French Southern Territories. ... Alfred-Faure or Port Alfred is a permanent French scientific station on ÃŽle de la Possession of the Crozet Islands. ... The Kerguelen Archipelago is in the southern Indian Ocean at 49°20 S, 70°20 E. The main island Kerguelen, originally called Desolation Island, is 6,675 km2 and it is surrounded by another 300 smaller outcrops, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². The climate is cold, very windy... Port-aux-Français is the capital settlement of the French Kerguelen Islands in the far southern Indian Ocean. ... Adélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12S, 136°11E and Point Alden at 66°48S, 142°02E, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2600 km toward... The Dumont dUrville Station (French: Base Dumont dUrville) is a French scientific station located in Antarctica on ÃŽle des Pétrels, archipel de Pointe Géologie (66°40′ S 140°01′ E) in Adelie Land. ... Location of the Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean: • 1 : Bassas da India • 2 : Europa Island • 3 : Glorioso Islands • 4 : Juan de Nova Island • 5 : Tromelin Island (KM : Comoros, MG : Madagascar, MU : Mauritius, MZ : Mozambique, RE : Réunion, YT : Mayotte) The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (French: ÃŽles Éparses... The French Southern Territories (long name: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, French: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises or TAAF) are antarctic, volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Africa and about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia. ... Saint-Pierre is a commune of the Réunion département doutre-mer of France. ...

Each district is headed by a district chief, which has powers similar to those of a French mayor (including recording births and deaths and being an officer of judicial police). // Organizations Agencies France has two national general-purpose law enforcement agencies: the Police Nationale (civilian force; primary responsibility in urban areas; run under the Ministry of the Interior) the Gendarmerie Nationale (military force; primary responsibility in rural areas and military installations; run under the Ministry of Defence and under operational...

Because there is no permanent population, there is no elected assembly, nor does the territory send representatives to the national parliament.

Geography

Map of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Adélie Land or Bassas da India (Îles Éparses) not shown).

The territory includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Crozet, and Îles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean near 43°S, 67°E, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, Adélie Land, named by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville after his wife. Image File history File links TAAF-CIA_WFB_Map. ... Image File history File links TAAF-CIA_WFB_Map. ... Adélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12S, 136°11E and Point Alden at 66°48S, 142°02E, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2600 km toward... The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (in French ÃŽles éparses de locéan indien) are five islands of the Indian Ocean with no permanent population, Bassas da India, Europa, Juan de Nova, Glorioso, and Tromelin. ... ÃŽle Amsterdam IPA: (meaning Amsterdam island, after the Dutch capital) is a French island in the Indian Ocean located at . ... Map of St. ... The Crozet Islands (French ÃŽles Crozet) are a sub-antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean, part of the French Southern Territories. ... Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Archipelago is in the southern Indian Ocean at 49°20′ S 70°20′ E. The main island, Grande Terre, originally called Desolation Island, is 6,675 km2 and it is surrounded by another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². The... Territorial claims of Antarctica Antarctica territories Currently there are seven claimant nations who maintain a territorial claim on eight territories in Antarctica. ... Adélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12S, 136°11E and Point Alden at 66°48S, 142°02E, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2600 km toward... Exploration is the act of searching or traveling for the purpose of discovery, e. ... This article is about the French explorer. ...

The "Adélie Land" of about 432,000 km² and the islands, totaling 7781 km², have no indigenous inhabitants, though in 1997 there were about 100 researchers whose numbers varied from winter (July) to summer (January).

Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes; the highest point in the territory is Mont Ross on Îles Kerguelen at 1850 meters. There are no airstrips on the islands and the 1232 kilometers of coastline have no ports or harbors, only offshore anchorages. For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ...

The islands in the Indian Ocean are supplied by the special ship Marion Dufresne sailing out of Le Port in Réunion Island. Terre Adélie is supplied by Astrolabe sailing out of Hobart in Tasmania. Image:RV Marion Dufresne. ... Harbor in Le Port Le Port is a commune in the French overseas département of Réunion. ... Réunion is an island and overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, about 200 km southwest of Mauritius. ... Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. ... Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $16,114 (7th)  - Product per capita  $33,243/person (8th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  489,600 (6th)  - Density  7. ...

However, the territory has a merchant marine fleet totaling (in 1999) 2,892,911 GRT / 5,165,713 DWT, including seven bulk carriers, five cargo ships, ten chemical tankers, nine container ships, six liquified gas carriers, 24 petroleum tankers, one refrigerated cargo ship, and ten roll-on/roll-off (RORO) carriers. This fleet is maintained as a subset of the French register that allows French-owned ships to operate under more liberal taxation and manning regulations than permissible under the main French register. This register, however, is to vanish, replaced by the International French Register (Registre International Français, RIF). Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Tonnage is a measure of the size or cargo capacity of a ship. ... Dead weight tonnage refers to the weight, in long tons, that a ship can safely carry when fully loaded. ... Skaugran Oslo Loading a Ro Ro passenger car ferry The Cetus Leader A Canadian RORO Ferry A PCC ships starboard side showing side ramp. ...

Economy

The territory's natural resources are limited to fish and crustaceans; economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets.

The main fish resources are Patagonian toothfish and spiny lobster. Both are poached by foreign fleets; because of this, the French Navy and occasionally other services patrol the zone and arrest poaching vessels. Such arrests can result in heavy fines and/or the seizure of the ship. Binomial name Dissostichus eleginoides Smitt, 1898 The Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) is a large fish found in the cold, temperate waters (from 50 to 3850m) of the Southern Atlantic, Southern Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans on seamounts and continental shelves around most sub-Antarctic islands. ... Genera Jasus Linuparus Palinurus Panulirus Spiny lobsters, also known as rock lobsters are a family (Palinuridae) of about 45 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia. ... The French Navy, officially called the National Navy (French: Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military. ...

France used to sell licenses to fish the Patagonian toothfish to foreign fisheries; because of overfishing, it is now restricted to a small number of fisheries from Réunion Island.

The territory takes in revenues of about $18 million a year.

Marion Dufresne can host a limited number of fee-paying tourists, who will be able to visit the islands as the ship calls. Image:RV Marion Dufresne. ... Tourists on Oahu, Hawaii Tourism is travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes or the provision of services to support this leisure travel. ...

Miscellany

The French Southern Territories (i.e. excluding Adélie Land) is given the following country codes: FS (FIPS) and TF (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2). Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) two-letter country codes (FIPS 10-4) are used by the US Government for data processing, and in the CIA World Factbook. ... ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are two-letter country codes in the ISO 3166-1 standard to represent countries and dependent areas. ...

See also

• French overseas departments and territories
• Administrative divisions of France
• Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans

The French Overseas Departments and Territories (often abbreviated DOM-TOM for départements doutre-mer, territoires doutre-mer) consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of Europe. ... Metropolitan (i. ... Indian Ocean Islands The following islands are in the Indian Ocean Réunion (French: La Réunion) - (Overseas department and region) Mayotte (French: Mayotte) - (Overseas collectivity entitled departmental collectivity) Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (French: Îles Éparses) (all five have no permanent population) Bassas da India (French: Île Bassas...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

• Official site
• French Southern and Antarctic Lands at the CIA World Factbook
• Southern & Antarctic Territories
• Crozet Archipelago
• Kerguelen Archipelago
• Terre Adélie

v • d • e Antarctic territorial claims
Current	Adélie Land · Argentine Antarctica · Australian Antarctic Territory · British Antarctic Territory · Antarctic Chilean Territory · Ross Dependency · Queen Maud Land · Peter I Island The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earths only uninhabited continent. ... Territorial claims of Antarctica Antarctica territories Currently there are seven claimant nations who maintain a territorial claim on eight territories in Antarctica. ... Adélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12S, 136°11E and Point Alden at 66°48S, 142°02E, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2600 km toward... Antarctic portion between meridians 25º West and 74º West Argentine Antarctica (in Spanish, Antártida Argentina) is a sector of Antarctica which Argentina considers part of its National Territory. ... The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia. ... Motto: Research and Discovery Anthem: God Save the Queen Status British overseas territory Official language(s) - Commissioner Tony Crombie Administrator Michael Richardson Area 1,395,000 km² Population c. ... Flag of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region showing the southern cross. ... Political status Dependency of New Zealand Governor Anand Satyanand Area   – Total  450 000 km² (174 000 mi²) Population Scott Base: 10-80 seasonally McMurdo Station: 200-1000 seasonally Currency New Zealand dollar The Ross Dependency comprises an area of Antarctica (and other land masses in the Southern Ocean) claimed by... Queen Maud Land (Norwegian: Dronning Maud Land) is the part of Antarctica lying between the terminus of Stancomb-Wills Glacier, at 20°W, and Shinnan Glacier, at 44° 38E. It has a land area of approximately 2,500,000 km², mostly covered by the Antarctic ice sheet. ... Fabian von Bellingshausen discovered Peter I Island (in Norwegian ) off West Antarctica on January 21, 1821. ...
Former	New Swabia
Informal	Brazilian Antarctica