French Southern and Antarctic Lands
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French Southern and Antarctic Lands Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (French) | |
---|---|
| |
Motto: | |
Anthem: La Marseillaise ("The Marseillaise") | |
Sovereign state | France |
Territorial status | 6 August 1955[1] |
Capital | Saint Pierre, Réunion (headquarters, not geographically assigned) 43°00′S 67°00′E / 43.000°S 67.000°E[2] |
Largest settlement | Port-aux-Français |
Official languages | French |
Government | |
Emmanuel Macron | |
• Prefect, Administrator Superior | Florence Jeanblanc-Risler |
• Secretary General | Thierry Dousset[3] |
Legislature | Advisory Council of the TAAF |
Area | |
• Total | 439,666.4 km2 (169,756.1 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Estimate | Officially 400~800 permanent scientists and military personnel[4] No known permanent population[5] |
Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
Time zone | |
Driving side | right |
ISO 3166 code | |
Internet TLD | .tf |
Website | taaf |
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands[6] (French: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, TAAF) is an overseas territory (French: Territoire d'outre-mer or TOM) of France. It consists of:
- Adélie Land (Terre Adélie), the French claim on the continent of Antarctica.
- Crozet Islands (Îles Crozet), a group in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Madagascar.
- Kerguelen Islands (Archipel des Kerguelen), a group of volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, southeast of Africa.
- Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands (Îles Saint Paul et Amsterdam), a group to the north of the Kerguelen Islands.
- Scattered Islands (Îles Éparses), a dispersed group of islands around the coast of Madagascar.
The territory is sometimes referred to as the French Southern Lands (French: Terres australes françaises) or the French Southern Territories,[7] usually to emphasize non-recognition of French sovereignty over Adélie Land as part of the Antarctic Treaty System.[5]
The entire territory has no known permanently settled inhabitants. Approximately 150 (in the winter) to 310 (in the summer) people are usually present in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands at any time, but they are mainly made up of military personnel, officials, scientific researchers and support staff.[8]
On 5 July 2019, the Crozet Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, and the Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as the "French Austral Lands and Seas" because of their pristine wilderness, biodiversity, and enormous bird colonies.[9]
History
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Discovery
The islands began to be discovered in the 16th century, when the Spanish discovered Amsterdam Island on 18 March 1522, which was later claimed and named by the Dutch.[10] Saint Paul Island was discovered in 1559 by the Portuguese.[10] The Crozet islands were discovered on 24 January 1772 by French explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne during an expedition.[11] Adelie Land was the last to be discovered, in 1840 by the French during an expedition led by Jules Dumont d'Urville, who would later have a research station on the island named after him.[12][13]
The islands were officially recognized by law on 6 August 1956. This overruled the law passed in 1924 that tied the territory with the Government General of France in Madagascar
Administration
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 Florence Jeanblanc-Risler,[14][15] with headquarters in Saint Pierre on Réunion Island.
The TAAF administration, the French Polar Institute Paul-Émile Victor (IPEV) and the
The territory is divided into five districts:
District | Administrative centre | Population | Area | EEZ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winter | Summer | (km2) | |||
Adélie Land | Dumont d'Urville Station | 30 | 110 | 432,000 | — |
Crozet Islands | Alfred Faure | 25 | 45 | 352 | 567,475 |
Kerguelen Islands | Port-aux-Français | 70 | 110 | 7,215 | 563,869 |
Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands | Martin-de-Viviès
|
25 | 45 | 61 | 502,533 |
Scattered Islandsa | Saint Pierreb, Réunion | 56 | 56 | 38.4 | 640,400 |
TAAF | Saint Pierrec, Réunion | 206 | 366 | 439,666.4 | 2,274,277 |
a According to new law 2007-224 of February 21, 2007, the Scattered Islands constitute the TAAF's fifth district.
Each district is headed by a district chief, who has powers similar to those of a French mayor (including recording births and deaths and being an officer of judicial police).
Because there is no permanent population, there is no elected assembly, nor does the territory send representatives to the national parliament.
Geography
The territory includes the Crozet Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, and the Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands in the southern Indian Ocean near 43°S, 67°E, along with Adélie Land, the sector of Antarctica claimed by France, named by the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville after his wife.[12]
Adélie Land (about 432,000 km2 or 167,000 sq mi) and the islands, totaling 7,781 km2 (3,004 sq mi), have no indigenous inhabitants, though in 1997 there were about 100 researchers whose numbers varied from winter (July) to summer (January).
Amsterdam Island and Saint Paul Island are extinct volcanoes and have been delineated as the Amsterdam and Saint-Paul Islands temperate grasslands ecoregion.[19][10] The highest point in the territory is Mont Ross on Kerguelen Island at 1,850 m (6,070 ft). There are very few airstrips on the islands, only existing on islands with weather stations, and the 1,232 km (766 mi) of coastline have no ports or harbors, only offshore anchorages.[10]
The islands in the Indian Ocean are supplied by the special ship
However, the territory has a
Flora and fauna
Designations | |
---|---|
Official name | French Austral Lands and Seas |
Criteria | Natural: (vii), (ix), (x) |
Designated | 2019 (43rd session) |
Reference no. | 1603 |
Region | Western Europe |
Official name | Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Francaises |
Designated | 15 September 2008 |
Reference no. | 1837[21] |
Due to their isolation, the French islands in the southern Indian Ocean comprise one of the last remaining large wilderness areas on Earth.
Because of their isolation and subpolar location, the French Southern Lands are relatively depauperate of vegetation, with both Saint-Paul and Crozet having no native tree or shrub species.[24] However, eight of the 36 higher plant species are endemic.[25] Some species of endemic invertebrates have also been recorded on the islands, including moths and flies which have lost their wings in the absence of predators.[23]
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.[26]
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.[27][28] Such arrests can result in heavy fines and/or the seizure of the ship.
France previously sold licenses to foreign fisheries to fish the Patagonian toothfish; because of overfishing, it is now restricted to a small number of fisheries from Réunion Island.[29]
The territory takes in revenues of about €16 million a year.
Locations and Scientific Stations
In the territory there is no permanent population but there are some areas that contain research stations. Ile Amsterdam has
Codes
The French Southern Territories (i.e. the TAAF excluding Adélie Land) have been given the following country codes: FS (FIPS) and TF (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2).
See also
- Administrative divisions of France
- French colonial empire
- French Fifth Republic
- List of French islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans
- List of French possessions and colonies
- Outline of France
- Overseas France
References
- ^ Government of the French Republic (6 August 1955). "Loi n° 55-1052 du 6 août 1955 conférant l'autonomie administrative et financière aux Terres australes et antarctiques françaises". legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ French Southern and Antarctic Lands in Geonames.org (cc-by)
- ^ Government of the French Republic (6 March 2020). "Arrêté du 6 mars 2020 portant nomination du secrétaire général des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises". legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ TAAF Collectivity. "Présentation des territoires". taaf.fr (in French). Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Antarctica :: French Southern and Antarctic Lands". CIA.gov/Library/Publications/The-World-Factbook. CIA. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "List of countries, territories and currencies". Interinstitutional style guide. Publications Office. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
- ISO.org. ISO. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "The TAAF do not have any permanent population." "The French Southern and Antarctic Lands". French Southern and Antarctic Lands administration. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ^ "Five sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. 5 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Early History of Amsterdam and St Paul Islands, South Indian Ocean". 23 October 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-57607-422-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-908988-71-6.
- ^ "French Southern and Antarctic Lands - 2022 World Factbook Archive". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ^ Government of the French Republic (16 September 2020). "Décret du 16 septembre 2020 portant nomination du préfet, administrateur supérieur des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises - M. GIUSTI (Charles)". legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Florence Jeanblanc-Risler nouvelle préfète des Taaf". Le Marin (in French). 6 October 2022.
- ^ French Navy receives icebreaker and patrol vessel L'Astrolabe. Naval Today, 13 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
- ^ "Le Champlain : un soutien logistique pour les îles Éparses" (in French). Ministère des Armées. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Les îles Éparses". Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Amsterdam Island". www.volcanodiscovery.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Marion Dufresne". Institut Polaire (in French). Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Francaises". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b "French Austral Lands and Seas". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d French Austral Lands and Seas (Report). IUCN. April 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- .
- S2CID 91871485.
- ^ "Saint Pierre and Miquelon (SPM) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners". OEC. Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "L'Astrolabe". Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Lutte contre la pêche illicite". Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Protéger: des îles sentinelles La gestion de la pêche dans les Terres australes françaises" (PDF). taaf.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Stations". EPB. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
External links
- Official website
- Wikimedia Atlas of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands – official French website (in English)
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
- French Southern Territories at Curlie
- Southern & Antarctic Territories
- Crozet Archipelago
- Kerguelen Archipelago
- Terre Adélie