French Southern and Antarctic Lands Geography
Locationsoutheast 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''
Geographic coordinates
43 00 S, 67 00 E
Area
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
Area - comparative
slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
1,232 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen (does not include the rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands)
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%
other: 100% (2001)
Irrigated land
0 sq km (1998 est.)
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
