Background: This isolated island was named for John CLIPPERTON a pirate who made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855 it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France which took possession in 1935.
Government type: French possession administered from French Polynesia by High Commissioner of the Republic Jean MONTPEZAT; note--may have become a dependency of French Polynesia Clipperton Island Clipperton IslandClipperton Island