Background: 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.

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 1,232 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 12 nm
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploration
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: antarctic

Terrain: volcanic

Natural resources: fish, crayfish

Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other

Geography
Note: located in the southern Indian Ocean about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia

Population: 210 (July 1990), growth rate 0.00% (1990; mostly researchers

Environment
Current issues: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes

Country name: conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Government type: overseas territory of France governed by High Administrator Claude CORBIER (since NA 1988)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

Economy overview: Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The fishing catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.

Merchant marine: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 217,203 GRT/348,632 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 2 bulk; note--a subset of the French register

Disputes international: claim in Antarctica (Terre Adelie) not recognized by the US