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Concept
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Summary
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, TAAF) is an overseas Territory (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 (Terres australes françaises) or the French Southern Territories, usually to emphasize non-recognition of French sovereignty over Adélie Land as part of the Antarctic Treaty System.
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.
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.
Several of the islands within this territory were originally discovered as part of the Sea Route to India. The Portuguese discovered Saint Paul Island in the sixteenth century; in the seventeenth century, the Dutch became the first to land on (and name) Amsterdam Island. The French discovered the Crozet Islands some time later, in the eighteenth century; the other islands were also first explored by Europeans within this time frame.
List of superior administrators of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands have formed a territoire d'outre-mer (an overseas territory) of France since 1955.
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