French Southern and Antarctic Lands
 

Adopted 21 Nov 1924   Oct 1956 - 23 Feb 2007 Flag of the Administrator-superior Adopted 23 Feb 2007 Administrator-superior's Flag Map of French Antarctica (Terre Adelie Land) Map of Iles Crozet, Kerguelen Island, St. Paul and Amsterdam  Hear National Anthem "La Marseillaise"  Constitution  (28 Sep 1958) Capital: Port-aux-Français, Iles Kerguelen ------------------------------------ Administrative Seat: Saint-Denis, Réunion (Paris, France 6 Aug 1955 - 1 Apr 2000) ------------------------------------ Chief Station: Dumont d'Urville Base (from 1956) (Port-Martin 1950-1952, Base Marret 1952-1955) Currency: Euro (EUR); 1959-1 Jan 2002 French Franc (FRF) National Holiday: 14 Jul (1789) Fête Nationale  (National Holiday "Bastille Day") Population: no indigenous inhabitants, except for visits by scientists: Iles Kerguelen 50-100; Iles Crozet 18-30; Seasonal Research Staff Summer (Dec.-Feb.): 136 Winter (Jun.-Aug.): 13 (2024) Total Active Armed Forces: N/A Defense is the Responsibility of the France Merchant marine: 20 ships (2020) Number of Yr.-round Stations: 1 Summer-only Stations: 1 (2024) GDP: N/A Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations, military bases, and French and other fishing fleets. International Organizations/Treaties: UPU French Southern and Antarctic Lands Index Chronology 18 Mar 1522                Nouvelle-Amsterdam islands are sighted by Spanish                              Capt. Juan Sebastián Elcano (b. c.1476 - d. 1526)                              of the crew of Ferdinand Magellan. 18 Jun 1633                Dutch Capt. Antonie van Diemen (b. 1592 - d. 1645)                              visits Amsterdam Island, which he names Nieuw                              Amsterdam Eiland. 19 Apr 1618                Saint-Paul Island discovered by Dutch Capt. Harwick                              Claesz de Hillegom, named Zeewolf Eiland. 24 Jan 1772                Crozet Islands discovered and claimed for France                              by Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (b. 1724 - d.                              1772) who lands on île de la Possession. 12 Feb 1772                Kerguelen Islands claimed for France by Yves Joseph                              de Kerguelen-Trémarec (b. 1734 - d. 1797), and                              named La France Australe. 28 Mar 1792                Nouvelle-Amsterdam and Saint-Paul Islands claimed                              for France by Joseph Antoine de Bruni                              d'Entrecasteaux (b. 1739 - d. 1793). 26 Dec 1825 - Feb 1827     British sailor John Nunn (b. 1803 - d. 1860) and 3                              crew are wrecked on the Kerguelen Islands. 21 Jan 1840                Terre Adélie (Adelie Land) in Antarctica discovered                              and claimed for France by Capt. Jules Sébastien                              César Dumont d'Urville (b. 1790 - d. 1842).  8 Jun 1843                Governor of Réunion annexes the Iles Nouvelle-                              Amsterdam and Saint-Paul for France (formally                              from 1 Jul 1843). Sep 1874 - Jan 1875        French astronomical mission, aboard the ship Le                              Fernand, visits Nouvelle-Amsterdam and Saint-                              Paul. 27 Oct 1892                French ship La Bourdonnais takes possession of                              Nouvelle-Amsterdam Island for France.  2-8 Jan 1893              French ship L'Eure reaffirms French sovereignty                              over the Iles Kerguelen, and on 24 Jan 1893                              Nouvelle-Amsterdam et Saint-Paul. 21 Nov 1924                Terre Adélie (Adelie Land) in Antarctica                              officially annexed by France. 21 Nov 1924                Decrees consolidate French claims to Iles                              Crozets, Iles Kerguelen, Iles Nouvelle-Amsterdam                               et Saint-Paul and Terre Adélie (under the                              administration of the Governors-general of                              Madagascar as Dépendances de Madagascar).  1 Apr 1938                France formally claims sovereignty over Terre                              Adélie, defined as the sector of Antarctica                              between 136 degrees and 142 degrees E. 16 May 1939                A U.S. note to the French government expresses a                              policy according to which the U.S. does not                              recognize French sovereignty in Adélie Land. 14 Dec 1940 - 10 Jan 1941  German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis anchored in the                              Bassin de la Gazelle at Kerguelen Island, where                              the crewmen performed maintenance and replenished                              their water supplies. 13 Mar 1941 - 25 Mar 1941  German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin tied up in                              Kerguelen at Port-Couvreux for maintenance. Jan 1950                   A permanent French base, Camp Heurtin (renamed La                              Roche Godon in 1961), established by Paul de                              Martin de Viviès on Nouvelle-Amsterdam, followed                              by a second at Port-aux-Français, on the Courbet                              Peninsula of Kerguelen Island.  3 Feb 1950 - 24 Jan 1952  Port-Martin the first permanent French base on the                              Antarctic mainland.  6 Aug 1955                French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres                               Australes et Antarctiques Françaises) an                               overseas territory (detached from Madagascar                               [French Antarctic Terre Adélie, Iles Crozet,                              Iles Kerguelen and Iles Saint-Paul et Nouvelle-                              Amsterdam]), under the authority of an                              administrator-superior, responsible to the                              government member for the overseas possessions.  1 Jan 1956                Dumont d'Urville Antarctic station established on                              Petrel Island on the coast of Terre Adélie. 29 Jan 1957                At Terre Adélie another station is completed in                              connection with the International Geophysical                              Year: Charcot, at the magnetic pole, 320 km from                              the sea (it is abandoned in 1958).  1 Dec 1959                France is an original signatory of the Antarctic                              Treaty (effective 23 Jun 1961). The treaty puts                              all sovereignty claims in abeyance. 14 Jun 1960                The Îles Éparses are detached from Madagascar                              shortly before the latter's independence and                              attached to the French Overseas Ministry (by                              décret no 60-555 1 Apr 1960). 1964                       Another base is opened at Alfred Faure on Île de la                              Possession, in the Crozet Archipelago. 1966                       Nouvelle-Amsterdam is renamed Amsterdam. Jan 1986                   Madagascar includes the Îles Éparses in its                              "exclusive maritime zone" by extending it to 200                               miles. 13 Jan 1992                Institut Français pour la Recherche et la                              Technologie Polaires (IFRTP)(renamed in 2002 the                              Institut Polaire Français Paul Émile Victor                              [IPEV] in 2002) created to manage the French                              National Antarctic Program. 27 Feb 1997                A decree is promulgated, under which administration                              of the TAAF is formally transferred from Paris to                              Saint-Pierre, Réunion, on 1 Apr 2000. 28 Mar 2003                Category of "overseas territory" removed in French                              constitutional revision; organization of French                              Southern and Antarctic Lands to be determined by                              law; the TAAF are left as a sui generis                              territory.  3 Jan 2005                Administrative control of the Îles Éparses is                              transferred from the prefect of Réunion to the                              administrator-superior of the TAAF. Feb 2005                   Concordia Station a joint French–Italian winter-                              over Antarctic research facility opens.  3 Oct 2006                Crozet, Kerguelen, Amsterdam, and Saint-Paul are                              designated as a nature and marine reserve named                              National Nature Reserve of the French Southern                              and Antarctic Lands (Réserve Naturelle Nationale                              des Terres Australes Françaises) designated. 21 Feb 2007                The Îles Éparses in the Indian Ocean (Îles Éparses                              de l'océan Indien)(Bassas da India, Europa,                              Glorioso, Juan de Nova and Tromelin) incorporated                              into TAAF (see French Minor Islands). 12 Dec 2016                The marine reserves are extended by some 550,000 sq                              km, to 672,969 sq km (which includes areas                              outside territorial waters but within a limit of                              200 nautical miles). New enhanced marine                              protection zones are established by the same                              decree, encompassing some 120,000 sq km of                              maritime areas where extractive industries,                              including fishing, are prohibited. In Mar 2017                              "protected perimeters" are set up round the                              zones, establishing a protected region totaling                              1,662,766 sq km.  5 Jul 2019                French Austral Lands and Seas are inscribed as a                              UNESCO World Heritage Site. 11 Feb 2022                The nature reserve is extended to all the maritime                              areas of the Southern Islands, nearly an                              additional 1 million sq km. TAAF Districts Crozets Iles Éparses Kerguelen Saint Paul et Amsterdam Terre Adélie

Note: The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises) comprise , a narrow segment of Antarctica, lies between 136° E and 142° E, with a shore length of about 350 km (220 mi) and with its inland part extending as a sector of a circle about 2,600 km (1,600 mi) toward the South Pole. Adélie Land has borders with the Australian Antarctic Territory both on the east and on the west, namely on Clarie Land (part of Wilkes Land) in the west, and George V Land in the east. It has a total area of 432,000 km sq (167,000 sq mi). The TAAF also includes three groups of sub-Antarctic islands (the Kerguelen and Crozet archipelagos, and Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Islands) in the southern Indian Ocean; and the Îles Éparses ("Scattered Islands"), in the Indian Ocean around Madagascar, comprising Bassas da India, Juan de Nova, Europa, and Les Glorieuses, which are also claimed by Madagascar, and Tromelin, also claimed by Madagascar and Mauritius.

Administrators-superior (in Paris, France)
15 Sep 1955 - 1958         Xavier Richert                     (b. 1913 - d. 1992)
23 Dec 1958 - 1972         Pierre Charles Rolland             (b. 1918 - d. 1988)
 4 Jul 1973 - 1979         Roger Barberot                     (b. 1915 - d. 2002)
 5 Sep 1979 - 1982         Francis Jacquemont                 (b. 1932 - d. 1996)
11 Mar 1982 - 1987         Claude Pieri                       (b. 1922 - d. 2002)
25 Mar 1987 - May 1990     Claude Eugène André Corbier        (b. 1927 - d. 2021)
16 May 1990 -  4 Dec 1991  Bernard de Gouttes Lastouzeilles   (b. 1945 - d. 2023)
 4 Dec 1991 -  8 Feb 1996  Christian Dors                     (b. 1954)
14 Mar 1996 - 25 Mar 1998  Pierre Lise                        (b. 1937)
25 Mar 1998 - 26 Jan 2000  Brigitte Girardin (f)              (b. 1953)
14 Feb 2000 - 24 May 2000  Jean-Yves Hermoso (acting)
24 May 2000 - 21 Jan 2005  François Garde                     (b. 1959)
21 Jan 2005 - 28 Feb 2007  Michel Champon                     (b. 1952)
28 Feb 2007 - 10 Apr 2007  Alain Mauroy (acting)              (b. 1946)
10 Apr 2007 - Sep 2008     Éric Pilloton                      (b. 1964)
16 Oct 2008 - Nov 2010     Rollon Mouchel-Blaisot             (b. 1959)
 4 Nov 2010 - 10 Apr 2012  Christian Gaudin                   (b. 1950)
10 Apr 2012 - Oct 2014     Pascal Bolot                       (b. 1963)
13 Oct 2014 - 31 May 2018  Cécile Pozzo di Borgo (f)          (b. 1952)
 1 Jun 2018 - 19 Nov 2018  Christine Geoffroy (f) (acting)    (b. 1962)
19 Nov 2018 - Sep 2020     Évelyne Decorps (f)                (b. 1957)
Sep 2020 - 12 Oct 2020     Thierry Dousset (acting)           (b. 1971)
12 Oct 2020 - Oct 2022     Charles Giusti                     (b. 1963)
Oct 2022 - 27 Oct 2022     Gilbert Manciet (acting)           (b. 1966)
27 Oct 2022 - 31 Dec 2025  Florence Jeanblanc-Risler (f)      (b. 1957)
 1 Jan 2025 - 13 Jan 2026  Amélie Puccinelli (f) (acting)
13 Jan 2026 -              Mikaël Quimbert                    (b. 1973)

Territorial Disputes: French "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in Antarctica is recognized by Australia, New Zealand, Norway and U.K., but it is not recognized by the United Nations, U.S., Russia or by most other countries; vegetated drying cays of Banc du Geyser, which were claimed by Madagascar in 1976, also fall within the EEZ claims of the Comoros and France (Glorioso Islands); Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island (Îles Eparses) are claimed by Madagascar; Tromelin Island (Îles Eparses) claimed by Mauritius.