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French Southern and Antarctic Lands Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (French) | |
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Motto: | |
Anthem: La Marseillaise ("The Marseillaise") | |
![]() Location of French Southern and Antarctic Lands (circled in red) in the Indian Ocean (light blue) | |
Sovereign state | ![]() |
Territorial status | 6 August 1955[1] |
Capital | Saint Pierre, Réunion (headquarters, not geographically assigned) 43°00′S 67°00′E / 43.000°S 67.000°E[2] |
Largest settlement | Port-aux-Français |
Official languages | French |
Government | |
Emmanuel Macron | |
• Prefect, Administrator Superior | Florence Jeanblanc-Risler |
• Secretary General | Thierry Dousset[3] |
Legislature | Advisory Council of the TAAF |
Area | |
• Total | 439,666.4 km2 (169,756.1 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Estimate | Officially 400~800 permanent scientists and military personnel[4] No known permanent population[5] |
Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
Time zone | |
Driving side | right |
ISO 3166 code | |
Internet TLD | .tf |
Website | taaf |
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands[6] (French: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, TAAF) is an overseas territory (French: Territoire d'outre-mer or TOM) of France. It consists of:
The territory is sometimes referred to as the French Southern Lands (French: Terres australes françaises) or the French Southern Territories,[7] usually to emphasize non-recognition of French sovereignty over Adélie Land as part of the Antarctic Treaty System.[5]
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.[8]
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.[9]