French Southern and Antarctic Lands

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (French: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, TAAF) is an overseas territory of France. It is made up of several distant islands and a small piece of land in Antarctica.

It includes Adélie Land in Antarctica, the Crozet Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, the Kerguelen Islands, Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands, and the Scattered Islands near Madagascar. These places are very far away and very wild.

There are no permanent families living there. Only about 150 to 310 people, such as scientists and support workers, stay there during different times of the year.

In 2019, some of these islands became a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of their special nature, many animals, and huge bird groups. Even though the area’s administration is linked to Réunion, this island is a different part of France and not part of the territory itself.

History

The islands were first seen in the 16th century. Spanish explorers found Amsterdam Island in 1522, and later the Dutch claimed it. In 1559, the Portuguese discovered Saint Paul Island. French explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne found the Crozet islands in 1772. The last piece, Adelie Land, was found in 1840 by a French team led by Jules Dumont d'Urville.

These islands do not have permanent people living there. Mostly, they are visited by scientists, military workers, and others who help with research. In 2019, some of these islands were named a special UNESCO World Heritage Site because of their wild nature and many bird homes.

In 1955, France changed how it manages these islands, making them a new overseas area ruled directly by France. Before that, they were linked to Madagascar, which was a French colony at the time.

Administration

See also: List of superior administrators of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands have been an overseas territory of France since 1955. They are now managed by a préfet, currently Florence Jeanblanc-Risler, whose office is in Saint Pierre on Réunion Island.

The territory is divided into five districts:

Each district has a leader with duties similar to a mayor in France. Since there are no permanent residents, the territory does not have its own elected group or send members to the national parliament.

Geography

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands include several remote islands and a part of Antarctica. These islands are located in the southern Indian Ocean and include the Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, and Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands. Adélie Land is the part of Antarctica claimed by France.

These islands and the Antarctic area have no permanent residents, but scientists sometimes stay there to study nature. The highest point in this territory is Mont Ross on Kerguelen Island, which stands very tall. There are very few places to land airplanes, and the islands do not have ports, only spots where ships can anchor far from shore. Supplies for the islands come by special ship from nearby places.

Sovereignty dispute

Some countries, like Mauritius, Madagascar, and the Comoros, say that France should not control some of the islands. For example, Mauritius says it owns Tromelin Island. Madagascar says it owns the Glorioso Islands, including Banc du Geyser, and also Bassas da India, Europa Island, and Juan de Nova Island.

In June 2025, leaders from France and Madagascar planned to talk more about these islands to find a peaceful answer. They want to work together to solve the problem.

Flora and fauna

See also: List of mammals of French Southern Territories

The French islands in the southern Indian Ocean are some of the last big wild places on Earth. They sit along the Antarctic Convergence, where deep waters rise and bring lots of food to the surface. Because of this, many birds and sea animals live there.

Over 50 million birds from 47 different kinds live and have babies on these islands. The Crozet Islands have the biggest group of king penguins in the world. Amsterdam Island has the largest number of the rare Indian yellow-nosed albatross. Other special birds found there are Eaton's pintail, MacGillivray's prion, and the Amsterdam albatross, which only lives on those islands. The French Southern Lands are also home to about 200,000 southern elephant seals and many Antarctic fur seals.

Because these islands are far away and cold, they don’t have many plants. Saint-Paul and Crozet have no trees or bushes, but some special kinds of small plants grow there. Scientists have also found unique insects, like wingless moths and flies, that live only on these islands.

Economy

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands have limited natural resources, mainly fish and small sea creatures. The main economic activity involves supporting research stations and fishing fleets.

Important fish in the area include Patagonian toothfish and spiny lobster. Sometimes, foreign ships try to catch these fish without permission. To stop this, the French Navy and other services patrol the waters and can fine or take away ships that break the rules. In the past, France allowed some foreign ships to fish, but now only a few ships from Réunion Island are allowed because too much fishing happened before. The territory makes about €16 million each year from these activities.

Locations and scientific stations

Though there are no permanent civilian residents, several research stations are inhabited. Île Amsterdam has a meteorological station. Îles Crozet has the Alfred Faure research station, home to about 20-30 people. One of the busiest stations in Îles Kerguelen, Port-aux-Francais, hosts 50-100 researchers. The Îles Éparses holds a French military garrison and is used for weather studies. The Dumont d’Urville station plays a key role in studying wildlife, the atmosphere, and ice caps.

Adélie Land

Crozet Islands

Kerguelen Islands

Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands

Scattered Islands

There are no permanent settlements on these islands, but the French Armed Forces keep small groups of troops on some of them. Weather stations can be found on all the islands except Bassas da India.

Codes

The French Southern Territories, which are the French Southern and Antarctic Lands except for Adélie Land, have special codes to identify them. These codes are FS (FIPS) and TF (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2).