Page:The World Factbook (1990).djvu/123

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands (overseas territory of France)


 See regional map I



Geography


Total area: 7,781 km²; land area: 7,781 km²; includes Île Amsterdam, Île Saint-Paul, Îles Kerguelen, and Îles Crozet; excludes claim not recognized by the US of about 500,000 km² in Antarctica known as Terre Adélie

Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Delaware

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

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

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

Environment: Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes

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


People


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


Government


Long-form name: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

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

Flag: 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 Îles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.


Communications


Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

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

Telecommunications: NA


Defense Forces


Note: defense is the responsibility of France

Gabon


 See regional map VII



Geography


Total area: 267,670 km²; land area: 257,670 km²

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries: 2,551 km total; Cameroon 298 km, Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: maritime boundary with Equatorial Guinea

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Natural resources: crude oil, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore

Land use: 1% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 18% meadows and pastures; 78% forest and woodland; 2% other

Environment: deforestation


People


Population: 1,068,240 (July 1990), growth rate 0.8% (1990)

Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: -6 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 106 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 56 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 4.0 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Gabonese (sing., pl.); adjective—Gabonese

Ethnic divisions: about 40 Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke); about 100,000 expatriate Africans and Europeans, including 27,000 French

107