French Southern and Antarctic Lands

French Southern and Antarctic Lands, overseas territory of France, including Adélie Land, which covers c.200,000 sq mi (520,000 sq km) in Antarctica, and a number of islands in the S Indian Ocean. The largest of these is Kerguelen (1,318 sq mi/3,414 sq km). One of 300 islands in the Kerguelen Archipelago, it is a base for research, seal hunting, and whaling. The Crozet Islands, to the west, and Saint Paul and Amsterdam islands, to the northeast, are also part of the territory, as are Europa Island, Bassas da India, Juan de Nova Island, the Glorioso Islands, and Tromelin Island, geographically unrelated islands near Madagascar that are administered as the Scattered Islands.

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