French Southern and Antarctic Lands

chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by Prefect Florence JEANBLANC-RISLER (since 5 October 2022)

UPU

defense is the responsibility of France; the French military maintains a Foreign Legion detachment on Mayotte to maintain France s presence in the region and support French forces operating in the southern zone of the Indian Ocean and the east coast of Africa; the detachment regularly deploys to the outlying Glorioso Islands

total: no permanent inhabitants Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) : uninhabited but has a meteorological station Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) : uninhabited but is visited by fishermen and researchers Iles Crozet : uninhabited except for staff of the Alfred Faure research station on Ile del la Possession Iles Kerguelen : researchers are located at the main base at Port-aux-Francais on Ile Kerguelen Bassas da India (Iles Eparses) : uninhabitable Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses) : a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each possession; visited by researchers Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) : uninhabited, visited by researchers

fish, crayfish, note, Glorioso Islands and Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) have guano, phosphates, and coconuts note: in the 1950's and 1960's, several species of trout were introduced to Iles Kerguelen of which two, brown trout and brook trout, survived to establish wild populations; reindeer were also introduced to Iles Kerguelen in 1956 as a source of fresh meat for whaling crews -- the herd today, one of two in the Southern Hemisphere, is estimated to number around 4,000

4 (2025)

total: 2 (2023) by type: other 2