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Clipperton Island

2025 Edition — territory

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Environment
Climate [time series]
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
Environmental issues [time series]
no natural resources, guano deposits depleted; stagnant fresh-water lagoon
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
Geography
Area [time series]
total : 6 sq km land: 6 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
about 12 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Climate [time series]
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
Coastline [time series]
11.1 km
Elevation [time series]
highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Geographic coordinates [time series]
10 17 N, 109 13 W
Geography - note [time series]
the atoll reef is approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) in circumference
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 0 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
Location [time series]
Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico
Map references [time series]
Political Map of the World
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
subject to tropical storms and hurricanes from May to October
Natural resources [time series]
fish
Terrain [time series]
coral atoll
Government
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Clipperton Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Clipperton former: sometimes referred to as Ile de la Passion or Atoll Clipperton etymology: named after an 18th-century English pirate who is alleged to have used the island as a base starting in 1705
Dependency status [time series]
possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France
Flag [time series]
the flag of France is used
Legal system [time series]
the laws of France apply
Introduction
Background [time series]
This isolated atoll was named for John CLIPPERTON, an English pirate who was rumored to have made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855 and claimed by the US, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France in 1931, which took possession in 1935.
Military and Security
Military - note [time series]
defense is the responsibility of France
People and Society
Population [time series]
total: uninhabited