French Southern and Antarctic Territories

The French Southern and Antarctic Lands, or, in full, the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, consist of:

1. Kerguelen, a group of volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, southeast of Africa, approximately equidistant between Africa, Antarctica and Australia;
2. St. Paul and Amsterdam islands, a group to the north of Kerguelen;
3. Crozet Islands, a group in the southern Indian Ocean, south of Madagascar;
4. Adélie Land, the French claim on the Antarctica continent;
5. The Scattered Islands, a dispersed group of islands around the coast of Madagascar.

The territory is also often called the French Southern Lands or French Southern Territories. The latter excludes Adélie Land, where French sovereignty is not recognized internationally. The lands are not connected to France Antarctique, a former French colony in Brazil.

The territory has no permanent civilian population. Those residents consist of visiting military personnel, officials, scientific researchers and support staff.

Some of the territory's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is of great importance for fishing.