Simple directory > Regional > Terres Australes

Country : Terres Australes Official name: Le Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises (French Southern and Antarctic Territories) Head of State: President of France (Jacques Chirac); Administrateur Supérieur Michel Champon (took office 20 Jan 2005) Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin Area: 439,797 square km consisting of: Kerguelen Archipelago 7,215 square km, Crozet Archipelago 515 square km, Amsterdam Island 60 square km, Saint Paul Island 7 square km, Adélie and Antarctica 432,000 square km Population: 90 (2004) Official language: French Currency: Euro (eur) = 100 cents Exchange rate: eur0.77 per US$ (Nov 2004)

Historical profile

France possesses a number of islands at the southern extremity of the Indian Ocean that are grouped together with the French portion of the Antarctic continent into one administrative framework, 'Territoire.'

1552–59 Saint Paul and Amsterdam Islands were sighted by survivors of the Portuguese expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan.

1772 Captain Marion Dufresne and ship's mate Crozet saw the group of islands, which became known as the Crozet Archipelago.

1772 Yves de Kerguelen sighted another archipelago, later named after him.

1840 Adélie Land, on the Antarctic continent, was sighted.

1924 The French government decreed to attach the islands to the general government of Madagascar (then a French colony).

1947 France arranged for the establishment of observation stations.

1955 Terres Australes et Antarctiques were accorded the status of a separate French territory.

1959 The international community signed the Antarctic Treaty, establishing the legal framework for the management of Antarctica, banning any military activity within the Antarctic continent and guaranteeing the protection of its environment and wildlife.

1961 The Antarctic Treaty came into force.

1993 Co-operation agreement between the national institutes in charge of polar research in France and Italy to construct a permanent scientific base, Concordia, approximately 1,000km from the French scientific base of Dumont d'Urville.

1999–2000 Construction began.

2000–01 Completion of the frame of the two cylinders constituting the station.

2002 Under the European Programme of Glaciology (EPICA), 10 countries began working on a glacial project of drilling to study the climate in the Antarctic during the last 500,000 years. Drilling reached 2,871 metres in 2002, making it possible to collect icicles from 520,000 years ago.

2003 The drilling reached the rock base of the Antarctic continent at a depth of 3,300 metres.

2005 On 20 January, Michel Champon took office as administrateur supérieur.

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