French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Uninhabited islands in southern Indian Ocean plus Antarctic sector; valuable for EEZ fishing rights, scientific research, and sovereignty claims over 7,800 km² of land.
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands comprise scattered islands in the southern Indian Ocean and a sector of Antarctica—territories with no permanent population, governed from Réunion, and valued primarily for scientific research, fishing rights, and sovereignty claims. These are the remnants of French imperial ambitions in waters few nations contested.
The Kerguelen Islands (also called Desolation Islands) were discovered in 1772 by Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec. A volcanic archipelago larger than Corsica, it hosts no trees, endures constant wind, and supports only scientific researchers at Port-aux-Français station. France has maintained a presence since 1950, studying wildlife, climate, and geophysics in extreme conditions. Plans for a satellite tracking station and potential mineral exploitation surface periodically.
The Crozet Islands, discovered in 1772, support vast penguin colonies—king penguins, macaroni penguins, rockhopper penguins—and elephant seal populations. Scientists monitor these ecosystems as climate change indicators. The Amsterdam and Saint-Paul islands, closer to Madagascar, host similar research stations.
The Scattered Islands (Îles Éparses) near Madagascar—Europa, Bassas da India, Juan de Nova, Glorioso Islands, and Tromelin—carry more geopolitical weight. Madagascar claims several; Mauritius claims Tromelin. These coral atolls and reefs provide exclusive economic zones (EEZs) extending 200 nautical miles, containing potential fisheries and seabed resources. Tromelin Island gained attention through its 18th-century history: when a slave ship wrecked there in 1761, French survivors escaped on a raft, leaving 80 enslaved Malagasy people stranded. Fifteen years later, a rescue mission found seven women and an eight-month-old girl still alive—the "forgotten slaves of Tromelin."
Adélie Land, France's Antarctic territorial claim (136°E to 142°E longitude), hosts the Dumont d'Urville research station. Under the Antarctic Treaty System (1959), all territorial claims are suspended; the continent is reserved for peaceful scientific use. France participates in international research programs studying ice cores, wildlife, and climate patterns.
The combined territory covers over 7,800 square kilometers of land and vast maritime zones. Total permanent population: zero. Seasonal researchers and military personnel rotate through stations. Economic activity consists primarily of fishing licenses in the EEZs and scientific funding.
Through 2026, these territories serve French strategic interests: EEZ claims provide resource access; research stations contribute to climate science; Antarctic presence maintains France's voice in polar governance. They are less colonies than placeholders—assertions of sovereignty over spaces valuable precisely because few others wanted them.