French territories - Indian Ocean: Crozet Islands/Glorioso Islands/Kerguelen Islands/ Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Island/Tromelin Island: Crozet Islands capital Alfred Faure- 352km2TAAF districtSouth Indian Ocean (Mozambique Channel)Claimed by Madagascar /The Crozet Islands / * * * * * * Glorioso Islands (1,200 acres), in the northern Mozambique channel, about 160 kilometres (99 mi) northwest of Madagascar. The Glorieuses have an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 48,350 square kilometres (18,670 sq mi). There are anchorages offshore, and Grande Glorieuse has a 1,300-metre (4,300 ft) long airstrip.* * * * * Kerguelen Islands capital Port-aux-Français -TAAF districtSouth Indian Ocean / The main island, Grande Terre, is 6,675 km² in area and is surrounded by another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². / The main island, Grande Terre, is 6,675 km² in area and is surrounded by another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². The climate is raw and chilly with frequent high winds, but not severely cold throughout the year, much like that of the outer Aleutian Islands of Alaska. While the surrounding seas are generally rough, they remain ice-free year-round.* * * *Saint-Paul Island and Amsterdam Islandcapital Martin-de-Viviès.It is located about 85 km (53 mi) southwest of the larger Île Amsterdam, and 3,000 km (1,900 mi) south of Réunion. During sailing ship days captains would occasionally use the island as a check on their navigation before heading north. A scientific research cabin on the island is used for scientific or ecological short campaigns, but there is no permanent population.Along with Île Amsterdam, it is part of the district of the Overseas Territory of the Southern and Antarctic French Lands (TAAF), under the authority of a senior administrator on Réunion.Île Saint-Paul is one of three islands which is an antipode of the United States, corresponding to Firstview, Colorado. The other two antipodes are Île Amsterdam and Kerguelen Island. * * * Tromelin Island TAAF districtIndian OceanClaimed by Mauritius/ Tromelin Island / Île Tromelin, is a low, flat 0.8 square kilometres (200 acres) island in the Indian Ocean, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) east of Madagascar. The island was first recorded by a French navigator in 1722. In 1761 the French ship Utile, carrying slaves from Madagascar to Mauritius, ran onto the reefs of the island. The crew reached Madagascar in a raft, abandoning some 60 slaves on the desert island. Fifteen years later in 1776, the chevalier de Tromelin, (from whom the island takes its name) captain of the French warship La Dauphine, visited the island and rescued the survivors — seven women and an eight-month-old child. Tromelin Island was occupied by France in 1954 while it was part of Mauritius and it is claimed by Mauritius.Tromelin has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 280,000 square kilometres (110,000 sq mi), contiguous with that of Réunion. The island's weather station, which warns of cyclones, is manned by meteorologists from Réunion.

• published: 12 Mar 2010
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