Adélie Land

This article is about the French-claimed sector of Antarctica. For the French colonies in South America, see France Antarctique.

Adélie Land Terre Adélie
Flag
Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"
Anthem: La Marseillaise
Official languages		French
Government
•	President	François Hollande
•	Administrator	Cécile Pozzo di Borgo
•	Head of District	François Grosvalet
French overseas territory
•	Coastline discovered	1840
Area
•	Total	432,000 km2 166,796 sq mi
Population
•	estimate	c. 33 (winter) < 80 (summer)
Currency		Euro (EUR)
Time zone		(UTC+10)
Calling code		+262 262 00 2
Internet TLD		.tf

Adélie Land (French: Terre Adélie) is a claimed territory on the continent of Antarctica. It stretches from a coastline area along the Great Southern Ocean inland all the way to the South Pole. This territory is claimed by France as one of five districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, although most countries have not given this their diplomatic recognition.

Geography

Adélie Land lies between 136° E (near Pourquoi Pas Point at ) and 142° E (near Point Alden at ), with a shore length of about 350 kilometres (220 mi) and with its inland part extending as a sector of a circle about 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) toward the South Pole. Adélie Land has border with the Australian Antarctic Territory both on the east and on the west, namely on Clarie Land (part of Wilkes Land) in the west, and George V Land in the east. Its total land area, mostly covered with glaciers, is estimated to be 432,000 square kilometres (167,000 sq mi).

History

The coast of Adélie Land was discovered in 1840 by the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790 – 1842) who named it after his wife, Adèle. This is the basis of the French claim on this Antarctic land.

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  Discovery by Jules Dumont d'Urville, 1840

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  Rocks brought back by the expedition in 1840 MHNT

Research stations

Since January 12, 1956, there has been a manned French research base year-round located at , the Dumont d'Urville Station, with a winter population of about 33, but which goes up to about 78 during the Antarctic summer. The first French station, Port Martin, was built April 9, 1950 at , but it was destroyed by a fire during the night of January 22–23, 1952. Port Martin housed a winter population of 11 in 1950–51 and 17 in 1951–52.

France also had an inland station on the Antarctic ice sheet long ago, about 320 km from the coast and from Dumont d'Urville Station, at an elevation of about 2400 meters, the Charcot Station (named for Jean-Baptiste Charcot) at , built for the International Geophysical Year of 1957–58. This was occupied from January 1957 through 1960, but housed only three men.

In popular culture

The Dumont d'Urville research station was the filming location of the documentary March of the Penguins (2005).

External links

• Discover France - French Colonies - TERRE ADÉLIE