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Adélie Land Terre Adélie
Motto: Liberté, égalité, fraternité
Anthem: La Marseillaise
Capital		Dumont d'Urville Station 66°40′S 140°01′E / -66.667, 140.017
Official languages		French
Government
-	President	Nicolas Sarkozy
-	Administrator	Eric Pilloton
French overseas territory
-	Discovered	1940
Area
-	Total	432,000 km2  166,796 sq mi
Population
-	census	33 (winter)
Currency		euro (EUR)
Time zone		UTC+10
Internet TLD		.tf
Calling code		262

Adélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12′S 136°11′E / -66.2, 136.183 and Point Alden at 66°48′S 142°02′E / -66.8, 142.033, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2,600 km toward the South Pole. It is one of five districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. The land area, mostly ice covered, is estimated at 432,000 km².

Since January 12, 1956, there has been a permanently staffed French research base at 66°40′S 140°01′E / -66.667, 140.017, Dumont d'Urville Station, with a winter population of 33, which goes up to 78 in the Antarctic summer. The first French station, Port Martin, was built April 9, 1950 at 66°49′04″S 141°23′39″E / -66.81778, 141.39417, but destroyed by fire the night of January 22 to 23, 1952. Port Martin hosted a winter population of 11 in 1950 and of 17 in 1951.

France has also maintained an inland station on the Antarctic ice sheet, 320 km from the coast and from Dumont d'Urville Station, at an elevation of 2400 meters, Charcot Station (named after Jean-Baptiste Charcot) at 69°22′S 139°01′E / -69.367, 139.017, built for the IGY 1957/1958, in operation from January 1957 to 1960, which housed only three men. The station was largely dug into the snow to protect it against the strong winds.

Adélie Land borders on the Australian Antarctic Territory both West and East, namely on Claire Land (part of Wilkes Land) in the West, and George V Land in the East.

The coast was discovered in 1840 by French explorer Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville, who named it after his wife, Adélie.

Adélie Land was the filming location of the documentary March of the Penguins.

Under the Antarctic Treaty System, the French claim to Adélie Land, like other claims to Antarctic territory, is neither recognised nor disputed by other signatories to the Treaty.

[edit] See also

• List of places named after people

[edit] Literature

• Fire destroys station in Antarctica, French expedition's loss, The Times, January 26, 1952.

[edit] External links

• http://www.discoverfrance.net/Colonies/Terre_Adelie.shtml

v • d • e Overseas departments and territories of France   Inhabited areas Overseas departments1 French Guiana · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Réunion Overseas collectivities French Polynesia · Mayotte2 · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and Futuna Special status New Caledonia   Uninhabited areas Pacific Ocean Clipperton Island French Southern and Antarctic Lands Île Amsterdam · Île Saint-Paul · Crozet Islands · Kerguelen Islands · Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean Bassas da India3 · Europa Island3 · Glorioso Islands2, 3, 4 · Juan de Nova Island3 · Tromelin Island5 1 Also known as overseas regions.  2 Claimed by Comoros.  3 Claimed by Madagascar.  4 Claimed by Seychelles.  5 Claimed by Mauritius.

v • d • e Antarctic territorial claims Current Adélie Land · Argentine Antarctica · Australian Antarctic Territory · British Antarctic Territory · Chilean Antarctica · Ross Dependency · Queen Maud Land · Peter I Island Non-officialized Brazilian Antarctica · Russian rights to Antarctic Claims i.e., Vostok Station · United States' rights to Antarctic Claims i.e., Little America, McMurdo Sound Former New Swabia · South African Territorial claims to Antarctica · Swedish Territorial Claims to Antarctica