World Factbook
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Terres australes et antarctiques françaises
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
the flag of France is used
Citizenship
see France
Country name
etymology
self-descriptive name specifying the territories' affiliation and location in the Southern Hemisphere
abbreviation
TAAF
local long form
Terres australes et antarctiques françaises
local short form
Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises
conventional long form
Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
conventional short form
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Legal system
the laws of France apply
Executive branch
chief of state
President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by Prefect Florence JEANBLANC-RISLER (since 5 October 2022)
Dependency status
overseas territory of France since 1955
National anthem(s)
title
"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
history
official anthem, as a French territory
lyrics/music
Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
Administrative divisions
no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but the 5 administrative districts are Iles Crozet, Iles Éparses, Iles Kerguelen, Ile Saint-Paul et Ile Amsterdam, and "Adelie Land," a claim in Antarctica that the US does not recognize
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy
none (overseas territory of France)
International organization participation
UPU