French Austral Lands and Seas World Heritage Site

Official name

French Austral Lands and Seas | UNESCO

Country

France | Map

Continent

Europe

Location

-49.3803° Lat, 69.3528° Lon | Map

Code

1603

Time Zone

Europe/Paris (CET, +0100)

Current Time

Category

Natural

Description

Inscribed 2019. The French Austral Lands and Seas comprise the largest of the rare emerged landmasses in the southern Indian Ocean: the Crozet Archipelago, the Kerguelen Islands, Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Islands as well as 60 small sub-Antarctic islands. This ‘oasis’ in the middle of the Southern Ocean covers an area of more than 166 million ha and supports one of the highest concentrations of birds and marine mammals in the world. In particular, it has the largest population of King Penguins and Yellow-nosed albatrosses in the world. The remoteness of these islands from centres of human activity makes them extremely well-preserved showcases of biological evolution and a unique terrain for scientific research.