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To Chris Home Page Australian Antarctic Territory
To Earth (Geography Home Page) Australia and its possessions
France and its possessions Françaises Southern and antarctiques Lands

Australian Antarctic Territory (Australia)--part: 75 to 90 degrees east; Françaises Southern and antarctiques Lands (France)--part: Amsterdam Island; Saint-Paul Island

How is the land laid out?

The pattern here is like much of Greater Antarctia: a high ice-covered plateau terminating in coastal mountains that overlook ice shelves. Beyond those is sea ice, whose extent and density varies seasonally.

The exceptions to the pattern are minor: the shore dips inland toward the 75th parallel as Prydz Bay; the Grove Mountains are found far from the land's end; and some small islands are embedded in the ice shelf--most notably Mrkhaylov.

Also included are two volcanic islands in the Indian Ocean: Amsterdam and Saint-Paul.

Map

map of the west central part of the Australian Antarctic Territory plus two French islands

Who lives there?

There are three equal-sized, permanent research bases: Australian, Chinese and Russian. Judging by their administrators, the languages used are likely to be English, Putonghua Chinese and Russian, and the religions (or religious ancestry) Protestant Christian; a syncretic blend of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese folk ways; and Russian Orthodox Christianity. The majorities, then, would be Indo-European languages and Christian religious backgrounds.

Saint-Paul Island is uninhabited; there is a research station on Amsterdam Island. Since it is French administered the language used would be French and the most likely religious background would be Roman Catholic Christian.

Who was there before?

No-one even visited Greater Antarctica before the late 19th century. Amsterdam Island was discovered in the 16th century. Saint-Paul was discovered in the 16th but not visited before the 18th.

Around the Area

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east
west