Île Amsterdam

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Not to be confused with the Arctic Amsterdam Island in the Svalbard archipelago, near the northwestern corner of Spitsbergen.

Île Amsterdam IPA: [ˈi.lɑm.stəˈdɑm] (meaning Amsterdam island, after the Dutch capital) is a French island in the Indian Ocean located at 37°52′S 77°32′E.

Orthographic projection centred over île Amsterdam

Map of Île Amsterdam

1 Description
2 History
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Description

The island is volcanic but has been inactive since 1792. It has an area of 55 km² (21 mi²), measuring 21 km (13 mi) on its longest side, and reaches as high as 867 m (2844 ft) at the Mont de la Dives. The island is one of few sub-Antarctic islands that has trees- (Phylica arborea}.

The island is part of the French Southern Territories, and together with neighboring Île Saint-Paul (85 km to the South) forms one of the four districts of the territory. Its base Martin-de-Viviès, formerly called La Roche Gódon, is the capital of the territory.

Île Amsterdam is one of three islands which are antipodes of the continental United States. It corresponds to a patch of land in La Junta, Colorado. The other two antipodes are Île Saint-Paul and Kerguelen Island.

[edit] History

Île Amsterdam was discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan Sebastián Elcano on March 18, 1522. Elcano did not name the island, however.

Having found the island unnamed, Dutch captain Anthonie van Diemen named it Nieuw Amsterdam (Dutch for 'New Amsterdam') after his ship in 1633.

The first base was erected in 1949 in the same place, and originally called Camp Heurtin.

The Global Atmosphere Watch still has an atmospheric research station on Île Amsterdam.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

photos of Ile Amsterdam and St.Paul (French site)
Ile Amsterdam visit (photos from a tourist's recent visit)
http://www.discoverfrance.net/Colonies/St-Paul_Amsterdam.shtml
French Southern and Antarctic Lands at the CIA World Factbook

v • d • e

French overseas departments and territories

Departments¹
Guadeloupe • French Guiana • Martinique • Réunion

Overseas communities²
Mayotte (collectivité départementale) • French Polynesia (pays d'outre-mer) • Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (collectivité territoriale) • Wallis and Futuna (territoire)

Special status
New Caledonia

Uninhabited lands
French Southern Territories (Amsterdam Island • Saint-Paul Island • Crozet Islands • Kerguelen Islands • Adélie Land) • Clipperton • Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean

¹ These overseas departments are also overseas regions. Guadeloupe currently includes Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin which in 2003 voted to become separate collectivités d'outre-mer ; the change will be implemented in early 2007.
² Each overseas community has its own status (indicated in brackets).

Outlying territories of European countries
Territories under European sovereignty but closer to continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information)
Denmark	Greenland
France	Guadeloupe • Martinique • Saint-Pierre et Miquelon • Mayotte • Réunion • Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean • Clipperton Island • New Caledonia • French Polynesia • Wallis and Futuna • French Guiana • French Southern Territories
Italy	Pantelleria • Pelagie Islands
Netherlands	Aruba • Netherlands Antilles
Norway	Bouvet Island
Portugal	Azores Islands • Madeira Islands
Spain	Ceuta • Melilla • Plazas de soberanía • Canary Islands
United Kingdom	Anguilla • Bermuda • British Virgin Islands • Cayman Islands • Falkland Islands • Montserrat • Saint Helena • Tristan da Cunha • Turks and Caicos Islands • British Indian Ocean Territory • Pitcairn Islands • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands