Île Amsterdam
Encyclopedia : L : LE : LEA : Île Amsterdam
- Another Amsterdam Island is an Arctic island in the Svalbard archipelago, near the northwestern corner of Spitsbergen.
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 to have any sort of tree covering.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.
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.
See also
- French overseas departments and territories
- Administrative divisions of France
- Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans
External links
- [Ile Amsterdam visit] - Photos from a tourist's recent visit
- [Further Information]
- [French Southern and Antarctic Lands] at the CIA World Factbook
Overseas French departments and territories |
| Département d'outre-mer>Departments : Guadeloupe1 · French Guiana · Martinique · Réunion These overseas departments are also overseas regions. 1Guadeloupe currently includes Saint-Barthélemy and Saint Martin, who have voted to become separate collectivités d'outre-mer in 2003; the change will be implemented in early 2007. |
|
Overseas community : Mayotte (collectivité départementale) · French Polynesia (pays d'outre-mer) · Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (collectivité territoriale) · Wallis and Futuna (territoire) Each overseas community has its own status. |
| 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 |
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