Adélie Land
Not to be confused with France Antarctique.Adélie Land is the portion of the
Antarctic coast between
Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12′S, 136°11′E and
Point Alden at 66°48′S, 142°02′E, with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a
sector about 2600 km toward the
South Pole. It is one of four districts of the
French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Since the land is all South of the 60°
parallel, its affiliation with the French Southern and Antarctic Lands is suspended by the
Antarctic Treaty. The land area, mostly ice covered, is estimated at 432 000 km
2.
Since January 12, 1956, there has been a permanently staffed
French research base,
Dumont d'Urville Station, with a winter population of 33, which goes up to 78 in the Antarctic summer. The first French station,
Port Martin, was built April 9, 1950 at 66°49′S, 141°23′E, but destroyed by fire on January 21, 1952. France has also maintained an inland station on the Antarctic
ice sheet, 300 km from the coast and from Dumont d'Urville Station, at an
elevation of 2400 meters,
Charcot Station at 69°22′S, 139°01′E, from January 1957 to 1960, which housed only three men.
Adélie Land borders on the
Australian Antarctic Territory both West and East, namely on
Claire Land (part of
Wilkes Land) in the West, and
George V Land in the East.
The coast was discovered in 1837 by French explorer Jules Sébastien César
Dumont d'Urville, who named it after his wife, Adélie.
*
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Further Information
