French Austral and Antarctic Territories

Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises

Last modified: 1997-09-03 by joan-francés blanc
Keywords: antarctica | south pole | france | terres australes et antarctiques francaises | kerguelen islands | taaf |
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by mark sensen 28-NOV-1995

• Explanation of the flag
• Usage of the flag
• Presentation of French Austral and Antarctic Territories

• France
• Antarctica

The flag of the TAAF (Southern French Antarctic Territories) is blue with a little French flag in the canton fimbriated white and there are the letters T A A F mixed together to form a device in white in the fly (bottom). This flag is official but it isn't what we call a regional flag. This flag is better known as "le pavillon des Kerguelen" (The ensign of the Kerguelen Islands).
pascal vagnat 19-DEC-1995

According to my sources, the French government issued in the eighties some laws concerning the immatriculation of ships in the Kerguelen Islands. This immatriculation is a special one and allows the ships to employ some foreign workers (I don't remember the percentage of all workers). This immatriculation was created to fight against the so-called convenience ensigns (Cyprus, Man Isle, Liberia, Panama...) which escape the sea labour rules. The flag of the TAAF is only a flag which the French governement introduced to fight against the flag of convenience. The TAAF ensign allows the ships to escape partly to the sea labour laws of France. The ships of France and of Germany only can register under the ensign of the TAAF. This immatriculation doesn't mean that they have to go to the Kerguelen Islands to register!! ;-) This flag (or better: this ensign) has the proportions 2:3.
There is no reasons here for the few inhabitants of TAAF to have their own flag, but there are some arms for this territory, which were drawn by Suzanne Gauthier a French heraldist.
pascal vagnat 19-DEC-1995

Official name: as indicated under the main title.
A French territory with a special administrative status, the "TAAF" are composed of the Kerguelen Islands, the Crozet Islands, the Amsterdam (or New Amsterdam) and Saint Paul Islands and the Terre Adélie (Adélie Land) in Antarctica. There is no permanent settlement in these islands, just scientific bases (one per territory: Crozet, Kerguelen, Terre Adélie, Amsterdam) as far as I know. The treaty on Antarctica (signed by France) does not recognise any territorial claim beneath th Southern Polar Circle.
joan-francés blanc 13-NOV-1996