SELECT EDITION
CATEGORIES
◆ ENVIRONMENT(3 fields)
Climate
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
Environmental issues
no natural resources, guano deposits depleted; stagnant fresh-water lagoon
Land use
agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(15 fields)
Area
total : 6 sq km land: 6 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
about 12 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Climate
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
Coastline
11.1 km
Elevation
highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Geographic coordinates
10 17 N, 109 13 W
Geography - note
the atoll reef is approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) in circumference
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Land use
agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
Location
Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico
Map references
Political Map of the World
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards
subject to tropical storms and hurricanes from May to October
Natural resources
fish
Terrain
coral atoll
◆ GOVERNMENT(4 fields)
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Clipperton Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Clipperton former: sometimes referred to as Ile de la Passion or Atoll Clipperton etymology: named after an 18th-century English pirate who is alleged to have used the island as a base starting in 1705
Dependency status
possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France
Flag
the flag of France is used
Legal system
the laws of France apply
◆ INTRODUCTION(1 fields)
Background
This isolated atoll was named for John CLIPPERTON, an English pirate who was rumored to have made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855 and claimed by the US, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France in 1931, which took possession in 1935.
◆ MILITARY AND SECURITY(1 fields)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of France
◆ PEOPLE AND SOCIETY(1 fields)
Population
total: uninhabited