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CATEGORIES
◆ ECONOMY(1 fields)
Economic overview
Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, tuna fishing is the only economically viable species.
◆ ENVIRONMENT(3 fields)
Climate
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
Environment - current issues
no natural resources, guano deposits depleted; the ring-shaped atoll encloses a 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 Mall in Washington, DC
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; an attempt to colonize the atoll in the early 20th century ended in disaster and was abandoned in 1917
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 supposedly used the island as a base
Dependency status
possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France
Flag description
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(11 fields)
Age structure
0-14 years: NA 15-24 years: NA 25-54 years: NA 55-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Birth rate
NA
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
NA
Contraceptive prevalence rate
NA
Current health expenditure
NA
Death rate
NA
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: NA youth dependency ratio: NA elderly dependency ratio: NA potential support ratio: NA
Drinking water source
improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA
Education expenditures
NA
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
Population
uninhabited
◆ TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(1 fields)
Disputes - international
none
◆ TRANSPORTATION(1 fields)
Ports and terminals
none; offshore anchorage only