Introduction
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.
Geography
- Land
- 6 sq km
- Total
- 6 sq km
- Water
- 0 sq km
about 12 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
11.1 km
- Highest point
- Rocher Clipperton 29 m
- Lowest point
- Pacific Ocean 0 m
10 17 N, 109 13 W
the atoll reef is approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) in circumference
- Total
- 0 km
- Agricultural land
- 0% (2018 est.)
- Forest
- 0% (2018 est.)
- Other
- 100% (2018 est.)
Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico
Political Map of the World
- Exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
subject to tropical storms and hurricanes from May to October
fish
coral atoll
People and Society
- Total
- uninhabited
Government
- Conventional long form
- none
- Conventional short form
- Clipperton Island
- Etymology
- named after an 18th-century English pirate who is alleged to have used the island as a base starting in 1705
- Former
- sometimes referred to as Ile de la Passion or Atoll Clipperton
- Local long form
- none
- Local short form
- Ile Clipperton
possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France
the flag of France is used
the laws of France apply
Military and Security
defense is the responsibility of France
Environment
no natural resources, guano deposits depleted; stagnant fresh-water lagoon