french southern and antarctic territories  French Southern and
Antarctic Lands  The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Terres
australes et antarctiques françaises, abbreviated TAAF), full
name Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
(French: Territoire des Terres australes et antarctiques
françaises), consist of:    1. a group of volcanic islands in
the southern Indian Ocean, southeast of Africa, approximately
equidistant between Africa, Antarctica and Australia;   2.
Adélie Land, the French claim on the Antarctica continent under
the Antarctic Treaty System;   3. the Scattered islands in the
Indian Ocean.  The territory is also often called the French
Southern Territories (Terres australes françaises), which
excludes Adélie Land where French sovereignty is not recognized
internationally. The lands are not connected to France
Antarctique, a former French colony in Brazil.   The French
Southern and Antarctic Lands have formed a territoire d'outre-
mer (an overseas territory) of France since 1955.