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.
Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico
10 17 N, 109 13 W
Political Map of the World
total: 6 sq km
land: 6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
country comparison to the world: 248
about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
0 km
11.1 km
territorial sea: 12nm
exclusive economic zone: 200nm
tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
coral atoll
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m
fish
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.)
arable land: 0% (2011 est.)/permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.)/permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.)
forest: 0% (2011 est.)
other: 100% (2011 est.)
subject to tropical storms and hurricanes from May to October
no natural resources, guano deposits depleted; the ring-shaped atoll encloses a stagnant fresh-water lagoon
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
uninhabited
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
possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France
the laws of France apply
the flag of France is used
Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, tuna fishing is the only economically viable species.
defense is the responsibility of France
none; offshore anchorage only
none