CLIPPERTON ISLAND                                                               
(French possession)                                                             
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 7 km2                                                               
                                                                                
Comparative area: about 12 times the size of The Mall in                        
Washington, DC                                                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 11.1 km                                                              
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: claimed by Mexico                                                     
                                                                                
Climate: tropical                                                               
                                                                                
Terrain: coral atoll                                                            
                                                                                
Natural resources: none                                                         
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures              
0%; forest and woodland 0%; other (coral) 100%                                  
                                                                                
Environment: reef about 8 km in circumference                                   
                                                                                
Note: located 1,120 km southwest of Mexico in the North Pacific                 
Ocean; also called Ile de la Passion                                            
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: uninhabited                                                         
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: none                                                            
                                                                                
Type: French possession administered from French Polynesia                      
by High Commissioner of the Republic Jean MONTPEZAT; note--may have             
become a dependency of French Polynesia                                         
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: only economic activity is a tuna fishing station                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only                                            
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Note: defense is the responsibility of France                                   
                                                                                
