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National Arctic Exploration Programme
The History of France’s Presence in the Arctic: The Main Stages
Before analysing the text of the National Programme, it is necessary to describe the principal stages in the history of the French presence in the Arctic.
France started to participate in Arctic affairs in the late 18th century, primarily through polar research into land and marine ecosystems, anthropology and ethnography. Academic research had been the main form of France’s involvement in the Arctic ...
... Sandwich Islands) as well as Argentina and Chile (islands of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago). Norway, despite the protests of the Soviet Union and the United States, upheld the royal decree of 1927 on the accession of the “Bouvet sector.” France’s Antarctic dominions include the Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Island, the island of Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Islands. Australia controls Heard and McDonald Islands as well as Macquarie Island, New Zealand controls Auckland and Campbell Islands, and South Africa ...
... preservation of Arctic peoples is a much more significant long-term challenge than resources exploitation that Arctic states have to deal with: “One day, oil will disappear, but what about cultures?”[xii], asks Charles Weinstein.
France in the Arctic
France is not an Arctic country, and because of the Paris Treaty’s conditions (1763), France does not have any territorial possession in the Arctic. The region has never been a top priority for France, but the Arctic new reality – climate ...
