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Kerguelen Islands

Kerguelen Islands

The Kerguelen Islands or the Kerguelen Archipelago (French: Îles Kerguelen or Archipel de Kerguelen or officially Archipel des Kerguelen or officially Archipel Kerguelen) is a group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean. The Kerguelen Islands are located at . The main island, Grande Terre, originally called Desolation Island, is 6,675 km² and it is surrounded by another 300 smaller islands and islets, forming an archipelago of 7,215 km². The climate is cold, very windy and the seas are usually rough. The most important of the satellite islands are:
- Îles Nuageuses (Northwest)
- Île de Castries
- Île Leygues (North)
- Île Howe (North)
- Île Saint-Lanne Gramont (North, area 45.8 km², )
- Île Foch (North, area 206.2 km², altitude 687 m)
- Île du Port (North, in the Golfe des Baliniers, area 43.0 km², altitude 340 m)
- Île Violette
- Île de l'Ouest (West)
- Île aux Rennes (Southeast, area 36.7 km², altitude 199 m, ) The main island measures 150 km East-West and 120 km North-South. The highest peak is Mont Ross, with an elevation of 1850 m. In the West, it is covered by Cook Glacier. The island has numerous peninsulas, such as:
- Péninsule Courbet (East)
- Presqu'île Jeanne d'Arc (Southeast)
- Presqu'île Ronarch (Southeast, attaced to Presqu'île Jeanne d'Arc)
- Péninsule Rallier du Baty (Southwest)
- Péninsule Loranchet (Northwest)
- Presqu'île de la Société de géographie (North)
- Presqu'île Joffre (North) The islands are one of four districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, and were discovered by Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec in February 1772. The archipelago was exploited for its seal population until their destruction, fur seals in the 18th century and elephant seals in the early 20th century. A number of expeditions have briefly visited the islands, including that of James Cook in 1776. During Christmas 1940, the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis was at Kerguelen Island. During their stay they did maintenance and replenished their water supplies. The crew suffered its first fatality when a sailor fell while painting the funnel. He was buried in what is sometimes referred to as "the most southerly German soldier's grave". Kerguelen has been used by a small number of science teams since 1949, with a population of 50-100 always present. There is also a satellite tracking station. The main island is also home to a well-established feral cat population descended from ships' cats. They survive on sea birds and non-indigenous rabbits introduced to the islands. The main base, "capital" of the district, is located at the eastern end of the Golfe du Morbihan at and is known as Port-Aux-Français. Facilities include a bar, gym, hospital, library and the chapel of Notre-dame des Vents. Historic localities, all on the main island, include:
- Anse Betsy (historic geomagnetic station at )
- Baie de l'Observatoire (historic geomagnetic station at )
- Cabane Port-Raymond (scientific camp at )
- Cap Ratmanoff (geomagnetic station at , the easternmost point)
- La Montjoie (scientific camp at )
- Port Bizet (seismographic station at )
- Port Christmas (historic geomagnetic station at )
- Port Couvreux (former whaling station and geomagnetic station at )
- Port Curieuse (harbor on the West coast at )
- Port Douzième (literally Twelfth Port, hut and geomagnetic station at )
- Port Jeanne d'Arc (former whaling station and historic geomagnetic station at ) Since 1963, is a launch site for sounding rockets (mainly Arcas, Dragon and Eridan).

The Kerguelen Islands in fiction

In the seafaring novel Desolation Island, one of the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, the crew repair their disabled ship on an island that strongly resembles Kerguelen, although a later book in the series asserts that it is a different Desolation Island. In The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, Edgar Allen Poe's only complete novel, the crew of the Jane Guy alights at Kerguelen Island before eventually pushing on towards the South Pole. The archipelago also plays a role in the novel Kilo Class by Patrick Robinson ISBN 0-06-109685-7

External links

- [http://www.outre-mer.gouv.fr/outremer/front?id=outremer/decouvrir_outre_mer/taaf Official site]
- [http://www.taaf.fr/ Official site]
- [http://www.discoverfrance.net/Colonies/Kerguelen.shtml Kerguelen Archipelago]
- [http://www.discoverfrance.net/Colonies/Antarctic.shtml Southern & Antarctic Territories]
- [http://www.times-archive.co.uk/onlinespecials/features/parris/ Columns about Kerguelen] from The Times
- [http://www.kerguelen-island.org/ Personal site with a lot of pictures]
- [http://www.indepthinfo.com/desolation/index.shtml Desolation Island - History and Geography]
- [http://www.astronautix.com/sites/keruelen.htm Rocket launches on the Kerguelen Islands]
- [http://eost.u-strasbg.fr/obsmag/stationrep/paf.html Geomagnetic Stations] Category:Ridge volcanoes Category:Volcanoes of the Indian Ocean Category:Volcanoes of the Southern Ocean Category:Volcanoes of France Category:Sub-antarctic islands Category:French Southern Territories Category:Archipelagoes ja:ケルゲレン諸島

French language

French (French: français) is the third of the Romance languages in terms of number of speakers, after Spanish and Portuguese, being spoken by about 67 million people as a mother tongue, and altogether by some 128 million people, which includes second-language speakers who use French for daily communication. French is thus the 18^th most spoken language in the world by number of native speakers, and 9^th in terms of daily speakers. It is an official language in 29 countries. It is also an official or administrative language in various communities and organisations (such as the European Union, IOC, United Nations and Universal Postal Union). Before World War II, French was considered the international language, particularly in such fields as diplomacy, trade, shipping, and transportation.

History

The Roman invasion of Gaul

The French language is a Romance language, meaning that it is descended from Latin. Before the Roman invasion of what is modern-day France by Julius Cæsar (58–52 BC), France was inhabited largely by a Celtic people that the Romans referred to as Gauls, although there were also other linguistic/ethnic groups in France at this time, such as the Iberians in southern France and Spain, the Ligurians on the Mediterranean coast, Greek colonies such as Massalia (i.e. present-day Marseille), Phoenician outposts, and the Vascons on the Spanish/French border. Although in the past many Frenchmen liked to refer to their descent from Gallic ancestors (nos ancêtres les Gaulois), perhaps fewer than 200 words with a Celtic etymological origin remain in French today (largely place and plant names and words dealing with rural life and the earth). In the reverse direction, some words for Gallic objects which were new to the Romans and for which there were no words in Latin were imported into Latin – for example, clothing items such as les braies. Latin quickly became the lingua franca of the entire Gallic region for mercantile, official and educational purposes, yet it should be remembered that this was Vulgar Latin, the colloquial dialect spoken by the Roman army and its agents and not the literary dialect of Cicero.

The Franks

From the third century on, Western Europe was invaded by Germanic tribes from the east, and some of these groups settled in Gaul. For the history of the French language, the most important of these groups are the Franks in northern France, the Alemanni in the German/French border, the Burgundians in the Rhone valley and the Visigoths in the Aquitaine region and Spain. These Germanic-speaking groups had a profound effect on the Latin spoken in their respective regions, altering both the pronunciation and the syntax. They also introduced a number of new words: perhaps as much as 15% of modern French comes from Germanic words, including many terms and expressions associated with their social structure and military tactics.

Langue d'Oïl

Linguists typically divide the languages spoken in medieval France into three geographical subgroups: Langue d'oïl and Langue d'oc are the two major groups; the third group, Franco-Provençal, is considered a transitional language between the two other groups. The Oïl–Oc divide is broadly comparable to the divide illustrated by the use of "yes" in English and "aye" in Scots. Langue d'oïl, the languages which use oïl (in modern usage, oui) for "yes", is the language group in the north of France. These languages, like Picard, Walloon, Francien and Norman, were influenced by the Germanic languages spoken by the Frankish invaders. From the time period Clovis I on, the Franks extended their rule over northern Gaul. Over time, the French language developed from either the Oïl language found around Paris (the Francien theory) or from a standard administrative language based on common characteristics found in all Oïl languages (the lingua franca theory). Langue d'oc, the languages which use oc for "yes", is the language group in the south of France and northern Spain. These languages, such as Gascon and Provençal, have relatively little Frankish influence. (Modern French has two words for "yes", oui and si; the latter is used to contradict negative statements. Si derives from Latin sic "thus", and is cognate to the word for "yes" in Spanish, Italian, and Catalan. Oïl/oui derive, according to Larousse, from Latin hoc ille "thus he (did)".)

Other linguistic groups

The early middle ages also saw the influence of other linguistic groups on the dialects of France: From the 5th to the 8th centuries, Celtic-speaking peoples from southwestern Britain (Wales, Cornwall, Devon) travelled across the English Channel, both for reasons of trade and as a result of the Anglo-Saxon invasions of England. They established themselves in Bretagne (Brittany). Their language was a dialect of the Brythonic languages, which has been named Breton in more recent centuries. It is part of the larger Celtic language family, though the modern dialects reflect a noticeable influence from French in their vocabulary. From the 6th to the 7th centuries, the Vascons crossed over the Pyrénées, a mountain range in the south of France. Their presence influenced the Occitan language spoken in southwestern France, resulting in the dialect called Gascon. Scandinavian vikings invaded France from the 9th century onwards and established themselves in what would come to be called Normandie (Normandy). They took up the langue d'oïl spoken there and contributed many words to French related to maritime activities, amongst other things. With their conquest of England in 1066, the Normans brought their language. The dialect that developed there as a language of administration and literature is referred to as Anglo-Norman. Anglo-Norman served as the language of the ruling classes and commerce in England from the time of the conquest until 1362, when the use of English became dominant again. Because of the Norman Conquest, the English language has borrowed a considerable amount of its vocabulary from French. The Arab peoples also supplied many words to French around this time period, including words for luxury goods, spices, trade stuffs, sciences and mathematics.

History of French

For the period up to around 1300, some linguists refer to the oïl languages collectively as Old French (ancien français). The earliest extant text in French is the Oaths of Strasbourg from 842; Old French became a literary language with the chansons de geste that told tales of the paladins of Charlemagne and the heroes of the Crusades. By the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539 King Francis I made French the official language of administration and court proceedings in France, ousting the Latin that had been used before then. With the imposition of a standardised chancery dialect and the loss of the declension system, the dialect is referred to as Middle French (moyen français). Following a period of unification, regulation and purification, the French of the 17th to the 18th centuries is sometimes referred to as Classical French (français classique), although many linguists simply refer to French language from the 17th century to today as Modern French (français moderne). The foundation of the Académie française (French Academy) in 1634 by Cardinal Richelieu created an official body whose goal has been the purification and preservation of the French language. This group of 40 members is known as the Immortals, not, as some erroneously believe, because they are chosen to serve for the extent of their lives (which they are), but because of the inscription engraved on the official seal given to them by their founder Richelieu—"À l'immortalité" ("to the Immortality (of the French language)"). The foundation still exists and contributes to the policing of the language and the adaptation of foreign words and expressions. Some recent modifications include the change from software to logiciel, packet-boat to paquebot, and riding-coat to redingote. The word ordinateur for computer was however not created by the Académie, but by a linguist appointed by IBM (see :fr:ordinateur). From the 17th to the 19th centuries, France was the leading power of continental Europe; thanks to this, together with the influence of the Enlightenment, French was the lingua franca of educated Europe, especially with regards to the arts, literature, and diplomacy; monarchs like Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia could both speak and write in French. Through the Académie, public education, centuries of official control and the role of media, a unified official French language has been forged, but there remains a great deal of diversity today in terms of regional accents and words. For some critics, the "best" pronunciation of the French language is considered to be the one used in Touraine (around Tours and the Loire River valley), but such value judgments are fraught with problems, and with the ever increasing loss of lifelong attachments to a specific region and the growing importance of the national media, the future of specific "regional" accents is difficult to predict.

Modern issues

There is some debate in today's France about the preservation of the French language and the influence of English (see franglais), especially with regard to international business, the sciences and popular culture. There have been laws (see Toubon law) enacted which require that all print ads and billboards with foreign expressions include a French translation and which require quotas of French-language songs (at least 40%) on the radio. There is also pressure, in differing degrees, from some regions as well as minority political or cultural groups for a measure of recognition and support for their regional languages.

Geographic distribution

regional language
French is an official language in the following countries or parts thereof: La Francophonie is an international organization of French-speaking countries and governments.

Legal status in France

Per the Constitution of France, French is the official language of the Republic since 1792 [http://www.languefrancaise.net/dossiers/dossiers.php?id_dossier=50]. France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education outside of specific cases (though these dispositions are often ignored) and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words. See Toubon Law. Contrary to a misunderstanding common in the American and British media, France does not prohibit the use of foreign words in websites or any other private publication, which would anyway contradict constitutional guarantees on freedom of speech. The misunderstanding may have arisen from a similar prohibition in the Canadian province of Quebec which made strict application of the Charter of the French Language between 1977 and 1993, although these regulations addressed language used in advertising and the provision of commercial services offered within the province, not the language of private communication. There exist in addition to French a variety of languages spoken in France by minorities; see Languages of France.

Legal status in Canada

About 12% of the world's francophones are Canadian, and French is one of Canada's two official languages, with English; various provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms deal with the right of Canadians to access services in English and French all across Canada. By law, the federal government must operate and provide services in both English and French; proceedings of the Parliament of Canada must be translated into both English and French; and all Canadian products must be labelled in both English and French. Overall about 22% of Canadians speak French as a first language and 18% are bilingual. French has been the only official language of Quebec since 1974, although it is commonly (and incorrectly) believed that the designation of French as the sole official language occurred in 1977 with the adoption of the Charter of the French Language (which is popularly referred to as Bill 101). By far the provision of Bill 101 with the most significant impact has been that which mandates French-language education, unless a child's parents or siblings have received the major part of their own education in English within Canada. That provision has reversed a historical trend whereby a large number of immigrant children were being sent to English schools by their parents. In so doing, Bill 101 has greatly contributed to the "visage français" (French face) of Quebec. Other provisions of Bill 101, on the other hand, have been ruled unconstitutional over the years, including those mandating French-only commercial signs, court proceedings, and debates in the legislature. Some of those provisions have remained in effect, for a while, using the constitutional "notwithstanding" clause that permits a non-compliant law to temporarily remain. No "notwithstanding provision" is currently in effect. In 1993 the Charter was changed to allow signage in other languages so long as French is markedly "predominant". The Charter also provides for a measure of access by Anglophones to health and social services in their own language. The only province which has French as an official language is New Brunswick. In Ontario and Manitoba, French does not have full official status, although the provincial governments do provide full French-language services in all communities where significant numbers of francophones live. All of the other provinces do make some effort to accommodate the needs of their francophone citizens, although the level and quality of French-language service varies significantly from province to province.

Legal status in Switzerland

French is an official language in Switzerland. It is spoken in the part of Switzerland called Romandy.

Dialects of French

- Acadian French
- African French
- Belgian French
- Cajun French
- Canadian French
- Cambodian French
- Louisiana Creole French
- français d'Aoste
- français-germanique
- Indian French
- Levantine French
- Maghreb French
- Newfoundland French
- North American French
- Oceanic French
- Quebec French
- South East Asian French
- Swiss French
- West Indian French
- [http://www.linguasphere.org/langues_romanes.pdf linguasphere on Romance languages]

Languages derived from French

- Antillean Creole
- Haitian Creole
- Lanc-Patuá
- Mauritian Creole
- Michif
- Louisiana Creole French
- Réunionese Creole
- Seychellois Creole
- Tay Boi

Sounds

:Main article: French phonology and orthography French pronunciation follows strict rules based on spelling, but French spelling is often based more on history than phonology. The rules for pronunciation vary between dialects, but the standard rules are:
- liaison or linking: Final single consonants, in particular s, x, z, t, d, n and m, are normally silent. (The final letters 'c', 'r', 'f', and 'l' however are normally pronounced.) When the following word begins with a vowel, though, a silent consonant may once again be pronounced, to provide a "link" between the two words and avoid a glottal stop between them. Some liaisons are mandatory, for example the s in les amants or vous avez; some are optional, depending on dialect and register, for example the first s in deux cents euros or euros irlandais; and some are forbidden, for example the s in beaucoup d'hommes aiment. The t of et is never pronounced and the silent final consonant of a noun is only pronounced in the plural and in set phrases like pied-à-terre. Doubling a final consonant and adding a silent e at the end of a word (e.g. Parisien → Parisienne) makes it clearly pronounced, always.
- elision or vowel dropping: Monosyllabic words such as je or que drop their final vowel before another word beginning with a vowel. The missing vowel is replaced by an apostrophe. (e.g. je ai is instead pronounced and spelt → j'ai)
- nasal "n" and "m". When "n" or "m" follows a vowel combination, the "n" and "m" become silent and cause the preceding vowel to become nasalized (i.e. pronounced with the soft palate extended downward so as to allow part of the air to leave through the nostrils). Exceptions are when the "n" or "m" is doubled, or immediately followed by a vowel. The prefixes en- and em- are always nasalized. The rules get more complex than this but may vary between dialects.
- digraphs French does not introduce extra letters or diacritics to specify its large range of vowel sounds and diphthongs, rather it uses specific combinations of vowels, sometimes with following consonants, to show which sound is intended. (See French phonology and orthography or [http://www.languageguide.org/francais/grammar/pronunciation/ French Pronunciation Guide] for more details.)
- accents are used sometimes for pronunciation, sometimes to distinguish similar words, and sometimes for etymology alone.
- Accents that affect pronunciation:
- "é", is pronounced instead of the defaults or,
- "è" (e.g., secrète) means that the vowel is pronounced (as usual),
- dieresis (e.g. naïve, Noël) as in English, specifies that this vowel is pronounced separately from the preceding one (or following one in some cases), not combined,
- the "ç" means that the letter c is pronounced in front of A, O, or U. ("c" is otherwise hard before a hard vowel.)
- The circumflex (e.g. pâté, forêt) shows that an e is pronounced and that an o is pronounced . In some dialects it also signifies a pronunciation of for the letter a, but this differentiation is disappearing. It usually indicates a former long vowel created by the dropping of an "s" from the Latin root (as in English "paste", "forest"),
- Accents with no pronunciation effect:
- The circumflex does not affect the pronunciation of the letters i or u, and in most dialects, a as well.
- All other accents are used only to distinguish similar words or for etymological reasons, as in the case of distinguishing the adverbs là and où ("there", "where") from the article la and the conjunction ou ("the fem. sing.", "or") respectively.

Grammar

:Main article: French grammar French grammar shares several notable features with most other Romance languages, including:
- the loss of Latin's declensions
- only two grammatical genders
- the development of grammatical articles from Latin demonstratives
- new tenses formed from auxiliaries French word order is Subject Verb Object, except when the object is a pronoun, in which case the word order is Subject Object Verb.

Vocabulary

Word origins

The majority of French words derive from vernacular or "vulgar" Latin or were constructed from Latin or Greek roots. There are often pairs of words, one form being popular (noun) and the other one savant (adjective), both originating from Latin. Example:
- brother: frère (brother) / fraternel
- finger: doigt / digital
- faith: foi (faith) / fidèle
- cold: froid / frigide
- eye: œil / oculaire The French words which have developed from Latin are usually less recognisable than Italian words of Latin origin because as French developed into a separate language from Vulgar Latin, the unstressed final syllable of many words was dropped or elided into the following word. It is estimated that 12 percent (4,200) of common French words found in a typical dictionary such as the Petit Larousse or Micro-Robert Plus (35,000 words) are of foreign origin. About 25 percent (1,054) of these foreign words come from English and are fairly recent borrowings. The others are some 707 words from Italian, 550 from ancient Germanic languages, 481 from ancient Gallo-Romance languages, 215 from Arabic, 164 from German, 160 from Celtic languages, 159 from Spanish, 153 from Dutch, 112 from Persian and Sanskrit, 101 from Native American languages, 89 from other Asian languages, 56 from Afro-Asiatic languages, 55 from Slavic languages and Baltic languages, and 144 from other languages (3 percent of the total). Source: Henriette Walter, Gérard Walter, Dictionnaire des mots d'origine étrangère, 1998.

Levels of register

French, like many other languages, possesses a continuum of several levels of register. The colloquial register is used in almost any circumstance of life, and should not be confused with slang or rude talk. Formal French is used in writing or in formal occasions (when people make official speeches or when they are interviewed on television, for instance). Some level of formality is also normally used in classrooms in France, although colloquial French is now spoken by more and more professors with their students. Colloquial French differs from formal French in terms of grammar. For instance, the negation in formal French is "ne... pas", whereas in colloquial French it is simply "... pas", such as "I don't think so", which is "Je ne crois pas" in formal French, and "Je crois pas" in colloquial French. Another example of change in grammar is the way to ask a question: by inverting verb and subject in formal French, or also by using "est-ce que", whereas in colloquial French a question is phrased exactly as an affirmation, with the voice rising in the end. E.g.: "Is he sick?" would be "Est-il malade?" or "Est-ce qu'il est malade?" in formal French, and "Il est malade?" in colloquial French. On the other hand, questions with "est-ce que" are more colloquial than using inversion. Secondly, colloquial French differs from formal French in terms of pronunciation. Some words undergo shortening, or sound change, whereas some syllables are dropped altogether. For instance, "yes" is "oui" in formal French, and becomes "ouais" in colloquial French; "I" is "je" in formal French, but becomes "j' " in colloquial French; so a sentence like "I think he'll come" is "Je pense qu'il viendra" in formal French, and "J'pense qu'i'viendra" in colloquial French. There are many instances of shortening of words, such as "teacher", which is "professeur" in formal French, but becomes "prof'" in colloquial French.

Counting system

The French counting system is partially vigesimal: twenty () is used as a base number in the names of numbers from 70-99. So for example, means 4 times 20, i.e. is the French word for 80, and (literally "sixty-fifteen") means 75. This is comparable to archaic English use of "score", as in "fourscore and seven" (87), or "threescore and ten" (70). Belgian French and Swiss French are different in this respect.

Writing system

French is written using the Latin alphabet, plus five diacritics (the circumflex accent, acute accent, grave accent, diaeresis, and cedilla) and two ligatures (æ, œ). French spelling, like English spelling, tends to preserve obsolete pronunciation rules. This is mainly due to extreme phonetic changes since the Old French period, without a corresponding change in spelling. However, some conscious changes were also made to restore Latin orthography:
- Old French doit > French doigt "finger" (Latin digitum)
- Old French pie > French pied "foot" (Latin pedem) As a result, it is nearly impossible to predict the spelling on the basis of the sound alone. Final consonants are generally silent, except when the following word begins with a vowel. For example, all of these words end in a vowel sound: nez, pied, aller, les, finit, beaux. The same words followed by a vowel, however, may sound the consonants, as they do in these examples: beaux-arts, les amis, pied-à-terre. On the other hand, a given spelling will almost always lead to a predictable sound, and the Académie française works hard to enforce and update this correspondence. In particular, a given vowel combination or diacritic predictably leads to one phoneme. The diacritics have phonetic, semantic, and etymological significance.
- grave accent (à, è, ù): Over a or u, used only to distinguish homophones: à ("to") vs. a ("has"), ou ("or") vs. où ("where"). Over an e, indicates the sound .
- acute accent (é): Over an e, indicates the sound , the ai sound in such words as English hay or neigh. It often indicates the historical deletion of a following consonant (usually an s): écouter < escouter.
- circumflex (â, ê, î, ô û): Over an e or o, indicates the sound or , respectively. Most often indicates the historical deletion of an adjacent letter (usually an s or a vowel): château < castel, fête < feste, sûr < seur, dîner < disner. By extension, it has also come to be used to distinguish homophones: du ("of the") vs. dû (past participle of devoir "to owe"; note that dû is in fact written thus because of a dropped e: deu).
- diaeresis or tréma (ë, ï, ü): Indicates that a vowel is to be pronounced separately from the preceding one: naïve, Noël. Diaeresis on ÿ only occurs in some proper names (such as l'Haÿ-les-Roses) and in modern editions of old French texts. Since the 1990 orthographic rectifications, the diaeresis in words containing guë (such as aiguë or ciguë) was moved onto the u: aigüe, cigüe. Words coming from German retain the old Umlaut if applicable but uses French pronounciation, such as capharnaüm(mess).
- cedilla (ç): Indicates that an etymological c is pronounced when it would otherwise be pronounced /k/. Thus je lance "I throw" (with c = before e), je lançai "I threw" (c would be pronounced before a without the cedilla). The ligature œ is a mandatory contraction of oe in certain words (sœur "sister" , œuvre "work [of art]" , cœur "heart" , cœlacanthe "Coelacanth" ), sometimes in words of Greek origin, spelled with an οι diphthong which became oe in Latin, pronounced in French (and other Romance languages): œsophage , œnologie . It may also appear in œu digraph (or œ alone in œil "eye"), in words that were once written with eu digraph (which could be read or , depending on the word): bœuf "ox" (Old French buef or beuf), mœurs "custom", œil "eye" , etc. In these cases, the Latin etymon must be spelled with an o where the French word has œu: bovem > bœuf, mores > mœurs, oculum > œil. Some attempts have been made to reform French spelling, but few major changes have been made over the last two centuries.

Some common phrases

- French: français ("fran-seh")
- hello: bonjour ("bon-zhoor")
- I love you.: Je t'aime. ("jhe tem")
- My name is _____: Je m'appelle _____ ("jhe-ma-pelle")
- good-bye: au revoir ("o-ruh-vwar")
- please: s'il vous plaît (Literally: if it please you) ("sill voo pleh")
- thank you: merci ("mairr-see")
- you are welcome: de rien (Literally: Of nothing) ("duh ryeh"), je vous en prie, il n'y a pas de quoi (France); bienvenue ("byeh-venuh") (Quebec)
- that one: celui-là ("su-lwee la"), colloq. ("swee la"), or celle-là (feminine) ("cell-la")
- how much?: combien? ("kom-byen")
- English: anglais ("ahng-gleh")
- yes: oui ("wee"), colloq. ouais (seldom written) ("way")
- no: non ("non")
- I am sorry: Je suis désolé(e). (add the "e" if the speaker is feminine); ("zhahn swee deh-zo-leh"), colloq. ("shswee deh-zo-leh"). Pardon ("par-dohn")
- I do not understand: Je ne comprends pas. ("zhuh nuh comprahn pa"), colloq. Je comprends pas (with dropping of "ne") ("shcomprahn pa")
- Where are the toilets?: Où sont les toilettes ? ("oo son leh twa-let")
- Cheers (toast to someone's health): Tchin ("chin"), Santé ("san-teh") or À la vôtre ("a la votr")
- Do you speak English?: Parlez-vous anglais ? ("par-leh voo ang-gleh") OR "Est-ce que vous parlez anglais?" ("voo par-leh ang-leh")
- Excuse me: Excusez-moi. ("eh-skyu-zay mwa")
- Good night: Bonne nuit ("bun nwee")
- Hi!: Salut ! ("sal-oo")
- I am tired: Je suis fatigué(e). (add the "e" if the speaker is feminine) ("jhe swee fah-tee-gay")
- Are you coming?: Venez vous ?, Est-ce que vous venez ? (or with close friends and relatives: tu viens?)
- I am thinking about it: J'y pense. ("jhee pahnss")
- I am going to the grocery store: Je vais à l'épicerie. ("jhe vay a lay-pee-ser-ee")
- We are going to school: On va à l'école. (colloquial) ("ohn va a lay-cohl")
- She is so pretty.: Elle est si jolie. ("el ay see jho-lee")
- our neighbors to the South: Nos voisins du sud ("noh vwah-zen due sued")
- Could you help me?: Pourriez-vous m'aider ? ("poo-ree-ay voo may-day")
- May I help you?: Puis-je vous aider? ("pwee-jha voo zay-day")
- It is the best of worlds: C'est le meilleur des mondes. ("say le may-yuhr day mohnd")
- Go to bed!: Va te coucher ! ("vah te coo-shay")
- I'm watching TV.: Je regarde la télé. ("jhe re-gard lah tay-lay")
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. ("wee-kee-pay-dee-ah, lahns-ee-kloh-pay-dee lee-bruh")
- I am the state.: L'État, c'est moi. ("leh-tah seh-mwa")

External links

-
- [http://www.dicts.info/dictlist1.php?k1=33 All free French dictionaries] Collection of free French dictionaries.
- [http://www.declan-software.com/french French language learning audio software]
- [http://www.window.to/french/ Learn French online]
- [http://www.academie-francaise.fr/ Académie Française]
- [http://french.about.com/library/begin/bl_begin_vocab.htm Beginning French Vocabulary]
- [http://radio-canada.ca/education/francaismicro/ Capsules linguistiques - Radio-Canada.ca]
- [http://www.moelc.moe.edu.sg/french/ Département de Français, Ministry of Education Language Centre, Singapore]
- [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=fra Ethnologue report for French]
- [http://www.sprachprofi.de.vu/english/f.htm Free online resources for learners]
- [http://www.lexilogos.com/french_language_dictionary.htm French-English : all online dictionaries]
- [http://www.jump-gate.com/languages/french/ French Language Course]
- [http://www.ielanguages.com/french.html French Language Tutorial at ielanguages.com]
- [http://www.intuxication.org/~webtypo/le_francais_facile.htm Le français facile]
- [http://portal.wikinerds.org/rapidfrench How to learn French in 10 months]
- [http://dhost.info/defu/wiki/index.php?id=French_accentuation_rules Basic tips of French accentuation]
- [http://www.languagehelpers.com/words/french/basics.html LanguageHelpers]
- [http://www.lightandmatter.com/french/ Liberté, an online first-year French textbook]
- [http://www.listenandlearn.org/learn/french/index.php Learn French by reading and listening]
- [http://www.how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/languages/french/index.html A profile of the French language]
- [http://dhost.info/defu/wiki/index.php?id=Virtual_French_Keyboard A virtual French keyboard]
- [http://linearb.co.uk:8080/memory/ Searchable French-English dictionary, with example sentences]
- [http://atilf.atilf.fr/ Le Trésor de la Langue Française informatisé] (very comprehensive)
- [http://truckspeak.monsite.wanadoo.fr Truck Drivers' French - English, English - French Dictionary]
- [http://www.loecsen.com/travel/discover_pop.php?lang=en&to_lang=3&learn-French/ Listen to useful French expressions]
- [http://www.FrenchLanguageTips.com/ Learn French Fast & Easy]
- [http://www.wordreference.com/ Wordreference.com dictionary]
- [http://www.my-french-dictionary.com/ My French Picture Dictionary] Category:French language Category:Oïl languages Category:Languages of Belgium Category:Languages of Canada Category:Languages of France Category:Languages of Luxembourg Category:Languages of Switzerland Category:Languages of French Guiana Category:Languages of Morocco Category:Languages of French Polynesia Category:Languages of Wallis and Futuna Category:Languages of New Caledonia Category:Synthetic languages Category:Guttural R als:Französische Sprache zh-min-nan:Hoat-gí ko:프랑스어 ja:フランス語 simple:French language th:ภาษาฝรั่งเศส

Indian Ocean

:This article is about the water body. For the Indian fusion music band, see Indian Ocean (band). The Indian Ocean is the third-largest body of water in the world, covering about 20% of the Earth's water surface. It is bounded on the north by southern Asia (the Indian subcontinent); on the west by the Arabian Peninsula and Africa; on the east by the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20°east meridian south of Africa, and from the Pacific by the 147°east meridian. The northernmost extent of the Indian Ocean is approximately 30°north latitude in the Persian Gulf. This ocean is nearly 10,000 km (6,200 mi) wide at the southern tips of Africa and Australia; its area is 73,556,000 km² (28,400,000 mi²), including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The ocean's volume is estimated to be 292,131,000 km³ (70,086,000 mi³). Small islands dot the continental rims. Island nations within the ocean are Madagascar (formerly Malagasy Republic), the world's fourth largest island; Comoros; Seychelles; Maldives; Mauritius; and Sri Lanka. Indonesia borders it. The ocean's importance as a transit route between Asia and Africa has made it a scene of conflict. Because of its size, however, no one nation had successfully dominated until the early 1800s when Britain controlled much of the surrounding land. right

Environment

The African, Indian, and Antarctic crustal plates converge in the Indian Ocean. Their junctures are marked by branches of the Mid-Oceanic Ridge forming an inverted Y, with the stem running south from the edge of the continental shelf near Mumbai, India. The eastern, western, and southern basins thus formed are subdivided into smaller basins by ridges. The ocean's continental shelves are narrow, averaging 200 km (125 mi) in width. An exception is found off Australia's western coast, where the shelf width exceeds 1,000 km (600 mi). The average depth of the ocean is 3,890 m (12,760 ft). Its deepest point, in the Java Trench, is estimated to be 7,450 m (24,442 ft). North of 50° south latitude, 86% of the main basin is covered by pelagic sediments, of which more than one-half is globigerina ooze. The remaining 14% is layered with terrigenous sediments. Glacial outwash dominates the extreme southern latitudes.

Climate

The climate north of the equator is affected by a Monsoon wind system. Strong northeast winds blow from October until April; from May until October south and west winds prevail. In the Arabian Sea the violent monsoon brings rain to the Indian subcontinent. In the southern hemisphere the winds generally are milder, but summer storms near Mauritius can be severe. When the monsoon winds change, cyclones sometimes strike the shores of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

Hydrology

Bay of Bengal Among the few large rivers flowing into the Indian Ocean are the Zambezi, Arvandrud/Shatt-al-Arab, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Irrawaddy. Currents are largely controlled by the monsoon. Two large circular currents, one in the northern hemisphere flowing clockwise and one south of the equator moving counterclockwise, constitute the dominant flow pattern. During the winter monsoon, however, currents in the north are reversed. Deepwater circulation is controlled primarily by inflows from the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, and Antarctic currents. North of 20°south latitude the minimum surface temperature is 22°C (72°F), exceeding 28°C (82°F) to the east. Southward of 40°south latitude, temperatures drop quickly. Surface water salinity ranges from 32 to 37 parts per 1,000, the highest occurring in the Arabian Sea and in a belt between southern Africa and southwestern Australia. Pack ice and icebergs are found throughout the year south of about 65°south latitude. The average northern limit of icebergs is 45°south latitude.

Economy

The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The warmth of the Indian Ocean keeps phytoplankton production low, except along the northern fringes and in a few scattered spots elsewhere; life in the ocean is thus limited. Fishing is confined to subsistence levels. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna.

History

The earliest known civilizations, in the valleys of the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, and Indus rivers and in Southeast Asia, have developed near the Indian Ocean. During Egypt's 1st dynasty (c. 3000 BCE), sailors were sent out onto its waters, journeying to Punt, thought to be part of present-day Somalia. Returning ships brought gold and Myrrh. Phoenicians of the 3rd millennium BCE may have entered the area, but no settlements resulted. The Indian Ocean is far calmer and thus open to trade earlier than the Atlantic or Pacific. The powerful monsoons also meant ships could easily sail them west early in the season, then wait a few months and return eastwards. This allowed Indonesian peoples to cross the Indian Ocean to settle in Madagascar. In the second or first century BCE Eudoxus of Cyzicus was the first Greek to cross the Indian Ocean. Hippalus is said to have discovered the direct route from Arabia to India around this time. During the first and second century CE intensive trade relations developed between Roman Egypt and the Tamil kingdoms of the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas in Southern India. Like the Indonesian people above, the western sailors used the monsoon to cross the Ocean. The unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describes this route and the ports and trade goods along the coasts of Africa and India around 70 CE. In 1497 Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and sailed to India, the first European to do so. The European ships, armed with heavy cannon, quickly came to dominate the trade. Portugal at first attempted to achieve pre-eminence setting up forts an the important straits and ports. But the small nation was unable to support such a vast project and they were replaced in the mid-1600s by other European powers. The Dutch East India Company (1602-1798) sought control of trade with the East across the Indian Ocean. France and Britain established trade companies for the area. Eventually Britain became the principal power and by 1815 dominated the area. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 revived European interest in the East, but no nation was successful in establishing trade dominance. Since World War II the United Kingdom has withdrawn from the area, to be only partially replaced by India, the USSR, and the United States. The last two have tried to establish hegemony by negotiating for naval base sites. Developing countries bordering the ocean, however, seek to have it made a "zone of peace" so that they may use its shipping lanes freely. Though the United States did manage to salvage a naval base for itself at Deigo Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean. On December 26 2004 the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean were hit by tsunamis caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The waves resulted in more than 226,000 deaths and over 1 million homeless.

Data

Southern Ocean: A spring 2000 decision by the International Hydrographic Organization delimited a fifth world ocean, stripping the southern portions of the Indian Ocean. The new ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60°south latitude which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Indian Ocean remains the third-largest of the world's five oceans. Area:
- total: 68.556 million km²
- seas: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Laccadive Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Strait of Malacca, and other tributary water bodies Coastline: 66,526 km Climate: northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean Terrain: surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge Graphics of the seabed terrain produced by the Royal Navy & British Geological Survey in 2005 can be found here. Elevation extremes:
- lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
- highest point: sea level 0 m Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea Geography - note: major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait Ports and harbors: Calcutta (India), Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Karachi (Pakistan), Fremantle (Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South Africa), Visakhapatnam (India),Kochi(India)

References

- Braun, D., The Indian Ocean (1983)
- Chandra, S., ed., The Indian Ocean (1987);
- Chaudhuri, K. N., Trade and Civilization in the Indian Ocean (1985);
- Cousteau, Jacques-Yves, and Diole, Philippe, Life and Death in a Coral Sea (1971);
- Cubitt, Gerald, Islands of the Indian Ocean (1975);
- Das Gupta, A., and Pearson, M.N., India and the Indian Ocean (1987);
- Dowdy, W. L., and Trood, R., eds., The Indian Ocean (1985);
- Kerr, A., ed., Resources and Development in the Indian Ocean Region (1981);
- Nairn, A. E., and Stehli, F. G., eds., The Ocean Basins and Margins, Vol. 6: The Indian Ocean (1982);
- Ostheimer, John M., ed., The Politics of the Western Indian Ocean Islands (1975);
- Toussaint, Auguste, The History of the Indian Ocean, trans. by June Guicharnaud (1966). Much of this text is based on public domain text by US Naval Oceanographer at: http://oceanographer.navy.mil/indian.html

External links

- [http://dapper.pmel.noaa.gov/dchart/ NOAA In-situ Ocean Data Viewer] Plot and download ocean observations Category:Oceans Category:Indian Ocean zh-min-nan:Ìn-tō·-iûⁿ ko:인도양 ja:インド洋 simple:Indian Ocean th:มหาสมุทรอินเดีย

Island

in New York, USA]] An island or isle is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water. Very small islands are called islets. Although seldom adhered to, it is also proper to call an emergent land feature on an atoll an islet, since an atoll is a type of island. A key or cay is also another name for a relatively small island. Groups of related islands are called archipelagos. There are three main types of islands: continental islands, river islands, and volcanic islands. There are also some artificial islands. The word island derives ultimately from the Old English word igland. It was originally spelled phonetically: iland. The letter "s" was added out of the mistaken belief that it derived from isle (< Old French < Latin insula) + land, where no such etymological relationship existed.

Continental islands

Continental islands are bodies of land that are connected by the continental shelf to a continent. That is, these islands are part of an adjacent continent and are located on the continental shelf of that continent. Examples include Greenland and Sable Island off North America, Barbados and Trinidad off South America, Sicily off Europe, Sumatra and Java off Asia, New Guinea and Tasmania off Australia. A special type of continental island is the microcontinental island, which results when a continent is rifted. The best example is Madagascar off Africa. The Kerguelen Islands and some of the Seychelles are also examples. Another subtype is the barrier island: accumulations of sand on the continental shelf.

River islands

River islands occur in river deltas and in large rivers. They are caused by deposition of sediment at points in the flow where the current loses some of its carrying capacity. In essence, they are river bars, isolated in the stream. While some are ephemeral, and may disappear if the river's water volume or speed changes, others are stable and long-lived.

Volcanic islands

Volcanic islands are built by volcanoes. Mid-ocean examples are not geologically part of any continent. One type of volcanic island is found in a volcanic island arc. These islands arise from volcanoes where the subduction of one plate under another is occurring. Examples include the Mariana Islands, the Aleutian Islands, and most of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean. Some of the Lesser Antilles and the South Sandwich Islands are the only Atlantic Ocean examples. Another type of volcanic island occurs where an oceanic rift reaches the surface. There are two examples: Iceland, which is the world's largest volcanic island, and Jan Mayen—both are in the Atlantic. The last type of volcanic island are those formed over volcanic hotspots. A hot spot is more or less stationary relative to the moving tectonic plate above it, so a chain of islands results as the plate drifts. Over long periods of time, this type of island is eventually eroded down and "drowned" by isostatic adjustment, becoming a seamount. Plate movement across a hot-spot produces a line of islands oriented in the direction of the plate movement. An example is the Hawaiian Islands, from Hawaii to Kure, which then extends beneath the sea surface in a more northerly direction as the Emperor Seamounts. Another chain with similar orientation is the Tuamotu Archipelago; its older, northerly trend is the Line Islands. The southernmost chain is the Austral Islands, with its northerly trending part the atolls in the nation of Tuvalu. Tristan da Cunha is an example of a hotspot volcano in the Atlantic Ocean. An atoll is an island formed from a coral reef that has grown on an eroded and submerged volcanic island. The reef rises above the surface of the water and forms a new island. Atolls are typically ring-shaped with a central, shallow lagoon. Examples include the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and Bora Bora in the Pacific.

External links

- [http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part8.htm Definition of island] from United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Category:Islands Category:Landforms zh-min-nan:Tó-sū ko:섬 ms:Pulau ja:島 simple:Island th:เกาะ

1 E9 m²

To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 km² and 10,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude.
- areas less than 1000 km²
- 1,000 km² is equal to:
- 1 E9 m² in scientific notation
- 100,000 hectares
- approx. 386 square miles
- approx. 247,105 acres.
- a circle of radius of approx. 18 km.
- a square of side of approx. 32 km.
- 1,004 km² -- Samut Prakan Province, Thailand
- 1,004 km² -- Valkeala, Finland
- 1,015 km² -- Ylikiiminki, Finland
- 1,025 km² -- Schwarzwald-Baar District, Germany
- 1,030 km² -- Saarijärvi, Finland
- 1,057 km² -- Ulsan, metropolitan city in South Korea
- 1,074 km² -- Changhua County, Taiwan
- 1,086 km² -- Haapavesi, Finland
- 1,089 km² -- Eno, Finland
- 1,092 km² -- Hong Kong
- 1,100 km² -- Lake Champlain
- 1,130 km² -- Conwy
- 1,130 km² -- Omagh, Northern Ireland
- 1,139 km² -- Paltamo, Finland
- 1,142 km² -- Kitee, Finland
- 1,161 km² -- Liperi, Finland
- 1,179 km² -- Kuopio, Finland
- 1,186 km² -- Jämsä, Finland
- 1,188 km² -- Ruokolahti, Finland
- 1,210 km² -- Mäntyharju, Finland
- 1,221 km² -- Taoyuan County, Taiwan
- 1,222 km² -- South Ayrshire, Scotland
- 1,235 km² -- Rautavaara, Finland
- 1,238 km² -- Puumala, Finland
- 1,243 km² -- Lolland, Denmark
- 1,246 km² -- Val-d'Oise, France
- 1,248 km² -- Pihtipudas, Finland
- 1,262 km² -- Berkshire, England
- 1,262 km² -- East Ayrshire, Scotland
- 1,276 km² -- Greater Manchester, England
- 1,290 km² -- Los Angeles, California, USA
- 1,291 km² -- Yunlin County, Taiwan
- 1,315 km² -- Kauhajoki, Finland
- 1,319 km² -- Heinävesi, Finland
- 1,325 km² -- Fife, Scotland
- 1,327 km² -- Kangasniemi, Finland
- 1,346 km² -- Juva, Finland
- 1,398 km² -- Pulwama District in Jammu and Kashmir, India
- 1,399 km² -- Faroe Islands
- 1,406 km² -- Pielavesi, Finland
- 1,414 km² -- Alappuzha District in Kerala, India
- 1,423 km² -- Kiuruvesi, Finland
- 1,428 km² -- Hsinchu County, Taiwan
- 1,431 km² -- Keuruu, Finland
- 1,446 km² -- Island of Kaua'i, Hawai'i, USA
- 1,460 km² -- Pyhäjärvi, Finland
- 1,466 km² -- Shetland Islands, Scotland
- 1,484 km² -- Simo, Finland
- 1,493 km² -- Canton of Lucerne
- 1,511 km² -- Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
- 1,519 km² -- Leppävirta, Finland
- 1,521 km² -- Hyrynsalmi, Finland
- 1,526 km² -- Pathum Thani Province, Thailand
- 1,550 km² -- Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
- 1,552 km² -- South Yorkshire, England
- 1,569 km² -- Bangkok Province, Thailand
- 1,577 km² -- Sonkajärvi, Finland
- 1,579 km² -- Greater London
- 1,589 km² -- Viitasaari, Finland
- 1,590 km² -- Pembrokeshire
- 1,595 km² -- Tervola, Finland
- 1,643 km² -- Hertfordshire, England
- 1,660 km² -- Fuerteventura, Spain
- 1,663 km² -- Surrey
- 1,668 km² -- Rohtak District in Haryana, India
- 1,700 km² -- Isle of Skye
- 1,700 km² -- Lake Toba in Indonesia
- 1,705 km² -- Guadeloupe
- 1,729 km² -- Canton of Zürich, Switzerland
- 1,736 km² -- Utajärvi, Finland
- 1,745 km² -- Worcestershire, England
- 1,766 km² -- Vaala, Finland
- 1,772 km² -- South Lanarkshire, Scotland
- 1,795 km² -- Ceredigion
- 1,820 km² -- Muonio, Finland
- 1,820 km² -- Miaoli County, Taiwan
- 1,846 km² -- Juuka, Finland
- 1,846 km² -- Jeju, South Korea
- 1,855 km² -- Nurmes, Finland
- 1,860 km² -- Mauritius
- 1,862 km² -- Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
- 1,866 km² -- Pello, Finland
- 1,876 km² -- Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
- 1,880 km² -- Pelkosenniemi, Finland
- 1,883 km² -- Maui
- 1,893 km² -- Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- 1,902 km² -- Chiayi County, Taiwan
- 1,912 km² -- Vättern, 2nd largest lake in Sweden
- 1,918 km² -- Begusarai, district in Bihar, India
- 1,940 km² -- Pattani Province, Thailand
- 1,975 km² -- Warwickshire, England
- 1,980 km² -- Guipúzcoa, smallest province in Spain
- 1,990 km² -- Irrigated land in Israel
- 1,991 km² -- West Sussex, England
- 2,016 km² -- Tainan County, Taiwan
- 2,026 km² -- Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland
- 2,029 km² -- West Yorkshire, England
- 2,034 km² -- Tenerife, Spain
- 2,051 km² -- Taichung County, Taiwan
- 2,053 km² -- Taipei County, Taiwan
- 2,122 km² -- Nakhon Nayok Province, Thailand
- 2,142 km² -- Snowdonia National Park, Wales
- 2,144 km² -- Yilan County, Taiwan
- 2,150 km² -- Impact of Tunguska event
- 2,168 km² -- Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand
- 2,170 km² -- Comoros
- 2,180 km² -- Herefordshire, England
- 2,182 km² -- Angus, Scotland
- 2,187 km² -- Tokyo
- 2,187 km² -- Stirling, Scotland
- 2,238 km² -- Moray, Scotland
- 2,271 km² -- Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
- 2,284 km² -- Yvelines, France
- 2,358 km² -- Australian Capital Territory
- 2,364 km² -- Northamptonshire, England
- 2,395 km² -- Carmarthenshire
- 2,415 km² -- Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
- 2,439 km² -- Saga Prefecture, Japan
- 2,470 km² -- Chai Nat Province, Thailand
- 2,479 km² -- East Riding of Yorkshire, England
- 2,479 km² -- Satun Province, Thailand
- 2,512 km² -- Réunion, France
- 2,547 km² -- Derbyshire, England
- 2,548 km² -- Gwynedd
- 2,557 km² -- Ayutthaya Province, Thailand
- 2,586 km² -- Luxembourg
- 2,600 km² -- Puolanka, Finland
- 2,601 km² -- Vorarlberg, Austria
- 2,605 km² -- Oxfordshire, England
- 2,618 km² -- Kolari, Finland
- 2,658 km² -- Taivalkoski, Finland
- 2,670 km² -- Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- 2,757 km² -- Drenthe, Netherlands
- 2,766 km² -- Manitoulin Island, largest island in the Great Lakes
- 2,775 km² -- Pingtung County, Taiwan
- 2,779 km² -- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- 2,793 km² -- Kaohsiung County, Taiwan
- 2,819 km² -- Trat Province, Thailand
- 2,844 km² -- County Antrim, Northern Ireland
- 2,860 km² -- Antwerp, Belgium
- 2,860 km² -- Samoa
- 2,950 km² -- Sotkamo, Finland
- 3,000 km² -- Lake Tana
- 3,046 km² -- Cambridgeshire, England
- 3,161 km² -- Amnat Charoen Province, Thailand
- 3,212 km² -- Vaud, Switzerland
- 3,249 km² -- Rhône, France
- 3,263 km² -- Valle d'Aosta, Italy
- 3,298 km² -- Ranong Province, Thailand
- 3,314 km² -- Dunedin City, New Zealand
- 3,355 km² -- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
- 3,425 km² -- Phattalung Province, Thailand
- 3,500 km² -- Lake Peipsi, eastern Europe
- 3,507 km² -- Tottori Prefecture, Japan
- 3,515 km² -- Taitung County, Taiwan
- 3,525 km² -- Haut-Rhin, France
- 3,526 km² -- Giurgiu, Romania
- 3,541 km² -- Posio, Finland
- 3,552 km² -- Rayong Province, Thailand
- 3,563 km² -- Cornwall, England
- 3,566 km² -- Long Island, United States
- 3,577 km² -- Saraburi Province, Thailand
- 3,691 km² -- Nara Prefecture, Japan
- 3,694 km² -- Ranua, Finland
- 3,710 km² -- Covasna, Romania
- 3,755 km² -- Lake Van, largest lake in Turkey
- 3,767 km² -- Saitama Prefecture, Japan
- 3,801 km² -- Suffolk, England
- 3,859 km² -- Nongbua Lamphu Province, Thailand
- 3,864 km² -- Salaj, Romania
- 3,900 km² -- South Nation River, Ontario, Canada
- 3,903 km² -- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- 3,930 km² -- Kemijärvi, Finland
- 3,965 km² -- Burgenland, Austria
- 3,980 km² -- Anantnag District in Jammu and Kashmir, India
- 4,005 km² -- Rhode Island, smallest state in USA
- 4,017 km² -- Shiga Prefecture, Japan
- 4,033 km² -- Cape Verde
- 4,054 km² -- Dambovita, Romania
- 4,068 km² -- Lieksa, Finland
- 4,093 km² -- Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
- 4,101 km² -- Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
- 4,106 km² -- Nantou County, Taiwan
- 4,145 km² -- Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
- 4,162 km² -- Yasothon Province, Thailand
- 4,167 km² -- French Polynesia
- 4,170 km² -- Phang Nga Province, Thailand
- 4,185 km² -- Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
- 4,189 km² -- Fukui Prefecture, Japan
- 4,247 km² -- Toyama Prefecture, Japan
- 4,299 km² -- Alpes-Maritimes, France
- 4,340 km² -- Mukdahan Province, Thailand
- 4,363 km² -- Chon Buri Province, Thailand
- 4,388 km² -- Haute-Savoie, France
- 4,418 km² -- Satu Mare, Romania
- 4,453 km² -- Ialomita, Romania
- 4,465 km² -- Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
- 4,466 km² -- Galati, Romania
- 4,475 km² -- Narathiwat Province, Thailand
- 4,506 km² -- Lamphun Province, Thailand
- 4,521 km² -- Yala Province, Thailand
- 4,531 km² -- Phichit Province, Thailand
- 4,613 km² -- Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
- 4,629 km² -- Hualien County, Taiwan
- 4,709 km² -- Krabi Province, Thailand
- 4,716 km² -- Prahova, Romania
- 4,726 km² -- Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
- 4,732 km² -- Scottish Borders, Scotland
- 4,762 km² -- Prachin Buri Province, Thailand
- 4,766 km² -- Braila, Romania
- 4,781 km² -- Loire, France
- 4,850 km² -- Great Peshtigo Fire, smallest estimate
- 4,857 km² -- Vrancea, Romania
- 4,917 km² -- Akershus, Norway
- 4,918 km² -- Trang Province, Thailand
- 4,933 km² -- Mehedinti, Romania
- 4,971 km² -- Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
- 4,986 km² -- Botosani, Romania
- 4,992 km² -- Balearic Islands
- 4,999 km² -- Jura, France
- 5,013 km² -- Northumberland, England
- 5,045 km² -- La Rioja, Spain
- 5,088 km² -- Calarasi, Romania
- 5,128 km² -- Trinidad and Tobago
- 5,154 km² -- Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- 5,156 km² -- Chiba Prefecture, Japan
- 5,196 km² -- Powys
- 5,197 km² -- Ratchaburi Province, Thailand
- 5,224 km² -- Valais, Switzerland
- 5,234 km² -- Doubs, France
- 5,250 km² -- Lake Nasser
- 5,286 km² -- Perth and Kinross, Scotland
- 5,292 km² -- Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand
- 5,300 km² -- Perthshire, Scotland
- 5,318 km² -- Vaslui, Romania
- 5,321 km² -- Cantabria, Spain
- 5,351 km² -- Chachoengsao Province, Thailand
- 5,355 km² -- Bistrita-Nasaud, Romania
- 5,358 km² -- Suphanburi Province, Thailand
- 5,360 km² -- Haute-Saône, France
- 5,361 km² -- Lot-et-Garonne, France
- 5,363 km² -- Brasov, Romania
- 5,371 km² -- Utsjoki, Finland
- 5,432 km² -- Sibiu, Romania
- 5,458 km² -- Kuhmo, Finland
- 5,471 km² -- Aguascalientes, Mexico
- 5,476 km² -- Iasi, Romania
- 5,498 km² -- Olt, Romania
- 5,500 km² -- Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan
- 5,512 km² -- Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand
- 5,548 km² -- Calvados, France
- 5,565 km² -- Creuse, France
- 5,600 km² -- West Bank
- 5,602 km² -- Gorj, Romania
- 5,655 km² -- Vänern, Sweden's largest lake
- 5,660 km² -- Prince Edward Island
- 5,676 km² -- Ehime Prefecture, Japan
- 5,700 km² -- Bali
- 5,743 km² -- Nord, France
- 5,761 km² -- Mie Prefecture, Japan
- 5,762 km² -- Ain, France
- 5,765 km² -- Valcea, Romania
- 5,770 km² -- Brunei
- 5,790 km² -- Teleorman, Romania
- 5,804 km² -- Oita Prefecture, Japan
- 5,805 km² -- Kuusamo, Finland
- 5,857 km² -- Suomussalmi, Finland
- 5,860 km² -- Oise, France
- 5,866 km² -- Pudasjärvi, Finland
- 5,878 km² -- Salla, Finland
- 5,880 km² -- Eure-et-Loir, France
- 5,896 km² -- Neamt, Romania
- 5,915 km² -- Seine-et-Marne, France
- 5,959 km² -- Canton of Bern, Switzerland
- 6,009 km² -- Chumphon Province, Thailand
- 6,028 km² -- Savoie, France
- 6,040 km² -- Eure, France
- 6,096 km² -- Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
- 6,101 km² -- Herault, France
- 6,103 km² -- Buzau, Romania
- 6,103 km² -- Orne, France
- 6,111 km² -- Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
- 6,200 km² -- Lop Buri Province, Thailand
- 6,211 km² -- Meuse, France
- 6,225 km² -- Phetchaburi Province, Thailand
- 6,242 km² -- Alba, Romania
- 6,304 km² -- Maramures, Romania
- 6,313 km² -- Aberdeenshire, Scotland
- 6,335 km² -- Phayao Province, Thailand
- 6,338 km² -- Chanthaburi Province, Thailand
- 6,340 km² -- Shanghai Municipality, China
- 6,343 km² -- Loir-et-Cher, France
- 6,361 km² -- Graham Island, Canada
- 6,363 km² -- Gunma Prefecture, Japan
- 6,368 km² -- Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand
- 6,408 km² -- Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
- 6,426 km² -- Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
- 6,452 km² -- Delaware, USA
- 6,471 km² -- Savukoski, Finland
- 6,500 km² -- Siple Island, Antarctica
- 6,530 km² -- Drome, France
- 6,539 km² -- Phrae Province, Thailand
- 6,596 km² -- Sukhothai Province, Thailand
- 6,605 km² -- Falkland Islands
- 6,617 km² -- Grande Terre de Kerguelen
- 6,621 km² -- Kalat, city in Pakistan
- 6,621 km² -- Bacau, Romania
- 6,639 km² -- Harghita, Romania
- 6,641 km² -- Banff National Park, Canada
- 6,671 km² -- Pas-de-Calais, France
- 6,674 km² -- Cluj, Romania
- 6,675 km² -- Prince of Wales - Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska, USA
- 6,685 km² -- Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan
- 6,707 km² -- Shimane Prefecture, Japan
- 6,714 km² -- Mures, Romania
- 6,720 km² -- Vendee, France
- 6,730 km² -- Uthai Thani Province, Thailand
- 6,733 km² -- Finistère, France
- 6,768 km² -- Cumbria, England
- 6,775 km² -- Loiret, France
- 6,775 km² -- Ille-et-Vilaine, France
- 6,791 km² -- Indre, France
- 6,817 km² -- Nièvre, France
- 6,862 km² -- Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
- 6,864 km² -- Arges, Romania
- 6,864 km² -- Charente-Maritime, France
- 6,908 km² -- Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
- 6,909 km² -- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- 6,947 km² -- Kalasin Province, Thailand
- 6,995 km² -- Cornwallis Island, Canada
- 7,009 km² -- Okayama Prefecture, Japan
- 7,031 km² -- Sjaelland, Denmark
- 7,063 km² -- Hunedoara, Romania
- 7,071 km² -- Constanta, Romania
- 7,105 km² -- Kochi Prefecture, Japan
- 7,105 km² -- Grisons, Switzerland
- 7,154 km² -- Salzburg,