World · permanent entity record · CP
Clipperton Island
Thirty-second orientation
Clipperton Island at a glance
- Area
- total : 6 sq km land: 6 sq km water: 0 sq km
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of 2026-01-08
Claims are attributed · classifications are dated
Claims and contested status
Maintained classification
Dependency or area of special sovereignty
France
U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · as of 2026-03-31A claim’s appearance records that the cited source reports it. It does not constitute an Almanac ruling on sovereignty.
Maintained profile
- Classification
- Dependency or area of special sovereignty
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty · Federal classification and wording follow the current State Department register.
- Sovereignty or administration
- France
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty ·
- Administrative center
- Administered from Paris
- U.S. Department of State, Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty ·
Preserved public-domain record · not maintained current data
Final CIA World Factbook profile
This is the preserved historical baseline from the Factbook’s final public snapshot. It is presented as the CIA stated it, not as a current Standard American Almanac finding. Current, independently maintained facts appear above when available.
CIA World Factbook historical record · final public snapshot · profile updated · pinned source record · commit d81154954b8b
Introduction1 fields
- Background
- 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.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Geography15 fields
- Location
- Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area
- total : 6 sq km land: 6 sq km water: 0 sq km
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Area - comparative
- about 12 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Climate
- tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Elevation
- highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Natural hazards
- subject to tropical storms and hurricanes from May to October
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Geography - note
- the atoll reef is approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) in circumference
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
People and Society1 fields
Environment3 fields
- Environmental issues
- no natural resources, guano deposits depleted; stagnant fresh-water lagoon
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Climate
- tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees Celsius, wet season (May to October)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Land use
- agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.) forest: 0% (2018 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Government4 fields
- Country name
- 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 is alleged to have used the island as a base starting in 1705
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
- Dependency status
- possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
Military and Security1 fields
- Military - note
- defense is the responsibility of France
- CIA World Factbook historical record · as of · source
The underlying United States government material is public domain. The Almanac’s reuse terms do not change the legal status of this preserved source layer.