French Colonization of Antarctica (Great White South)

' was arguably the first ' on (depending on one's definition of the continent), with its earliest claim dating to January 24th, 1772; and its first permanent settlement,, dating to November 1772.

Since then, France has had a continuous presence on the continent, with the only exception being the period of 1810-1815, when its Antarctic territories were seized by during the Napoleonic Wars; before being returned to France following the Congress of Vienna.

Currently, France's only remaining Antarctic possession is the, which was also its first Antarctic colony. Since 1946, Kerguelen has been an integral part of France, rather than a separate territory.

French Antarctic possessions:
 * — 1772-1810; 1815-present
 * — 1772-1810; 1815-present
 * — 1772-1810; 1815-present
 * — 1843-present
 * — 1843-present
 * — 1828-1841
 * — 1919-1940