Aldabra
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| Aldabra Atoll* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Seychelles |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, ix, x |
| Reference | 185 |
| Region† | Africa |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1982 (6th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Aldabra is a raised coral atoll in the Indian Ocean, virtually untouched by humans, with distinctive island fauna, including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. The atoll is home to the world's largest population of giant tortoises, numbering some 100,000 individuals. The islands are designated a World Heritage Site. They are also known for their green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and birds, including the Aldabra rail, the last surviving flightless bird of the Indian Ocean region. Politically, Aldabra is part of the Seychelles.
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[edit] Geography
The atoll is located at and belongs to the Aldabra Group, one of the island groups of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles. The atoll is 265 miles northwest of the northern point of Madagascar and 1150 km southwest of Mahé, the principal island of the Seychelles archipelago. The Comoro Islands lie 220 miles southwest of Aldabra. The Aldabra Atoll, along with Des Roches and Farquhar, was part of the British Indian Ocean Territory from 1965 until Seychelles independence in 1976.
The atoll is the second largest in the world after Kiritimati. It is 34 km long, 14.5 km wide, up to 8 meters above sea level, and has a land area of 155.4 km². The lagoon measures 224 km² in area, of which roughly two thirds fall dry during low tide.
The atoll consists of a ring of four larger islands (counterclockwise):
- South Island (Grand Terre, 116.1 km²)
- Malabar or Middle Island (26.8 km²)
- Polymnieli or Polymnie (4.75 km²)
- Picard or West Island (9.4 km²)
Additionally, there are some forty smaller islands and rocks, all inside the lagoon, except a few very small islets at the West Channels between South and Polymnie Islands, the largest of those being Îlot Magnan: Île aux Cendres, Île Michel (Coconut Island), Île Esprit (Euphrates Island), Île Moustiques, Îlot Parc, Îlot Emile, Îlot Yangue, Îlot Dubois, Île Lanier, Champignon des Os, Euphrate, Grand Mentor, Grand ÎIot, Gros ÎIot Gionnet, Gros ÎIot Sésame, Heron Rock, Hide Island, Île aux Aigrettes, Île aux Cèdres, Îles Chalands, Île Fangame, Île Héron, Île Michel, Île Suacco, Île Sylvestre, Île Verte, Îlot Déder, Îlot du Sud, Îlot du Milieu, Îlot du Nord, Îlot Macoa, Îlot Marquoix, Îlots Niçois, Îlot Salade, Middle Row Island, Nobby Rock, North Row Island, Petit Mentor, Petit Mentor Endans, Petits ÎIots, Pink Rock, Table Ronde.
The largest islands inside the lagoon are:
- Île Michel (Coconut Island), in the east (0.34 km² or 0.16 sq.mi.)
- Île Esprit (Euphrates Island), in the west (0.41 km² 0.13 sq.mi.)
[edit] History
Aldabra was visited by Portuguese navigators in 1511. The islands were already known to the Arabs, from whom they get their name. In the middle of the 18th century, they became dependencies of the French colony of Réunion, from where expeditions were made for the capture of the giant tortoises. In 1810 with Mauritius, Réunion, the Seychelles and other islands, Aldabra passed into the possession of Great Britain. Réunion was returned to France, and Mauritius gained possession of Aldabra as well as the rest of the Seychelles. The previous inhabitants were emigrants from the Seychelles.
The abandoned settlement Picard on the southwestern tip of West Island is now home to the Research Officer, Island Manager and their rangers and staff. There is no other permanent population. The islands are managed by the Seychelles Island Foundation.
The Aldabra Group also includes the island of Assumption and the atolls of Astove and Cosmoledo.
[edit] See also
- Addyaita - a giant turtle of Aldabra. It was at least 250-years old when it died at Kolkata Zoo on March 24, 2006.
- Geography of Seychelles
[edit] External links
- Aldabra at the Ministry of Environment, Seychelles
- Aldabra at the Seychelles Islands Foundation
- Aldabra Marine Programme
- Aldabra Atoll at the UNESCO World Heritage Site
- "Expedition Aldabra" (Gordon, Ethan, Fathoms Online, Issue #8)
- Photos of Aldabran wildlife
- Aldabra Island xeric scrub (World Wildlife Fund)
- UNESCO Natural Site Data Sheet
- Save Our Seas Foundation Promotional Video for Aldabra
