Aldabra

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Map of Aldabra Atoll

Aldabra and Assumption Island

Aldabra Atoll

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 152,000 individuals. The islands are designated a World Heritage Site. They are also known for their green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and birds, including the white-throated rail.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Aldabra Group
4 See also
5 External links

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Geography

The atoll is located at 9°24′ S 46°22′ E and belongs to the Aldabra Group in the Outer Islands District of the Seychelles. The atoll is 265 miles northwest of the northern point of Madagascar and 690 miles 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 full dry during low tide.

The atoll consists of a ring of four larger islands (counterclockwise):

South Island (Grand Terre, 116.1 km²)
Middle Island (Malabar, 26.8 km²)
Polymnie (4.75 km²)
West Island (Picard, 9.4 km²)

Additionally, there are some forty smaller islands and rocks, mostly inside the lagoon: Ilot Magnan, Ile Lanier, Champignon des Os, Coconut Island, Euphrate, Grand Mentor, Grand IIot, Green Rock, Gros IIot Gionnet, Gros IIot Sésame, Heron Rock, Hide Island, Ile aux Aigrettes, Ile aux Cèdres, Ile aux Cendres, Iles Chalands,Ile Esprit, Ile Fangame, Ile Héron, Ile Michel, Ile Moustiques, Ile Suacco, Ile Sylvestre, Ile Verte, Ilot Déder,Ilot Dubois, Ilot Emile, Ilot du Milieu, Ilot du Nord, Ilot du Sud, Ilot Macoa, Ilot Marquoix, Ilots Niçois, Ilot Parc, Ilot Salade, Ilot Yangue, Middle Row Island, Nobby Rock, North Row Island, Petit Mentor, Petit Mentor Endans, Petits IIots, Pink Rock, South Row Island, Table Ronde.

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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 wildlife warden and his staff. There is no other permanent population. The islands are managed by the Seychelles Island Foundation.

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