From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Map of Peros Banhos Atoll and Benares Shoals
Landsat Visible Color Image of Benares Shoals,
with Île Pierre of
Peros Banhos at the lower right
Benares Shoals (or Benares Shoal) is a submerged coral reef, an isolated patch located at 5°15′S, 071°40′W, just 6 km WNW of Île Pierre, the closest island of Peros Banhos atoll in the northern Chagos Archipelago. It measures about 3 km east-west, with a width of about 700 meters, and an area of 2 km². The least depth at the western end is 4.5 meters.
The Benares Shoals were first surveyed in 1837 by Commander Robert Moresby of the Indian Navy on the HMS Benares. Moresby's survey produced the first detailed map of this submerged reef, which was subsequently named after his ship.
