D'Arros Island
 Map of D'Arros Island and neighboring St. Joseph Atoll, part of the Amirante Islands group | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Archipelago | Seychelles |
| Area | 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi) |
| Country | |
|
Seychelles | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 85 |
D'Arros Island is part of the Amirante Islands group, which are in the Outer Islands (Coralline Seychelles) coral archipelago of the Seychelles islands and nation. The island is located west of the granitic Inner Seychelles archipelago.
Geography
D'Arros Island is located only 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the northern part of St. Joseph Atoll, but it is a separate geographical unit, separated by 60–62 metres (197–203 ft) deep water of a 1.1 kilometres (0.68 mi) wide channel, which is deeper than much of the Amirantes Bank.
The land area of the island occupies 1.5 square kilometres (0.58 sq mi). D'Arros Island is an oval-shaped, flat coral sand cay, oriented northeast-southwest, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and 990 metres (3,250 ft) wide, and nowhere higher than 3 metres (9.8 ft).
Coral reefs
The island stands on a detached patch coral reef similarly orientated, with maximum dimensions of 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) and 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi). A shallow sand spit extends 0.8 kilometres (0.50 mi) northeast from it. The island stands on the northern sector of the reef atoll. There are drying reef flats 250–400 metres (820–1,310 ft) wide on its south side, but only a narrow fringing reef about 75 metres (246 ft) wide on its north side.
History
D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant at Mauritius, then Île de France, from 1770 to 1771.
Ownership
- Private island
Formerly the property of prince Shahram Pahlavi Nia of Iran since 1975, the island was bought in 1998 by an undisclosed owner since then revealed, by French tax authorities, to be French billionaire Liliane Bettencourt (daughter of founder and main shareholder of L'Oreal) for US$18 million.
- Nature preserve
In August 2012 it was revealed that the island had once more been sold, for US$60 million, to be managed by the Save Our Seas Foundation.[1][2]
Biota
Much of the island area is covered by vegetation. The tree tops reach heights of 27 metres (89 ft). The vegetation is dominated by the native Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), and introduced Horsetail beefwood (Casuarina equisetifolia) trees.
In 1965, five Seychelles Fody (Foudia sechellarum) birds from Cousin Island were introduced to D'Arros and they have since increased to a population of a few hundred.[3]
Development
The island has a population of 85 . There are several buildings on the island, with one large house used by guests, who rented the island, and a number of smaller, permanently occupied houses for the staff. A small area of the island is cultivated.
The D'Arros Island Airport is an unpaved airstrip 975 metres (3,199 ft) long (ICAO: FSDA) bisects the island in the southwest. There are no regular flights but, occasionally, scheduled flights to nearby Desroches divert to D’Arros Island Airport.
See also
- Amirante Islands
- Outer Islands (Seychelles)
- Geography of the Seychelles
References
- ↑ "L'Oreal heiress Bettencourt sells Seychelles island". BBC News. August 1, 2012. They will manage it as a nature reserve.
- ↑ "The D’Arros Group of Island becomes a natural reserve managed by Save our Seas Foundation". Save Our Seas Foundation. August 1, 2012.
- ↑ "D'Arros Island". BirdLife International.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to D'Arros Island (Arros island). |
External links
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Coordinates: 5°24′S 53°18′E / 5.400°S 53.300°E