Marie Louise Island

Aerial view of the island

Marie Louise Island is a low-lying coral island in the Amirantes group of the Outer Islands of the Republic of Seychelles, in the western Indian Ocean.

Description

Marie Louise lies about 300 km south-west of the main Seychelles island of Mahé. It has an area of 52 ha and a small resident population engaged in fishing and agriculture. It has an airstrip but no regular air services. The vegetation is dominated by coconut-palms and Casuarina equisetifolia trees. It is used as a support base for the harvesting of sooty tern eggs on neighbouring Desnoeufs Island during the nesting season from June to August. Marie Louise has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of brown (1000–3000 pairs) and lesser noddies (2000–5000 pairs), and white terns (2000–4000 pairs). Green and hawksbill sea turtles also nest there.[1]

References

  1. ↑ "Marie Louise Island". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-19.

Coordinates: 06°10′S 53°08′E / 6.167°S 53.133°E / -6.167; 53.133


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