Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean

Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean
Îles éparses de l'océan indien
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Maps of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean.Anti-clockwise from top right: Tromelin Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Bassas da India, Europa Island.
Maps of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Anti-clockwise from top right: Tromelin Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Bassas da India, Europa Island.
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The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (French: Îles Éparses or Îles éparses de l'océan indien) consist of four small coral islands, an atoll, and a reef in the Indian Ocean, and have constituted the 5th district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) since February 2007.[1] They have never had a permanent population. Three of the islands — the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova, and Europa — and the Bassas da India atoll lie in the Mozambique Channel west of Madagascar, while the fourth island, Tromelin, lies about 450 kilometres (280 mi) east of Madagascar. Also in the Mozambique Channel is the Banc du Geyser, a reef under French control claimed by Madagascar since 1976. France and the Comoros view the Banc du Geyser as part of the Glorioso Islands.

The islands have been classified as nature reserves. Except for Bassas da India, they all support meteorological stations: those on the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova, and Europa Island are automated. The station on Tromelin Island, in particular, provides warning of cyclones threatening Madagascar, Réunion, or Mauritius. Each of the islands, except Bassas da India and Banc du Geyser, has an airstrip of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).

Mauritius, the Comoros, and Madagascar dispute France's sovereignty over the islands. Mauritius claims Tromelin and argues that the island, discovered by France in 1722, hasn't been ceded by the treaty of Paris in 1814. Madagascar claims sovereignty over Glorioso Islands (Banc du Geyser included) despite the islands not having been a part of Malagasy Protectorate, but rather a part of colony of Mayotte and dependencies, then a part of French Comoros that had become a separately administered colony from Madagascar in 1946. The Comoros claims the Glorioso Islands (Banc du Geyser included) too, as a part of the disputed French region of Mayotte. Madagascar claims Juan de Nova, and Europa and Bassas da India.[2] Seychelles claimed a part of Scattered Islands too before the France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement.

Overview

Atoll/Island Station
Staff		 Area
km² 		Lagoon
km² 		EEZ
km² 		Coordinates Location
 Glorioso Islands (Banc du Geyser included) 11 5 29.6 48350 11°33′S 47°20′E / 11.550°S 47.333°E / -11.550; 47.333 (Glorioso Islands) North Mozambique Channel
 Juan de Nova Island 14 4.4 (1) 61050 17°03′S 42°45′E / 17.050°S 42.750°E / -17.050; 42.750 (Juan de Nova) Central Mozambique Channel
 Bassas da India - 0.2 79.8 123700 21°27′S 39°45′E / 21.450°S 39.750°E / -21.450; 39.750 (Bassas da India) South Mozambique Channel
 Europa Island 12 28 9 127300 22°20′S 40°22′E / 22.333°S 40.367°E / -22.333; 40.367 (Europa Island) South Mozambique Channel
 Tromelin Island 19 0.8 - 280000 15°53′S 54°31′E / 15.883°S 54.517°E / -15.883; 54.517 (Tromelin Island) Western Indian Ocean
Total 56 38.6 118.4 640400  

Individual islands

Administration

Since January 3, 2005, the Îles Éparses have been administered on behalf of the French state by the senior administrator of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF — les Terres Australes et Antartiques Françaises), based in Réunion. The Îles Éparses had previously been under the administration of the prefect of Réunion since the independence of Madagascar in 1960. France maintains a military garrison of around 14 troops on each of the islands in the Mozambique Channel that are claimed by Madagascar. The Glorioso Islands are also claimed by the Comoros, while Mauritius claims Tromelin Island.

France claims an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles (370 km) around each of the small islands in the Îles Éparses, which together with the EEZ claims for the islands of Réunion and Mayotte totals more than one million square kilometres (400,000 sq mi) in the western Indian Ocean. There is considerable overlap of the EEZ with the neighbouring states.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.taaf.fr/spip/spip.php?article309 French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) Official website
  2. ↑ http://www.africa-union.org/root/AU/Documents/Decisions/com/19CoM_1980b.pdf

External links

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