View source for Glorioso Islands

{{Short description|Archipelago in the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Glorioso Islands
|native_name = {{native name|fr|Îles Glorieuses}}
| image_flag             = Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.svg
| flag_caption           = [[Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]
| flag_size              = 130
| alt_flag               = Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
| image_coat             = Armoiries Terres australes et antarctiques françaises.svg
| coa_size               = 85
| symbol_type            = {{illm|Coat of arms of French Southern and Antarctic Lands|fr|Armoiries des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises|lt=Coat of arms}}
| alt_coat               = Coat of arms of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
| status = District of [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]
| national_motto                   = {{native phrase|fr|"[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]"|italics=off}} ({{Langx|en|"Liberty, equality, fraternity"}})
| national_anthem                   = {{lang|fr|[[La Marseillaise]]}}<br/>{{Small|("The Marseillaise")}}<br/>{{Center|[[File:La Marseillaise.ogg]]}}
}}

{{Infobox island
 |disputed = yes
 |name = 
 |image_name = Glorioso Islands ISS002-E-6913.JPG
 |image_caption = The Glorioso Islands seen from the [[International Space Station|ISS]], 2001. Grande Glorieuse (left) and Île du Lys (right)
 |image_map = Iles eparses de l'ocean Indien.svg
|map_caption = Map of the [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean]]
 |etymology =
 |location = [[Mozambique Channel]]
 |coordinates = {{coord|11|33|S|47|20|E|region:TF|display=inline,title}}
 |area_km2 = 
 |length_km = 
 |width_km = 
 |width_mi = 
 |coastline_km = 
 |country = {{FRA}}
 |country_admin_divisions_title = [[Overseas territory (France)|Overseas territory]]
 |country_admin_divisions = [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]
 |country_admin_divisions_title_1 = District
 |country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean]]
 |country1 = {{COM}}
 |country2 = {{MAD}}
 |population = 
 |population_as_of = 
 |timezone1 = 
 |utc_offset1 = 
}}

The '''Glorieuses''' or '''Glorioso Islands''' ({{langx|fr|Îles Glorieuses}} or officially also {{lang|fr|Archipel des Glorieuses}}) are a group of islands and rocks totaling {{Convert|5|km2|sqmi}}. They are controlled by France as part of the [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean]] in the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]], a [[Overseas territory (France)|French overseas territory]], but are also claimed by [[Comoros]], Madagascar and formerly by [[Seychelles]]. They are geographically part of the [[Comoro Islands]] between the French [[Overseas department and region|overseas region]] of [[Mayotte]] and the nation of [[Madagascar]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-13 |title=Îles Glorieuses – Britlink |url=https://www.britlink.org/departements-et-regions-doutre-mer/taaf/iles-eparses/iles-glorieuses/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Archipelago==
[[File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 n-6a.jpg|thumb|left|Map including the Îles Glorieuses ([[Defense Mapping Agency|DMA]], 1985)]]
The [[archipelago]] consists of two islands, Grande Glorieuse ({{Coord|11|34|46.54|S|47|17|54.14|E|type:isle|name=Grande Glorieuse}}) and [[Île du Lys]], and two rock islands, ''Roches Vertes'' and ''Île aux Crabes'', along with two sandbanks that emerge at low tide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Les Glorieuses |url=http://www.taaf.fr/rubriques/districts/ilesEparses/iles_LesGlorieuses.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taaf.fr%2Frubriques%2Fdistricts%2FilesEparses%2Files_LesGlorieuses.htm#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=24 February 2011 |access-date=11 November 2024 |website=www.taaf.fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mulochau |last2=Conand |date=October 2008 |title=Holothurians and other echinoderms of the Glorieuses Islands (Scattered Islands of the Indian Ocean) |url=https://inpn.mnhn.fr/docs-web/docs/download/24422 |journal=SPC Beche de Mer Information Bulletin |issue=28 |pages=34 |via=Inventaire national du patrimoine naturel}}</ref> They form part of a [[coral reef]] and [[lagoon]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Battistini |last2=Cremers |date=December 31, 1972 |title=GEOMORPIIOLOGY AND VEGETATION OF ILES GLORIEUSES |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/4830/00159.pdf |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |location=Washington, D.C. |issue=159 |pages=3 |via=repository.si.edu}}</ref> Grande Glorieuses is roughly circular in shape and measures about {{Convert|3|km|mi}} in diameter. It is verdant, mostly by the coconut plantation remains and [[casuarina]] trees.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jorry |first1=Stephan J. |last2=Camoin |first2=Gilbert F. |last3=Jouet |first3=Gwenaël |last4=Le Roy |first4=Pascal |last5=Claude |first5=Vella |last6=Prat |first6=Sophie |last7=Fontanier |first7=Christophe |last8=Paumard |first8=Victorien |last9=Boulle |first9=Julien |last10=Caline |first10=Bruno |last11=Jean |first11=Borgomano |display-authors=6 |date=18 February 2016 |title=Modern sediments and Pleistocene reefs from isolated carbonate platforms (Iles Eparses, SW Indian Ocean): A preliminary study |url=https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00292/40329/38830.pdf |journal=Acta Oecologica |volume=72 |pages=131 |doi=10.1016/j.actao.2015.10.014 |issn=1146-609X |via=Archive Institutionnelle de l'Ifremer}}</ref>

Île du Lys, located at {{Coord|11|30|59.35|S|47|22|36.02|E|type:isle|name=Île du Lys}} about {{convert|8|km}} northeast of Grande Glorieuses, is about {{Convert|600|m|ft}} long and consists of sand [[dune]]s and scrub with some [[mangrove]]s. It was formerly quarried for [[phosphate]] ([[guano]]).

The Glorieuses have an [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] (EEZ) of {{Convert|48350|km2|sqmi}}. There are anchorages offshore, and Grande Glorieuse has a {{Convert|1300|m|ft|adj=on}} long [[airstrip]].

==Climate==
The climate is tropical and the terrain is low and flat, varying in height from sea level to {{Convert|12|m|ft}}. Île de Lys in particular is a nesting ground for [[Bird migration|migratory]] [[seabird]]s, and [[turtle]]s lay eggs on the beaches. In the ocean, migratory species such as [[humpback whale]]s and [[whale shark]]s may appear.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170917035422/http://u555u.info/other/glorioso-islands.awp Glorioso Islands (images)]}}. Retrieved 16 September 2017.</ref>

==History==
While probably earlier known to Arab (perhaps especially Yemeni) navigators, the Glorieuses were named and settled in 1880 by a [[Frenchman]], Hippolyte Caltaux, who established a [[coconut]] plantation on Grande Glorieuse. The archipelago became a French possession in 1892<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOKTJkg6ApoC |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |year=2008 |page=211 |access-date=2024-03-03}}</ref> when Captain Richard of the ''Primauget'' made a formal claim. In 1895, the Glorioso Island became a part of the [[Mayotte|colony of Mayotte and dependencies]].

Historically flora on the islands mostly consisted of [[Dalbergia maritima|bois de rose]], [[Thespesia populnea|portia]], [[banyan]] and other large native trees, many of which were felled following the establishment of the French settlement and plantation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abbott |first=W. L. |date=1894 |title=Notes on the natural history of Aldabra, Assumption and Glorioso Islands, Indian Ocean |url=http://repository.si.edu/xmlui/handle/10088/13354 |journal=Proceedings of the United States National Museum |volume=16 |issue=973 |pages=759–764 |publisher=Smithsonian Libraries and Archives |doi=10.5479/si.00963801.973.759 |issn=0096-3801}}</ref>

From 1914 to 1958, concessions to exploit the islands were given to [[Seychelles]] companies. The islands are today [[nature reserves]] with a [[meteorological station]] garrisoned by the [[French Foreign Legion]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte {{!}} French Foreign Legion Information|url=http://foreignlegion.info/units/foreign-legion-detachment-in-mayotte/|access-date=2021-02-03|language=en-US}}</ref> Despite the Glorioso Islands never having been a part of the [[Malagasy Protectorate]] but a part of the colony of Mayotte and dependencies, then a part of [[French Comoros]], [[Madagascar]] has claimed sovereignty over the islands since 1972.<ref>{{cite web|title=Disputes - International|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2070.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020141454/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2070.html|archive-date=2011-10-20|access-date=8 November 2011|publisher=CIA World Factbook}}</ref> The Comoros claims Mayotte and Glorioso Islands.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Comoros hits back against France over visa suspension|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://jp.reuters.com/article/us-comoros-france-immigration-idUSKBN1IA1NP|access-date=2021-04-11}}</ref> The Seychelles claimed the islands too before the [[France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement]] in 2001.

In 2012, France founded [[Glorioso Islands Marine Natural Park]], a [[marine protected area]], to preserve the endangered flora and fauna of the islands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Parc naturel marin des Glorieuses |trans-title=The Glorieuses Marine Natural Park |url=http://www.aires-marines.fr/L-Agence/Organisation/Parcs-naturels-marins/Parc-naturel-marin-des-Glorieuses |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909084202/http://www.aires-marines.fr/L-Agence/Organisation/Parcs-naturels-marins/Parc-naturel-marin-des-Glorieuses |archive-date=2019-09-09 |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=Agence des aires marines protégées |language=French}}</ref>

The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean are partially claimed by the Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/le-monde-a-l-envers/les-confettis-de-l-empire-colonial-francais-qui-irritent-madagascar-3700358 | title=Les confettis de l'empire colonial français qui irritent Madagascar| date=22 October 2019 }}</ref> The Malagasy and Mauritian claims, however, are significantly later than their access to independence. However, the agreement reached in October 2024 on the restitution to Mauritius of the Chagos Islands by Great Britain, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, notably home to the American base of Diego Garcia, has relaunched the debate in Madagascar.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://blog.mondediplo.net/derisoires-sentinelles | title=Dérisoires sentinelles sur la route des super-pétroliers| date=6 June 2025 }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="220px" heights="130px">
File:Iles glorieuses 76.jpg|Map
File:Iles glorieuses.jpg|Island overview
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement]]
*[[Moheli Marine Park]]
*[[Glorioso Islands Marine Natural Park]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{commons}}

{{French overseas departments and territories}}
{{Outlying territories of European countries}}
{{Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean}}

<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Glorioso Islands| ]]
[[Category:Indian Ocean atolls of France]]
[[Category:Atolls of Seychelles]]
[[Category:Atolls of the Comoros]]
[[Category:Atolls of Madagascar]]
[[Category:Disputed islands of Africa]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of France]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Madagascar]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Seychelles]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of the Comoros]]
[[Category:Comoros–France relations]]
[[Category:France–Madagascar relations]]
[[Category:France–Seychelles relations]]