D'Arros Island
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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, with a distance of 255 km south of Victoria, Seychelles.
History
The island was discovered in 1770 by European sailors.[1] D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant of Île de France (now Mauritius), from 1770 to 1771.
- Private island
In 1975, The island became the property of prince Shahram Pahlavi Nia of Iran.[2] in 1998 it was bought by French billionaire Liliane Bettencourt (daughter of founder and main shareholder of L'Oreal) for US$18 million.[3][4]
- 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 Foundation.[5][6] In 2014, it was officially designated a nature reserve.[7]
Geography
D'Arros Island is located only Script error: No such module "convert". west of the northern part of St. Joseph Atoll, but it is a separate geographical unit, separated by Script error: No such module "convert". deep water of a Script error: No such module "convert". wide channel, which is deeper than much of the Amirantes Bank.
The land area of the island occupies Script error: No such module "convert".. D'Arros Island is an oval-shaped, flat coral sand cay, oriented northeast–southwest, Script error: No such module "convert". long and Script error: No such module "convert". wide, and nowhere higher than Script error: No such module "convert"..
Coral reefs
The island stands on a detached patch coral reef similarly orientated, with maximum dimensions of Script error: No such module "convert". and Script error: No such module "convert".. A shallow sand spit extends Script error: No such module "convert". northeast from it. The island stands on the northern sector of the reef atoll. There are drying reef flats Script error: No such module "convert". wide on its south side, but only a narrow fringing reef about Script error: No such module "convert". wide on its north side.
Administration
The island belongs to Outer Islands District.[8] Being an island with a small population, there are not any government buildings or services. For many services, people have to go to Victoria, which is a difficult task.
Demographics
The island has a permanent population of 42. There are several buildings on the island, with one large house used by the owner and a number of smaller, permanently occupied houses for the staff. A small area of the island is cultivated for personal consumption of the residents. The small village is on the north coast.[9]
Flora & Fauna
Much of the island area is covered by vegetation. The tree tops reach heights of Script error: No such module "convert".. 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.[10] [11][12]
The Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre mainly undertakes research on sharks, rays and turtles year-round but the centre also hosts visiting research groups and university students.[13]
Transport
A Script error: No such module "convert". unpaved airstrip (Template:Comma separated entries) bisects the island in the southwest. The island is serviced by an Island Development Company (IDC), Air Seychelles or Zil Air aircraft from Mahé.
Economics
The inhabitants on the island are engaged in very small scale farming and fishing which are mainly for the island consumption.
Image gallery
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Map 1
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District Map
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NASA-D'Arros Island
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D'Arros Island
References
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- ↑ Info on Mauritius and its dependencies
- ↑ Ownership change
- ↑ Paris Match
- ↑ La republique
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". They will manage it as a nature reserve.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ District map
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Article on nature reserve
- ↑ video
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
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