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Granitic Seychelles Forests
The Granitic Seychelles are the islands in Seychelles which lie in central position on the Seychelles Bank and are composed of granite rock. They make up the majority of the Inner Islands, which in addition include the coral islands along of the rim of the Seychelles Bank, namely Bird Island and Denis Island. The Granitic Seychelles contrast with the Coralline Seychelles or the Outer Islands, several island groups made up of low coral islands with dry, infertile soils. The Granitic Seychelles are home to tropical moist forests, with several endemic species, including the coco de mer (''Lodoicea maldivica''), and the jellyfish tree (''Medusagyne oppositifolia''). Geography Mahé is the largest and tallest island in Seychelles, at 145 square km and up to 905 m elevation. There are 42 granitic islands, in descending order of size: Mahé, Praslin, Silhouette, La Digue, Curieuse, Félicité, Frégate, Ste. Anne, North, Cerf, Marianne, Grand Sœur, Thérèse, Aride, Con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afrotropical Realm
The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopian Zone or Ethiopian Region. Major ecological regions Most of the Afrotropic, with the exception of Africa's southern tip, has a tropical climate. A broad belt of deserts, including the Atlantic and Sahara deserts of northern Africa and the Arabian Desert of the Arabian Peninsula, separate the Afrotropic from the Palearctic realm, which includes northern Africa and temperate Eurasia. Sahel and Sudan South of the Sahara, two belts of tropical grassland and savanna run east and west across the continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ethiopian Highlands. Immediately south of the Sahara lies the Sahel belt, a transitional zone of semi-arid short grassland and vachellia sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curieuse Island
Curieuse Island is a small granitic island in the Seychelles close to the north coast of the island of Praslin. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the unique coco de mer palms, one of the cultural icons of the Seychelles, only growing on the two neighboring islands. History Originally named "Ile Rouge" due to its red coloured soil. In 1768 the French claimed possession of the island, naming it after the schooner "La Curieuse", a ship that was under the command of explorer Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne. Like a number of islands in the Seychelles, there was a native giant tortoise population that was quickly extirpated. In 1829, Curieuse was first used as a leper colony, and it functioned in this capacity until 1965. This helped protect the ecosystem from human influence. Today, ruins of the leprosarium remain, as well as the former physician's residence at Anse St. Joseph (now an educational center and museum). Conservation In 1967 a fire destroyed mu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Island, Seychelles
Long Island is an island in Seychelles, lying in the northeast shores of Mahe. Geography Long Island is located in the midst of the Sainte Anne Marine National Park close to Round and Moyenne Islands. This coconut palm-covered gem reaches an elevation of 90m, and features fabulous powder soft beaches and beautiful turquoise seas. History In 1825, a settlement was established on the island. A family of Seychelles purchased the islands of Long, Round and Moyenne. Their village had about 25 people and was located at the west point. In 1900 the village was abandoned and a quarantine station for small-pox sailors was built. The island served as the Seychelles juvenile prison. in 2006 the inmates were transferred to Montagne Posée Prison on the island of Mahe, to do construction work on the new land reclamation projects. The island now hosts the new Pelangi Resort and Spa which consists of 55 villas, 32 one-bedroom villas, 15 two-bedroom villas, 5 four-suite villas and a presiden ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cousine Island
Cousine Island is a small granitic island in the Seychelles west of Praslin Island. It is a combination luxury resort and since 1992 a nature preserve. History In 1992 the island was purchased and a conservation program was introduced to protect nesting sea turtles and maintain the existing populations of endemic land birds. Flora & Fauna Cousine Island is a breeding ground for seabirds and has a population of transplanted Aldabra giant tortoises. The island has undergone an extensive vegetation rehabilitation program which involves planting of indigenous flora and the removal of alien plant species. Since 1995 over 2000 native trees have been planted. Indo-Pacific hawksbill turtles are known to nest on this island. Important Bird Area The island has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it supports populations of the Seychelles warbler, magpie-robin and fody, as well as substantial breeding colonies of wedge-tailed shearwaters, white-tai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cousin Island
Cousin Island is a small () granitic island of the Seychelles, lying west of Praslin. It is a nature reserve protected under Seychelles law as a Special Reserve. It is managed by Nature Seychelles, a national nonprofit organization and Partner of BirdLife International, by which it has been identified as an Important Bird Area. Description A plateau covered with indigenous woodland extends over most of the island, which is almost encircled by a long sandy beach. The southern coast is rocky. A hill occupies the centre of the island's southern half. There is an area of mangroves and three small, freshwater swamps. A marine reserve, protecting coral reefs, extends into the sea from the shoreline. History The island was formerly a coconut plantation that had been stripped of much of its native vegetation. The endemic Seychelles warbler had become almost extinct, with a population of only 26 birds. In 1968 BirdLife International, at the time known as the International Council for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petite Sœur Island
Petite Soeur Island, also called Small Sister, West Sister, is an island in the Seychelles archipelago, Located north of La Digue. It is part of Iles Soeurs with Grande Soeur. It is a granitic island covered with tropical forests. The island is privately owned. History In 2005 the island was put up for sale, and was bought by hotel Château de Feuilles from Praslin Island Praslin () is the second largest island (38.5 km2) of the Inner Seychelles, lying northeast of Mahé in the Somali Sea. Praslin has a population of around 7,533 people and comprises two administrative districts: Baie Sainte Anne and Gran .... It is visited by their guests, especially for diving. Gallery File:Grande_Sœur.png, Map. File:Petite_Soeur.jpg, Beach on Grande Soeur, overlooking Petite Soeur. References External links Islands of La Digue and Inner Islands {{Seychelles-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conception Island, Seychelles
Conception Island is a small island (0.603 km2) in the Seychelles 2 km west of Mahé. Conception contained a coconut plantation until the mid-1970s; today it is uninhabited. Conception Island, along with its sister island Thérèse Island, is part of Port Glaud district of Mahé, the main island of the Seychelles. Recently the island has been created as a wildlife reserve. It is the home of the extremely rare Seychelles white-eye and other birds such as the Seychelles kestrel The Seychelles kestrel (''Falco araeus'') is a small bird of prey belonging to the genus '' Falco'' in the falcon family, Falconidae. It is endemic to the Seychelles Islands where it is the only breeding bird of prey. It is known in Seychellois Cr ..., Seychelles blue pigeon and the Malagasy turtle-dove. It also has two species of gecko. Image gallery File:Seychelles large map.jpg, Map 1 File:SC-Port Glaud.png, District Map References External links Official Conception Island Guide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aride Island
Aride Island is the northernmost granitic island in the Seychelles ( Bird Island is the northernmost Seychelles island overall). A nature reserve, it is leased and managed by the Island Conservation Society of Seychelles. History The name ‘Aride’ first appears on nautical charts after French voyages of exploration in 1770 and 1771. The first written account was in 1787 by Jean-Baptiste Malavois, French commandant of Seychelles, who described it as being “…no more than a pile of rocks covered with a few bushes.” Between 1817 and 1829 Aride was possibly an unofficial leper colony. In 1868, the Irishman Perceval Wright, who gave his name to Aride's unique gardenia and one of its endemic lizards, visited Aride. In 1883, the British artist Marianne North painted a scene on the island, reporting just one large tree, beneath which the island staff sheltered from the sun. Coconut palms were planted over much of Aride and copra production became important economically. Dogs, pig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thérèse Island
Thérèse Island is a small island off the western coast of Mahé in the Seychelles. It has 700 m long white sand beaches, with numerous coconut palms. It has two rocky peaks which resemble a giant's staircase, the tallest, Thérèse Peak, being above sea level. There is a reef protecting the south shore of the island. Thérèse Island, along with its sister island Conception Island, is part of Port Glaud district of Mahé, the main island of the Seychelles. The island is uninhabited but tourists frequently visit it for its water-sports including scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing, sailing, windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ..., and deep sea fishing. There is a restaurant on the island serving Creole cuisine. Administration The island belongs t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grand Sœur Island
Grande Soeur Island, also called Big Sister, East Sister, is an island in the Seychelles archipelago, Located north of La Digue. It is part of Iles Soeurs with Petite Soeur. It is a granitic island covered with tropical forests. The island is privately owned. History In the 20th century there was a small coconut plantation on the island. in 2005 the island, which was privately owned, was bought by hotel Château de Feuilles from Praslin Island. It is visited by their guests, especially for diving. recently the hotel have built a platform for helicopters, and several villas for overnight stay with a staff house. Gallery File:Grande_Soeur.jpg File:Grande_Sœur.png, Map. File:Beach_West_Grande_Soeur.jpg, White sand beach on the East Coast. File:Petite_Soeur.jpg, Beach on the west coast, overlooking Petite Soeur Petite Soeur Island, also called Small Sister, West Sister, is an island in the Seychelles archipelago, Located north of La Digue. It is part of Iles Soeurs with Grande Soe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marianne Island
Marianne Island is a small Granitic Seychelles, granitic island of the Seychelles. in size, it is located 3.8 km ESE of Félicité Island. The island was a former coconut plantation, and on the western side of the island is a long beach. The southern tip of Marianne is known as a world-class diving location. The tallest peak on the island is Estel Hill, at 130 meters. Presently, Marianne Island is uninhabited but is routinely visited by tourists and boaters. For much of the 19th and 20th century, farming and copra production took place on Marianne. There was a former settlement called La Cour, and in 1940 the island had 60 inhabitants. There are a few species of gecko on Marianne, including the La Digue day gecko (''Phelsuma sundbergi ladiguensis'') and ''Phelsuma astriata semicarinata''. Reportedly, the rare Seychelles paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone corvina'') is occasionally spotted on the island. Also, it was once home to the extinct Seychelles chestnut-sided white-ey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerf Island
Cerf Island (1.31 km2) lies 4 km off the northeast coast of Mahé in the Seychelles. Geography Cerf Island measures long and wide, it reaches a height of . The island is surrounded by a coral reef and the geology is granitic. It is part of the Ste Anne Marine National Park. History Cerf Island was named after the royal French navy frigate '' Le Cerf'' which arrived at Port Victoria on 1 November 1756 during the Seven Years' War. On board was Corneille Nicholas Morphey, leader of the French expedition, which claimed the island by laying a Stone of Possession on Mahe, Seychelles’ oldest monument, now on display in the National Museum of History, Victoria. In the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Some properties on Cerf Island suffered minor damage. Demographics Cerf Island is one of the islands in the marine park to have a small local population (not resort staff or rangers), who commute to Mahé for their daily business. It has a local population of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
