Bassas de Pedro, also known as Manjappar or Pedro Bank, is a submerged
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
or sunken
atoll
An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
belonging to the
Amindivi
The Aminidivi Islands, are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the northern group of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Laccadive Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel north. The total ...
Subgroup of islands of the
Union Territory of
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep (), also known as Laccadives (), is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian sea, located off the Malabar Coast.
The name ''Lakshadweep'' means "one lakh islands" in Sanskrit, though the Lac ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, with a distance of south of the city of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
. .
Geography
It is the largest feature of Lakshadweep, with a
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
area of , which is more than half of the sum of all lagoon sizes in Lakshadweep (59 percent). It is also one of the northernmost features, second only to
Cora Divh
Cora Divh, also called Coradeeve or Little Bassas de Pedro Bank (''cf.'' Great Bassas de Pedro), is a submerged bank or sunken atoll belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.
It has a distance ...
. Bassas de Pedro, Cora Divh and
Sesostris Bank, all submerged, form the north of Lakshadweep. Bassas de Pedro stretches over 130 km from 12°31'N to 13°41'N, in the shape of an arch open to the east. Its width ranges from 15 km in the north to 33 km in the south. Its southern end is 63 km east of North Cay of
Cherbaniani Reef, the closest land feature.
There are no emergent cays or islands. The general depth ranges from 46 to 50 meters, with extremes between 16.4 and 73 meters. The bank is steep-to, smooth with minor undulations in topography, and composed of sand, shells, and decayed coral. The water on the bank is not discolored.
Administration
The bank belongs to the
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
of
Chetlat Island
Chetlat Island is a coral island belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago in India. It has a distance of west of the city of Kochi.
History
Local history says that islanders were cruelly treated by Portugue ...
of
Aminidivi
The Aminidivi Islands, are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the northern group of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Laccadive Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel north. The total ...
Tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administ ...
.
References
External links
Lagoon sizes
Undersea banks of Lakshadweep
Reefs of India
Underwater diving sites in India
Reefs of the Indian Ocean
{{Lakshadweep-geo-stub