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D'Arros Island is part of the
Amirante Islands The Amirante Islands (''Les Amirantes'') are a group of coral islands and atolls that belong to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles. They stretch about 155 km from the African Banks (African Islands) in the north to Desnœufs (Isle des N ...
group, which are in the Outer Islands (Coralline Seychelles) coral archipelago of the
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...
islands and nation. The island is located west of the granitic Inner Seychelles archipelago, with a distance of 255 km south of
Victoria, Seychelles Victoria is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Seychelles, situated on the north-eastern side of Mahé, Seychelles, Mahé, the archipelago's main island. The city was first established as the seat of the British Empire, British co ...
.


History

The island was discovered in 1770 by European sailors. D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant of '' Île de France'' (now
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
), from 1770 to 1771. ;Private island In 1975, The island became the property of prince Shahram Pahlavi Nia of Iran. in 1998 it was bought by French billionaire Liliane Bettencourt (daughter of founder and main shareholder of L'Oreal) for US$18 million. ;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. In 2014, it was officially designated a nature reserve.


Geography

D'Arros Island is located only west of the northern part of St. Joseph Atoll, but it is a separate geographical unit, separated by deep water of a wide channel, which is deeper than much of the Amirantes Bank. The land area of the island occupies . D'Arros Island is an oval-shaped, flat coral sand cay, oriented northeast–southwest, long and wide, and nowhere higher than .


Coral reefs

The island stands on a detached patch
coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...
similarly orientated, with maximum dimensions of and . A shallow sand spit extends northeast from it. The island stands on the northern sector of the reef
atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...
. There are drying reef flats wide on its south side, but only a narrow fringing reef about wide on its north side.


Administration

The island belongs to Outer Islands District. 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.


Flora & Fauna

Much of the island area is covered by vegetation. The tree tops reach heights of . The vegetation is dominated by the
native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...
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. Th
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.


Transport

A unpaved airstrip 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

File:Seychelles large map.jpg, Map 1 File:Outer Islands in Seychelles.svg, District Map File:NASA-Saint-Joseph-Darros.jpg, NASA-D'Arros Island File:Arros island ISS022-E-21186 cropped.JPG, D'Arros Island


References


External links


Island guide 1

Island guide 2

National Bureau of Statistics

Info on the island
{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Arros Island Nature reserves Private islands of Seychelles Important Bird Areas of Seychelles Islands of Outer Islands (Seychelles)