Agalega Islands

Agalega Islands
NASA image of the North Island from Agalega
Waters	Indian Ocean
Geographical location	10 ° 25 ′  S , 56 ° 39 ′  E Coordinates: 10 ° 25 ′  S , 56 ° 39 ′  E
Number of islands	2
Main island	North Island
Total land area	24 km²
Residents	289 (2000)
Map of the Agalega Islands

The Agalega Islands are a group of two islands in the Indian Ocean . Politically, they belong to Mauritius , although they are 1100 km north of the island of Mauritius and therefore closer to Madagascar or the Seychelles .

history

Agalega was discovered in 1509 by the Portuguese Diego Lopez de Sequiera . The islands were possibly named after one of the ships ("La Galega") of the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas , who traveled to the islands around 1512. They first appear on a map from 1517 as Ilha do Gale . After more than two centuries of oblivion, the archipelago was rediscovered in 1758 by the French ship Rubis.

Agalega was settled from Mauritius (main island) from 1808.

geography

Agalega consists of two islands with a total area of ​​24 km². The islands lie within a fringing reef that also encloses a very narrow, 25 to 100 meter wide lagoon . The islands are bordered by a 20 to 30 meter wide beach. The total area within the reef rim is 37 km². The two islands are separated from each other by the 1.8 km wide La Passe , which can be crossed with dry feet at low tide.

The highest peaks are the coastal sand dunes Montagne d'Emmerez on the North Island (15 meters) and Grande Montagne on the South Island (7 meters).

The archipelago has about 300 inhabitants (289 according to the 2000 census ), who are spread over three villages. They speak Agalega Creole .

The North Island measures 12.5 by 1.5 km, with an area of ​​14.3 km². This is where the Agalega Airstrip airport ( ICAO ID: FIMA), the port of Port Saint James , the main town of Vingt Cinq and the village of La Fourche are located .

The South Island measures 7 by 4.5 km, with an area of ​​9.7 km². Here is the village of Sainte Rita and a weather station .

administration

Along with St. Brandon, Agalega belongs to the Outer Islands of Mauritius. Due to the Agalega Island Council Act 2004 , an Island Council was set up to administer the islands. Its members are not elected but appointed by the government. Previously, Agalega was managed by the Outer Islands Corporation , a consortium of government and business represented by a manager in the islands who also had judicial power.

economy

The main industry of the islands is the production of copra and coconut oil . Fishing is carried out for personal use. Until recently, there was no cash in circulation on the islands, and money was handled with government vouchers.

fauna

An endemic day gecko species ( Phelsuma borbonica agalegae svw. "Green Agalega mountain gecko") exists on the islands . Other land animals include a population of ibis .

Climate table

Agalega
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     280   30th 24     241   31 24     169   31 24     148   31 25th     114   30th 24     86   29 23     101   28 23     63   28 23     57   28 23     79   29 23     125   30th 24     190   31 24 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: wetterkontor.de

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Agalega Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 30.4 30.5 30.7 30.7 29.8 28.7 27.9 27.9 28.4 29.1 30.0 30.5 O 29.5 Min. Temperature (° C) 24.0 24.2 24.3 24.7 24.4 23.4 22.8 22.5 22.9 23.4 23.9 24.1 O 23.7 Precipitation ( mm ) 280 241 169 148 114 86 101 63 57 79 125 190 Σ 1,653 Rainy days ( d ) 17th 15th 15th 13 13 12 15th 12 10 9 13 15th Σ 159 Humidity ( % ) 84 85 84 83 81 80 80 79 78 79 81 82 O 81.3 Source: wetterkontor.de

Web links

• Entry in the Encyclopædia Mauritiana ( Memento of May 30, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
• Portrait of the Islands ( Memento from May 23, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (German / English)

swell

1. ↑ ^{a b} http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/atollresearchbulletin/issues/00273.pdf
2. ↑ https://www.notams.jcs.mil/common/icao/R58C1.html straight-line | url = https: //www.notams.jcs.mil/common/icao/R58C1.html | date = 2018 -08 | archivebot = 2018-08-22 09:52:06 InternetArchiveBot}} (link not available)
3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from December 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive )