Aldabra
| Aldabra | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Waters | Indian Ocean | |
| archipelago | Aldabra group | |
| Geographical location | 9 ° 25 ′ S , 46 ° 22 ′ E | |
|
||
| Number of islands | 4 main islands + numerous small and tiny islands |
|
| Main island | West Iceland | |
| length | 34.9 km | |
| width | 13.6 km | |
| Land area | 155 km² | |
| Lagoon area | 224 km² | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
 |
||
 |
||
Aldabra is the largest atoll in the Indian Ocean . It belongs politically to the Seychelles and is part of the Aldabra group which is part of the Outer Islands . It is under strict protection and has therefore largely been able to preserve its original flora and fauna .
geography
Aldabra consists of the four main islands Picard (West Island, 9.4 km²), Polymnie (Polymnieli, 4.75 km²), Malabar (Middle Island, 26.8 km²) and Grand Terre (South Island, 116.1 km²) and extends over a length of 34 km and a width of 14.5 km with a land area of 155.4 km². The area of the lagoon measures 224 km². Aldabra rises only slightly, a maximum of eight meters, above sea level, which is why it was repeatedly completely submerged by the sea during past warm periods in geological history . The last time this happened was during the Eem warm period about 120,000 years ago.
While the four largest islands mark the outer ring of the atoll (along with a few small islands between South and Polymnie), there are several small and tiny islands in the lagoon. These include Île Michel (Coconut Island) in the east with 0.34 km² and Île Esprit (Euphrates Island) in the west with 0.41 km².
The Seychelles constitution lists a total of 46 islands for the Aldabra Atoll.
World heritage
In 1982 Aldabra was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . The Aldabra giant tortoises ( Aldabrachelys gigantea ) are particularly famous . On the Aldabra Atoll 97 birds were determined, including among many seabirds and 13 land bird species such as the white-throated Ralle ( Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus ), the times Alley Nektarvogel ( Cinnyris sovimanga ), the endemic Aldabradrongo ( Dicrurus aldabranus ) and the Seychellenweber ( Foudia sechellarum ) and the endemic aldabrabush warbler ( Nesillas aldabranus ) until its extinction . The thick-billed heron, which has become rare, also breeds here. The Aldabra snail had been missing since 1997, but was found again during an inventory in 2014. Aldabra is uninhabited except for a few people who live there to protect the atoll. It is possible to take day trips from passing cruise lines. In addition, a few Seychelles specialist providers offer cabin and full charters from the main island of the Seychelles, Mahé , to Aldabra.
literature
- David R. Stoddart (Ed.): Ecology of Aldabra Atoll, Indian Ocean. Atoll Research Bulletin 118, November 15, 1967 (online: PDF (7.9 MB) )
- David R. Stoddart: Place Names of Aldabra. In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, Vol. 260, No. 836, A Discussion on the Results of the Royal Society Expedition to Aldabra 1967-68 (Mar. 4, 1971), pp. 631-632
Web links
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Official website
- Video, 5:43 min
swell
Single receipts
- ^ Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles; Schedule 1, Part 1, Islands of the Seychelles Archipelago, Coralline Islands, Aldabra Group, Aldabra Atoll , pp. 133-136, accessed June 13, 2013
- ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Aldabra Atoll. Accessed August 21, 2017 .
-
↑ Julian P. Hume and David Martill: Repeated evolution of flightlessness in Dryolimnas rails (Aves: Rallidae) after extinction and recolonization on Aldabra. In: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Online publication May 8, 2019, lz018, doi: 10.1093 / zoolinnean / zlz018
Evolution brings extinct island bird back into existence. On: sciencemag.org from May 14, 2019 - ↑ James A. Kushlan & James A. Hancock: Herons . Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-19-854981-4 , p. 247
Natural heritage: Aldabra Atoll (1982) | Vallée de Mai nature reserve (1983)