Alphonse Atoll
Alphonse Atoll | ||
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Aerial view of the only island in the atoll | ||
Waters | Indian Ocean | |
archipelago | Alphonse group | |
Geographical location | 7 ° 1 ′ S , 52 ° 44 ′ E | |
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Number of islands | 1 | |
Main island | Alphonse Island | |
Land area | 1.74 km² | |
Lagoon area | 6 km² | |
Residents | 82 | |
NASA satellite image of Alphonse Atoll and neighboring Saint-François Atoll to the south |
The Alphonse Atoll is located in the Indian Ocean , 7 ° south of the equator and 450 km southwest of Mahé , the largest island in the Seychelles . It is the smaller of two atolls of the Alphonse Group (measured in terms of total area, but the larger in terms of land area), which in turn is counted among the “Outer Islands” of the Seychelles. The atoll was discovered on January 26th, 1730 by the knight Alphonse de Pontevez, commander of the frigate Le Lys .
Only one island belongs to the atoll, Alphonse Island , which has a land area of 1.74 km². The area including the fish-rich lagoon is about 8 km². The island is lined with beaches and densely forested with coconut palms . Papayas and bananas as well as cotton and sisal , which were grown in the 19th century and have since grown wild, also grow here .
On Alphonse Iceland is the luxury hotel Alphonse Iceland Resort, the Alphonse FIshing Co. (operators of fishing trips) and an airport ( ICAO airport code FSAL). There is a flight connection to Mahé several times a week, the flight duration is one hour.
See also
- Official website
- The neighboring Saint-François Atoll
- List of Seychelles Islands