Astove Island

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Astove
NASA image of Astove Island
NASA image of Astove Island
Waters Indian Ocean
Archipelago Aldabra group
Geographical location 10 ° 5 ′ 13 ″  S , 47 ° 44 ′ 30 ″  E Coordinates: 10 ° 5 ′ 13 ″  S , 47 ° 44 ′ 30 ″  E
Astove Island (Seychelles)
Astove Island
length 6 km
width 4 km
surface 14.5 km²
Residents uninhabited

Astove (English Astove Island ) is a small island in the Indian Ocean , north of Madagascar , which belongs to the island republic of the Seychelles . It is located about 38 kilometers south of the Cosmoledo Atoll and belongs to the Aldabra Group , which is one of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles. Together with the Cosmoledo Atoll, the Astove Island is sometimes referred to as the "Cosmoledo Group". Little Astove is a very small island (0.22 hectares) in the Cosmoledo Atoll.

The Astove Island is about 6 km long, 4 km wide and has a land area of ​​almost 7 km². Astove is an upscale atoll , where the upscale fringing reef has almost completely separated the lagoon from the sea. The area of ​​the lagoon on Astove is 9.5 km². The island is now uninhabited; the settlement that was abandoned in the 1980s is still on the west coast.

The intensive mining of guano in the past has deserted the surface of the island, only a few trees, for example Pisonia , grow on it. Introduced rats and domestic pigs have decimated the seabird populations, but there are also four species of land birds on Astove, such as the tortoiseshell ( Corvus albus ).

history

Pig farming on the island, 1973

The Astove Atoll was discovered by Arab sailors between 1500 and 1000 BC. The first records of a settlement date from 1760. In that year the Portuguese ship “ La Dom Royal ” ran aground here. According to legends, the ship is said to have been loaded with many treasures and slaves. The ship eventually continued on to Mozambique and the slaves left behind formed this first settlement.

In the 19th century the island was visited by other sailors. First reports of mangroves and coconuts surfaced. In 1895 a fishing company was founded here. Other industries of the primary sector were to follow later . Among other things, pumpkins , tobacco and watermelons were grown.

In 1968 the entire island was leased to Mark and Wendy Veevers-Carter. They already had a successful production of copra on Remire , a slightly smaller island. Now this production should be expanded on the Astove Island. They built houses, a chapel and a shop. In addition to copra production, they also harvested tobacco and kept pigs, cattle and goats. Mark Veevers-Carter died in March 1970, production was continued by his wife Wendy until November, when she left the island in the care of three employees. She returned to her home country, the USA , with her three children .

In the end, the island was abandoned and placed under nature protection in 2014 .

traffic

Airport

Astove Island Airport ( ICAO : FSSA) is located on the island . The airport reopened in 2015 after having been built many decades earlier but not being used any longer.

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d The history of the Astove Island. In: https://www.bluesafari.com/ . Retrieved October 9, 2019 .
  2. Wendy Veevers-Carter: My Life as Mrs. Robinson Crusoe . In: Parade . June 8, 1969, p. 6-7 .
  3. Astove. Accessed August 30, 2020 (English).