Egmont Islands
| Egmont Islands (Six Îles) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Indian Ocean | |
| archipelago | Chagos Archipelago | |
| Geographical location | 6 ° 39 ′ S , 71 ° 23 ′ E | |
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| Number of islands | 6th | |
| Main island | Île Sud-Est | |
| Land area | 4 km² | |
| total area | 29 km² | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
The Egmont Islands (dt. Egmontinseln ) and Six Îles called, are a coral atoll of the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean . The comparatively small atoll is less than 10 km south of the southernmost submerged coral reef of the Great Chagos Bank . The next island is Danger Island , which is less than 30 km north. Politically, the atoll belongs to the British Indian Ocean Territory .
Including the lagoon and the adjacent coral reef , the atoll has an area of 29 km², whereas the pure land area is only 4 km². The largest island with 1.5 km² is Eastern Egmont ( Île Sud-Est ), on which the first settlement took place. Île Lubine is just as big, all other islands are smaller and completely covered with coconut palms.
history
Eastern Egmont was settled in the late 17th century, at the same time as other atolls in the Chagos Archipelago were occupied by the French.
In 1837 the atoll was completely explored and mapped by Commander Robert Moresby . At that time there was a coconut plantation on the atoll. A dam was built between the islands to connect them. In addition, more land was gained, which combined some individual islands into a larger one.
The atoll has been uninhabited since the Chagossians were expelled in the mid-20th century.
Others
On the northern edge there are two paths into the lagoon, Fausse Passe in the northeast and a larger path in the northwest. The Egmont Islands are one of the most popular stopovers for passing yachtsmen sailing through the Chagos Archipelago.
The individual islands are all on the southern edge of the coral reef.
From southeast to northwest:
- Île Sud-Est
- Île Takamaka (also Tattamucca )
- Île Carre Pate (also Carpathe )
- Île Lubine
- Île Cipaye (also Sipaille or Cipaille )
- Île of the Council
To the west of the island of Île des Rats there was a smaller island, called Îlot aux Rats , which has now become one with Île des Rats through being filled up .
