Europe (island)

Europe
NASA image of the island of Europe
Waters	Strait of Mozambique
Geographical location	22 ° 20 '44 "  S , 40 ° 21' 57"  E Coordinates: 22 ° 20 '44 "  S , 40 ° 21' 57"  E
length	7 km
width	6 km
surface	30 km²
Highest elevation	7  m
Residents	uninhabited
Map of the island of Europe

Europa ( French Île Europa ) is a 30 km² tropical island in the southern Mozambique Strait , about 300 km from the coast of Madagascar ( Atsimo-Andrefana region ) and 500 km from the coast of Mozambique ( Inhambane province ). Politically, it belongs to the Îles Éparses , a district of the French overseas territory Terres australes et antarctiques françaises .

geography

Europe is located around 350 km northwest of the Malagasy city of Toliara and 110 km southeast of the Bassas da India atoll, which also belongs to the Îles Éparses . The approximately 7 × 6 km measuring island with an area of ​​about 30 km² and a circumference of 22.2 km is almost completely surrounded by a fringing reef. Inside it is very flat. The central plain, which is often flooded during floods, is bordered by a belt of karstified coral limestone, which is only a little higher up and which is two kilometers wide in the northwest of the island, but is otherwise narrow and completely absent in the northeast. The highest elevations with up to 7  m are found in the dune fringes that are particularly pronounced in the west . In the northeastern part of the island there is an approximately 900 hectare shallow lagoon , which is largely overgrown with mangroves and sometimes dries out at low tide.

climate

The climate is semi-arid and characterized by the southeast trade wind. Most of the annual rainfall of just over 500 mm falls in the months of November to May; during the somewhat cooler dry season from June to October there is only sporadic rainfall.

Average monthly temperatures and precipitation for Europe (island) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 30.8 31.2 30.6 29.2 27.6 26.1 25.6 26.2 27.1 28.4 29.3 30.2 O 28.5 Min. Temperature (° C) 24.1 24.3 23.6 21.8 19.7 18.4 17.7 17.7 18.7 20.5 21.8 23.1 O 20.9 Precipitation ( mm ) 130 104 62 28 24 18th 11 10 9 7th 30th 129 Σ 562 Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 8.9 9.1 8.9 8.5 8.8 8.2 8.5 9.3 9.2 9.7 9.7 8.8 O 9 Rainy days ( d ) 6th 8th 5 4th 4th 3 2 2 1 1 3 6th Σ 45 Humidity ( % ) 80 81 78 76 76 76 76 77 77 77 78 79 O 77.6 Source: wetterkontor.de

Flora and fauna

Europe is the only one of the Îles Éparses to have largely intact original vegetation. The northern part of the island is occupied by a dry forest of milkweed plants ( Euphorbia stenoclada ), the southern part by an herbaceous steppe . A large part of the lagoon is covered by mangrove forests (mainly Rhizophora mucronata , also Avicennia marina , Bruguiera gymnorhiza and Ceriops tagal ). Of the twelve plant species introduced by humans, the agave plants Agave sisalana and Furcraea foetida, grown for fiber production in a plantation in the north of the island, proved to be particularly invasive . The latter has been the target of an extermination campaign since 2013.

With 13 breeding bird species , Europe has the most diverse avifauna of all Îles Éparses . The colonies of red-tailed tropic bird , ariel frigate bird and banded frigate bird are each the largest of their species in the Indian Ocean . In terms of numbers, the sooty tern dominates with around 760,000 breeding pairs (2005). Other native sea birds are red-footed booby , predatory tern , common shearwater and a subspecies of the white-tailed tropical bird that is endemic to the island . Sea herons and the thick-billed heron, classified as endangered by the IUCN, live in the shore area . The island is also home to tortoiseshell , barn owl and a subspecies of the Madagascar goggle bird endemic to Europe. In addition, numerous migratory birds, including turnstone and greater flamingo , stop at Europe. Domestic fowl and helmet guinea fowl , once introduced to Europe by humans, have become extinct again.

For the green turtle , Europe is the most important egg-laying place in the Indian Ocean. It is estimated that up to 15,000 turtles come here to lay their eggs each year.

The reptiles are represented by two subspecies of skink endemic to the island and two species of geckos . The only species of mammals are black rats and domestic goats . Both were introduced to the island by humans and pose a threat to the original flora and fauna. Once existing populations of house donkeys , house cats and wild rabbits , also brought to Europe by humans, have now disappeared.

The island has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) RE012 by the bird protection organization BirdLife International . On October 27, 2011, it received the status of a protected area under the Ramsar Convention .

History, politics and administration

The island was named after the British ship HMS Europa , whose crew it sighted on December 24, 1774. The island was probably discovered as early as the 16th century, but was mistaken for Bassas da India .

On October 31, 1897, the seizure was officially announced by France “in execution of the law of August 6, 1896”.

Several attempts to colonize the island were unsuccessful. Not much is known about a first attempt at colonization in 1860; The goats, whose descendants can still be found on the island today, were probably introduced at that time. In 1903 permission was given to colonize the island. Another attempt at settlement at the beginning of the 20th century failed because there was no drinking water; It is unclear whether further attempts were made afterwards. Some old buildings and a cemetery, whose bodies could be the time of death, indicate residents in 1910. However, in 1923 no more residents were found.

In 1949 a weather station was set up. The following year, the first runway for aircraft was built in the south of the island. Since this was located in frequently flooded areas, the current approximately 1400 m long runway was laid in the north of the island in 1973. In 1981 a new weather station was built.

Like the other Îles Éparses, the island has been administered by the prefect and chief administrator of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands since 2005 . Before that, it had been administered by the prefect of the overseas department of Réunion since 1960 without belonging to Réunion itself. By law of February 21, 2007, Europe was incorporated together with the other Îles Éparses as the fifth district in the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.

The exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which is immediately adjacent to that of Bassas da India, extends over an area of ​​127,300 km².

A small military base has been located on Europe since 1973 . The crew consists of 14 soldiers and a gendarme .

Madagascar has been claiming the island since its independence in 1960.

literature

• Administration des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (ed.): Livret de découverte des îles Eparses: Tromelin, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa et Bassas da India . Saint-Pierre (Réunion) 2016 (French, online [PDF; 5.6 MB ]).
• Secrétariat de la Convention de Ramsar (ed.): Projet de classement de l'île d'Europa sur la list des zones humides d'importance international - Convention Ramsar . Fiche descriptive sur les zones humides Ramsar. 2012 (French, online [PDF; 2.4 MB ]).

Web links

Commons : Europa (Insel)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sarah Caceres: Etude préalable pour le classement de Réserve Naturelle des Iles Eparses. Mémoire de DESS Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Tropical de l'Université de la Réunion . Université de La Réunion , Saint-Denis 2002, p. 38 (French, available online through Joseph Poupin, École navale [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
2. ↑ Administration des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (ed.): Livret de découverte des îles Eparses: Tromelin, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa et Bassas da India . Saint-Pierre (Réunion) 2016, Europe, p. 34 (French, online [PDF; 5.6 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
3. ↑ Sarah Caceres: Etude préalable pour le classement de Réserve Naturelle des Iles Eparses. Mémoire de DESS Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Tropical de l'Université de la Réunion . Université de La Réunion , Saint-Denis 2002, p. 32 (French, available online through Joseph Poupin, École navale [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
4. ↑ L'île d'Europa. In: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF). Administration of the TAAF, accessed on August 26, 2017 (French). 
5. ↑ Sarah Caceres: Etude préalable pour le classement de Réserve Naturelle des Iles Eparses. Mémoire de DESS Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Tropical de l'Université de la Réunion . Université de La Réunion , Saint-Denis 2002, p. 48–50 (French, available online through Joseph Poupin, École navale [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
6. ↑ Sarah Caceres: Etude préalable pour le classement de Réserve Naturelle des Iles Eparses. Mémoire de DESS Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Tropical de l'Université de la Réunion . Université de La Réunion , Saint-Denis 2002, p. 99 (French, available online through Joseph Poupin, École navale [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
7. ↑ Administration des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (ed.): Livret de découverte des îles Eparses: Tromelin, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa et Bassas da India . Saint-Pierre (Réunion) 2016, Des actions concrètes au service de la biodiversité - Focus sur les espèces exotiques envahissantes, p. 11–12 (French, online [PDF; 5.6 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
8. ^ Secrétariat de la Convention de Ramsar (ed.): Projet de classement de l'île d'Europa sur la list des zones humides d'importance international - Convention Ramsar . Fiche descriptive sur les zones humides Ramsar. 2012, p. 10–12 (French, online [PDF; 2.4 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
9. ↑ Sarah Caceres: Etude préalable pour le classement de Réserve Naturelle des Iles Eparses. Mémoire de DESS Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Tropical de l'Université de la Réunion . Université de La Réunion , Saint-Denis 2002, Annexe 7: Inventaire des espèces - 5. L'avifaune - 5.1 Les espèces nicheuses (French, available online through Joseph Poupin, École navale [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
10. ↑ Administration des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (ed.): Livret de découverte des îles Eparses: Tromelin, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa et Bassas da India . Saint-Pierre (Réunion) 2016, Europe - Ecology, p. 34–35 (French, online [PDF; 5.6 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
11. ↑ Sarah Caceres: Etude préalable pour le classement de Réserve Naturelle des Iles Eparses. Mémoire de DESS Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Tropical de l'Université de la Réunion . Université de La Réunion , Saint-Denis 2002, p. 58 (French, available online through Joseph Poupin, École navale [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
12. ↑ Sarah Caceres: Etude préalable pour le classement de Réserve Naturelle des Iles Eparses. Mémoire de DESS Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Tropical de l'Université de la Réunion . Université de La Réunion , Saint-Denis 2002, Annexe 7: Inventaire des espèces - 4. Les mammifères terrestres (French, available online from Joseph Poupin, École navale [PDF; 7.2 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
13. ↑ Important Bird Areas factsheet: Europe. In: BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International , accessed August 26, 2017 . 
14. ↑ L'Île Europa. In: Zones Humides. Eaufrance, le portail de l'information sur l'eau, accessed on August 26, 2017 (French). 
15. ↑ ^{a b c d} Administration des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (ed.): Livret de découverte des îles Eparses: Tromelin, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa et Bassas da India . Saint-Pierre (Réunion) 2016, Europa - Historique, p. 35–37 (French, online [PDF; 5.6 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).
16. ^ Note from the Ministère des Colonies. In: Journal officiel de la République française . Official Journal of the Republic of France. Volume 29, No. 296. Paris October 31, 1897, p. 6390, column 3 (French, accessed August 26, 2017).
17. ↑ 5 - District des îles Eparses. In: taaf.fr. Administration des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (TAAF), accessed on August 26, 2017 (French). 
18. ↑ Administration des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises (ed.): Livret de découverte des îles Eparses: Tromelin, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa et Bassas da India . Saint-Pierre (Réunion) 2016, L'administration, p. 4 (French, online [PDF; 5.6 MB ; accessed on August 26, 2017]).