Round Island (Mauritius)
| Round Island (Mauritius) | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Indian Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Mascarens | |
| Geographical location | 19 ° 51 '2 " S , 57 ° 47' 19" E | |
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| length | 2 km | |
| width | 1.5 km | |
| surface | 1.69 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 280 m | |
Round Island , French Île Ronde is an uninhabited island 22.5 kilometers northeast of Mauritius . With a length of 2.0 km and a maximum width of 1.5 km, it has an area of 1.69 km² and rises at a maximum height of 280 meters. The island is of volcanic origin and has a rocky coast.
In the past, the entire island was covered with hardwood forests and palm savannas. After extensive clearing and the destruction of the vegetation by goats and rabbits in the 19th and 20th centuries, only a meager 10% of it remains today. After the invasive animals were removed from the island in the 1980s, Round Island is now a strictly protected nature reserve . In addition to rare endemic animal species such as Guenther's day gecko ( Phelsuma guentheri ), the Telfair skink ( Leiolopisma telfairi ) and the round island boa ( Casarea dussumieri ) there is the bottle palm ( Hyophorbe lagenicaulis ), which only has ten specimens left in the wild one of the rarest trees in the world. The wild population on Round Island is now primarily threatened by tropical storms. However, the bottle palm is grown successfully in cultivation today. Other rare plant taxa on Round Island are Fernelia buxifolia and Dictyosperma album var. Conjugatum . The Mauritius boa ( Bolyeria multocarinata ), which was formerly endemic to the island , has not been seen since 1975 and is believed to be extinct .
Individual evidence
- ↑ See General Information on Round Island. Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, accessed November 18, 2013 .
