Saint Joseph Atoll
Saint Joseph Atoll | ||
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Map of the Saint Joseph Atoll with the neighboring island of D'Arros | ||
Waters | Indian Ocean | |
archipelago | Amiranten | |
Geographical location | 5 ° 25 ′ S , 53 ° 20 ′ E | |
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Number of islands | approx. 10 | |
Main island | Saint Joseph | |
Land area | 1.39 km² | |
Lagoon area | 4.8 km² | |
total area | 22.53 km² | |
Residents | uninhabited | |
ISS image of the Saint Joseph Atoll, northwest of it the island of D'Arros |
The Saint Joseph Atoll is an uninhabited atoll in the Indian Ocean and belongs to the Amiranten archipelago and thus to the Outer Islands of the Seychelles .
The oval-shaped atoll is about 7 km long, 4.4 km wide and has an area of 22.53 km², of which 4.8 km² is distributed over the lagoon and only 1.39 km² on the islands of the atoll. Most of the rest is taken up by the coral reef and sandbanks. The lagoon is up to 6.4 meters deep. Only in the northwest in the Lerein Fin pass small boats can enter the lagoon during high tide .
Coconut palms have been planted on the larger islands of the atoll , and casuarinas also grow .
To the northwest of the atoll is the coral island of D'Arros , separated by an inlet about 60 meters deep and 1.1 kilometers wide , on which there is a hotel and an airfield.
Islands
The largest island of the atoll is Saint Joseph Island in the southeast, followed by Fouquet immediately northwest of it, Resource in the far northwest, and Benjamin in the south.
The number of islands cannot be specified precisely.
The constitution of the Seychelles names a total of 14 islands on the atoll:
- Saint Joseph
- Île aux Fouquets
- resource
- Petit Carcassaye
- Grand Carcassaye
- Benjamin
- Bancs Ferrari
- Chiens
- Pélicans
- Vars
- Île Paul
- Banc de Sable
- Bancs aux Cocos
- Île aux Poules
However, some of them are likely to be little more than sand or coral banks, as can be seen from the names such as Bancs Ferrari . Some well-known sources consequently mention a smaller number of islands, such as the Sailing Directions (Enroute) Vol. 171 eight islands. In addition, the smaller islands in particular are constantly changing their shape and sometimes growing together. The Carcassaye Islands, for example, are connected to the southern part of the main island of Saint Joseph.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ PDF at msi.nga.mil