Glorioso Islands
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The Îles Glorieuses ( briefly also les Glorieuses; German as " glorious islands" ) are an uninhabited tropical islands with a total area of 4.3 square kilometers in the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar.
History, politics and government
The islands were sighted by Europeans in the early 16th century on the trip to India, but named in 1880 by the Frenchman Hippolyte Caltaux, which, coming from 1885 established a coconut and maize plantation here of Réunion. Since 1892, proclaimed by law to August 6, 1896, includes the islands to France. 1914-1958 the plantations of companies were operated in the Seychelles. The coconut plantation, the 36 tons of copra produced and 6000 trees included, has been extended to 80 tons with 15,000 trees. 1930 lived 17 employees of the plantation on the island.
During the Second World War, production was still, in 1958 ran out of the concession. Located on the Ile du Lys Caltaux guano was mine. In 1955 the weather station, named after the meteorologist Gerard Martin, north of the Ile Glorieuse to operate on. This is since 1960 in continuous operation and in 1965 moved to the south of the island. The station is important for the sea and air services on the routes to and from Madagascar, Djibouti, Kenya and Mauritius.
Today, the archipelago is a nature reserve. Like the other Îles Éparses the Îles Glorieuses are managed by the prefect of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands since 2005. Previously, she had been managed by the prefect of the overseas department of Réunion since 1960 without belonging even to Réunion.
Since independence in 1960, the Malagasy islands of this former French colony are claimed. Also, the Seychelles and the Comoros raise claims. Significance of the islands mainly because of the large exclusive economic zone of 48,350 km ².
Geography and Economics
The Îles Glorieuses consist of two coral islands of lush Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys and several rocky islands such as the Roches Vertes or the Ile aux Crabes. The islands are flat surrounded with a maximum elevation of twelve meters and by an extensive continuous coral reef. The Ile Glorieuse is heavily forested, partly as a result of the abandoned coconut plantation and continuously surrounded by a white sandy beach. It is approximately circular in diameter and 3 km wide. The Ile du Lys has far less vegetation and consists of rocks, sand dunes and mangroves. It is oblong-shaped, about 600 meters long and can accommodate many seabirds and turtles.
The lagoon is partly dry at low tide. The islands are home to a large Seeschwalbenkolonie. The climate is tropical, what the evergreen vegetation favored. The average temperatures are around 28 ° C, humidity 81-84 %. The islands are sometimes affected by tropical cyclones.
Located on the Ile Glorieuse is a small military base the Foreign Legion with an unpaved runway for aircraft, an anchorage off the coast, the weather station and a radio station. The base also serves as a basis for scientific inquiry.