La Digue
Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / image missing
La Digue is the smallest of the three main inhabited islands of the Seychelles. At 9.81 square kilometers and about 2200 inhabitants, who are called Diguois. The beach Anse Source d' Argent with its spectacular granite formations considered a dream beach and is a popular tourist destination. La Digue is also the main island of the district La Digue and Inner Islands, one of the 25 administrative districts of the Seychelles, which also includes more than twice as large silhouette island and other islands belong.
Geography
The fourth largest of the granitic islands of the Seychelles is located approximately 50 kilometers northeast of the main island of Mahé and six kilometers east of Praslin. La Digue is about five miles long and three miles wide, the area is 9.81 km ². The island is almost completely surrounded by a coral reef, which lies to the west and south-east at a distance of 380-610 meters farthest to the coast and in the southwest the next 75-100 meters. Overall, protected by the reef sea area is approximately 4.5 square kilometers. The highest elevation of the island is the Nid d' Aigle ( in German: Eagle's Nest ) at 333 meters above sea level.
The majority of the population lives in the west of the island, where there is a larger gap in the coral reef, which allows access to the open sea for larger vessels. There lies the port and capital of La Passe, who is also the only settlement with infrastructure on the island. The south and east are largely uninhabited.
Political Structure
La Digue is one of three independent communities of the Seychelles, which are not on the main island of Mahé. The island forms together with the adjacent and partly uninhabited islands Petite Soeur, Grande Soeur, Marianne, Félicité and Coco Iceland one of the 25 administrative districts of the Seychelles.
Climate
La Digue, due to its close location to the equator on a largely consistent tropical climate, with year-round high humidity and average temperatures of 25 to 30 ° C. The weather is determined by the wind direction of monsoons. The Northwest monsoon brings humid air from November to April with more frequent rains and the southeast monsoon from May to October dry air with strong winds. During this time, the sea is often agitated. La Digue is, like the other two main inhabited islands of the archipelago, outside the zone of tropical storms. Nevertheless, there may be strong winds and occasional storms. The absence of high mountains leads to La Digue to the fact that by passing clouds rain down less often. Therefore, the rainfall is considerably lower than on Mahé or Praslin with around 1620 mm per year. Agriculture in La Digue is therefore dependent on groundwater for irrigation.
The beach Anse Source d' Argent
Anse Source d' Argent
Beach Anse Marron
History
The island was discovered in 1744 by Lazare Picault and initially called Isle Rouge ( Red Island). As part of the exploration of the archipelago by Marion Dufresne, the island was renamed in 1768 after one of his ships in La Digue. On February 12, 1771 Charles ogres, officer of the ship Heure du Berger took the island officially in possession of the French crown. As the Seychelles were first conquered in 1794 by the English, La Digue was uninhabited. The first settlers were deported in 1798 from Réunion insurgents, including Maximilien Morel, whose wife Marie Payet Celerine with five children and four slaves in 1799 also relocated to La Digue. Although slavery in the French colonies was abolished in 1794, it was further practiced in the Seychelles. In 1815, after Maximilien Morel and his wife had died, included the possessions of the Morel family with 108 acres about one- fifth of the island as well as 25 slaves. The names Morel and Payet are still commonly found in the Seychelles. 1817 only 71 people lived on La Digue. In 1827 there were already 364 inhabitants, including 240 slaves. On February 1, 1835, slavery was officially abolished. The former slaves had, however, continue to work as laborers on the plantations for a small wage. Only from the February 11, 1839 was the era of slavery and the Seychelles to the past.
Economy and infrastructure
Traditionally, shipbuilding, fishing, vanilla cultivation and Kopragewinnung and processing the main sources of income of the island. Even in 1976 there were no paved roads and only one hotel. Today, tourism is another important industry. In contrast to Mahé and Praslin, La Digue Island, there are no major hotel complexes, but for a wide range of guest houses and self catering accommodation. The island has only a few kilometers of paved roads. Only in the last few years, there are cars in large numbers on the island. Main mode of transport is the bicycle and less and less the traditional ox carts.
La Digue has a school, a kindergarten, a church, a police station and a small hospital. The island has a helipad and is repeatedly reached by ferries in regular service daily from Praslin.
Attractions
- Sights on La Digue
- Bird sanctuary La Digue Veuve Reserve, breeding area of the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher
- Dream beaches Pointe Source d' Argent and Anse Source à Jean with granite boulders and crystal- clear water
- National Monument L' Union Estate Plantation, with, inter alia, historical settlers house, Kopramühle, Shipyard, tortoise pen
- Grand ' Anse, spectacular beach in the southeast
- Neighboring islands of Félicité and Coco Iceland for diving and snorkeling
- Silicate karst in the granite on the beach Source D' Argent