St. Brandon
Their land area is only about 3.2 square kilometers, the reef extends to 65.5 km in the north-south direction with a width of about 21 km, thus covering an area of about 1356 km ². Almost all the islands rise west of the reef from the ocean. They are the remnants of an extinct volcano.
Politically, the Cargados Carajos Islands is a dependent territory of Mauritius and are directly managed by the government in Port Louis. The census in 2000 has for the island group of no permanent population, but stopped at the time of the census 63 people to Carajos Cargados on. The islands are used as a fishing base, the mining of guano and copra production are other sources of income.
The islands are covered with coral sand, in many places there is a thick layer of guano. Sea turtles use the almost uninhabited beaches to lay their eggs. It is questionable in view of the rapid economic growth in Mauritius, how long can get this biotope without international protection. The decline in sugar prices vulnerable to these main export item of Mauritius and tourism is becoming an increasingly important source of revenue for the state.
The island group has probably already discovered by Arab sailors in the 7th century. It was named in 1506 by Portuguese sailors on their way to India. In 1598 the islands were conquered by the Dutch, French protectorate in 1722, arrived 1810 in British hands and became in 1968 part of independent Mauritius.
The larger islands
The following table lists the major islands according to their geographical location ( north to south ).