Information About

Cargados Carajos Shoals




Cargados Carajos Shoals (also known as the '''Saint Brandon Rocks''') are a group of about 16 small islands and islets on an extended Reef in the Indian Ocean northeast of Mauritius . The islands have a total land area of 1.3 km&2. The reef measures more than 50 km from north to south, and is 5 km wide, cut by three passes. The reef area is 190 km&2. The islands have a small population, made up of natives as well as others and are rich in flora and fauna. The islands are classified as a dependency of Mauritius, which is more than 300 km further south, and are administered from Port Louis . The islands are part of the Mascarene Islands .

The formation might be considered an Atoll . Individual islets on the reef include, from North to South, with their respective locations:

  • Albatross Island 16°19S, 59°36E

  • Îlot du Nord (North Island) 16°19S, 59°39E

  • Île Raphael 16°27S, 59°37E

  • Îlot Siren 16°28S, 59°34E

  • Ile Tortue 16°28S, 59°41E

  • Pearl Islet (Île Perle) 16°31S, 59°32E

  • Île du Sud 16°32S, 59°32E

  • Avocare Island (Avoquer) 16°35S, 59°40E

  • Mapare Islet 16°35S, 59°41E

  • Frigate Islet (Île Frégate) 16°37S, 59°31E

  • Îlote du Paul 16°37S, 59°33E

  • Baleine Rocks 16°41S, 59°30E

  • Ile Veronge (Verronge) 16°41S, 59°37E

  • Veronge Ilot 16°42S, 59°38E

  • Palm Islet 16°45S, 59°35E

  • Coco Island (île aux Cocos) 16°50S, 59°30E

  • Grande Capitane 16°40S, 59°50E

  • Petite Capitane 16°36S, 59°34E

  • Puits A Eau 16°39S, 59°34E

  • Ile Poulailer 16°44S, 59°46E

  • Chaloupe 16°49S, 59°50E

  • Courson 16°48S, 59°30E


Additionally, there are a number of unnamed islands and sand Cay s. The total number of islands on the reef is close to 40.

Siren Island, Pearl Island (Ile Perle), Frigate Island (Ile Frégate) are west of the reef, while North Island (Ile du Nord) is about 4 km Northeast of the northern tip of the reef.

Albatros Island, which is about 18 km further North, is geographically a separate single Coral island at location 16°16'S, 59°35'E.

Albatros Island is the highest (6 m) and largest of the islands in the group, with an area of 1.01 km², followed by Raphael, Avocaré, Cocos Island and Ile du Sud.

The main settlement is on Raphael, comprising a privately-owned commercial fishing station (with a minimum of 35 resident employees), coastguard and meteorological station (with eight residents in 1996). Smaller settlements exist on Avocaré, Cocos and Sud; the settlement on Albatros was abandoned in 1988.

There are Coconut trees on a few islands.


SOURCES



Dependencies:

Rodrigues
Agalega Islands
Cargados Carajos Shoals
Chagos Archipelago
Tromelin
Saya De Malha Bank
Nazareth Bank
Soudan Banks