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D'Arros Island is part of the Amirante Islands group, which are in the Outer Islands (Coralline Seychelles) coral archipelago of the Seychelles islands and nation. The island is located west of the granitic Inner Seychelles archipelago, with a distance of 255 km south of Victoria, Seychelles.

D'Arros Island

A beach on D'Arros Island
D'Arros Island
Geography
Location	Indian Ocean
Coordinates	05°24′S 53°18′E
Archipelago	Seychelles
Adjacent bodies of water	Indian Ocean
Total islands	1
Major islands	D'Arros
Area	1.71 km2 (0.66 sq mi)
Length	2.0 km (1.24 mi)
Width	1.0 km (0.62 mi)
Coastline	5.1 km (3.17 mi)
Highest elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Administration
Seychelles
Group	Outer Islands
Sub-Group	Amirante Islands
Sub-Group	D'Arros and St. Joseph Atoll Special Reserve[1]
Districts	Outer Islands District
Largest settlement	D'Arros (pop. 42)
Demographics
Population	42 (2014)
Pop. density	24.5/km2 (63.5/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Creole, French, East Africans, Indians.
Additional information
Time zone	SCT (UTC+4)
ISO code	SC-26
Official website	www.seychelles.travel/en/discover/the-islands/outer-islands

History

The island was discovered in 1770 by European sailors.[2] D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant at Mauritius, then Île de France, from 1770 to 1771.

Private island

In 1975, The island became the property of prince Shahram Pahlavi Nia of Iran.[3] in 1998 it was bought by French billionaire Liliane Bettencourt (daughter of founder and main shareholder of L'Oreal) for US$18 million.[4][5]

Nature preserve

In August 2012 it was revealed that the island had once more been sold, for US$60 million, to be managed by the Save Our Seas Foundation.[6][7] In 2014, it was officially designated a nature reserve.[8]

Geography

D'Arros Island is located only 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) west of the northern part of St. Joseph Atoll, but it is a separate geographical unit, separated by 60–62 metres (197–203 ft) deep water of a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide channel, which is deeper than much of the Amirantes Bank.

The land area of the island occupies 1.71 square kilometres (0.66 sq mi). D'Arros Island is an oval-shaped, flat coral sand cay, oriented northeast–southwest, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long and 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide, and nowhere higher than 3 metres (9.8 ft).

Coral reefs

The island stands on a detached patch coral reef similarly orientated, with maximum dimensions of 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) and 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi). A shallow sand spit extends 0.2 kilometres (0.12 mi) northeast from it. The island stands on the northern sector of the reef atoll. There are drying reef flats 200–370 metres (660–1,210 ft) wide on its south side, but only a narrow fringing reef about 75 metres (246 ft) wide on its north side.

Administration

The island belongs to Outer Islands District.[9] Being an island with a small population, there are not any government buildings or services. For many services, people have to go to Victoria, which is a difficult task.

Demographics

The island has a population of 42. There are several buildings on the island, with one large house used by guests, who rented the island, and a number of smaller, permanently occupied houses for the staff. A small area of the island is cultivated for personal consumption of the residents. The small village is on the north coast.[10]

Flora & Fauna

Much of the island area is covered by vegetation. The tree tops reach heights of 27 metres (89 ft). The vegetation is dominated by the native coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), and introduced horsetail beefwood (Casuarina equisetifolia) trees.

In 1965, five Seychelles fody (Foudia sechellarum) birds from Cousin Island were introduced to D'Arros and they have since increased to a population of a few hundred.[11] [12][13]

Transport

A 975 metres (3,199 ft) unpaved airstrip (ICAO: FSDA) bisects the island in the southwest. The island is occasionally serviced by an Island Development Company (IDC) aircraft from Mahé, or flights diverted from nearby Desroches.

Economics

The inhabitants on the island are engaged in very small scale farming and fishing which are mainly for the island consumption.

Image gallery

• 
  Map 1
• 
  District Map
• 
  NASA-D'Arros Island
• 
  D'Arros Island

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arros Island.

• Island guide 1
• Island guide 2
• National Bureau of Statistics
• Info on the island

На других языках

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[de] D’Arros

D’Arros ist eine kleine Insel im westlichen Indischen Ozean. Sie zählt geographisch zu den Amiranten und politisch zu den Outer Islands der Inselrepublik Seychellen. Die Insel gehörte bis 2012 der L’Oréal-Erbin Liliane Bettencourt, der Verkaufspreis betrug 60 Millionen US-Dollar.[1]

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- [en] D'Arros Island

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[fr] Île d'Arros

L’île d'Arros est une caye du groupe des îles Amirante aux Seychelles. Elle est située à 49 kilomètres au nord-ouest de Desroches et à 244 kilomètres à l'ouest-sud-ouest de Mahé.

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