D'Arros Island

D'Arros Island
	A beach on D'Arros Island
	D'Arros Island
Geography
Location	Indian Ocean
Coordinates	05°24′S 53°18′E / 5.400°S 53.300°E
Archipelago	Seychelles
Adjacent to	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 Island Marine Protected Area
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

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.

History

The island was discovered in 1770 by European sailors.^[2] D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant of Île de France (now Mauritius), 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 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 permanent population of 42. There are several buildings on the island, with one large house used by the owner 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]

The Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre mainly undertakes research on sharks, rays and turtles year-round but the centre also hosts visiting research groups and university students.^[14]

Transport

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