D'Arros Island
Map of D'Arros Island and neighboring St. Joseph Atoll, part of the Amirante Islands group
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 D'Arros Island
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 05°24′S 53°18′E / 5.400°S 53.300°ECoordinates: 05°24′S 53°18′E / 5.400°S 53.300°E |
| Archipelago | Seychelles |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Indian Ocean |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Major islands |
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| 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 | |
| Group | Outer Islands |
| Sub-Group | Amirante Islands |
| Sub-Group | D'Arros and St. Joseph Atoll Special Reserve |
| 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 | |
| ISO code | SC-26 |
| Official website | www |
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.
The island was discovered in 1770 by European sailors. D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant at Mauritius, then Île de France, from 1770 to 1771.
In 1975, The island became the property of prince Shahram Pahlavi Nia of Iran. in 1998 it was bought by French billionaire Liliane Bettencourt (daughter of founder and main shareholder of L'Oreal) for US$18 million.
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. In 2014, it was officially designated a nature reserve.
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).
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.
The island belongs to Outer Islands District. 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.
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