Desroches Island
| Nickname: Île des Roches | |
|---|---|
 Desroches Island
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| Geography | |
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 05°40′S 53°39′E / 5.667°S 53.650°ECoordinates: 05°40′S 53°39′E / 5.667°S 53.650°E |
| Archipelago | Seychelles |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Indian Ocean |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Major islands |
|
| Area | 4.027 km2 (1.555 sq mi) |
| Length | 5.5 km (3.42 mi) |
| Width | 1.0 km (0.62 mi) |
| Coastline | 13.1 km (8.14 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Group | Outer Islands |
| Sub-Group | Amirante Islands |
| Districts | Outer Islands District |
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Largest settlement
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Desroches
(population 40) |
| Demographics | |
| Demonym | Creole |
| Population | 100 (2014) |
| Pop. density | 24.8 /km2 (64.2 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Creole, French, East Africans, Indians. |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| Official website | www |
| ISO Code = SC-26 | |
Desroches Island or Île Desroches is the main island of the Amirante Islands, part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles.
It is located 227 km southwest of Victoria, Seychelles. It is 5.5 km long and has a land area of 4.027 km2. Along its circumference of 13 km is a beach of fine sand. Conservation on the island is managed by Island Conservation Society.
Desroches was named by Chevalier de Roslan, commander of the French corvette Heure du Berger, after the Chevalier des Roches,the Governor of Île de France (now Mauritius) and Île Bourbon (now Réunion) from 1767 to 1772. It was explored by the Chevalier de la Billioère in 1771. The British had originally named it Wood Island because of its dense tree vegetation. The island was an important producer of copra. in 1835 the first settlement was established Along with the remaining Amirante Islands, Desroches had been a part of the Seychelles since it became a separate colony in 1909. On November 8, 1965, the United Kingdom split Desroches from the Seychelles to become part of the newly created British Indian Ocean Territory together with Farquhar, Aldabra and the Chagos Archipelago, but returned it to the Seychelles with the first two. The purpose was to allow the construction of a military base for the mutual benefit of the United Kingdom and the United States. On June 23, 1976, Desroches was returned to Seychelles as a result of it attaining independence. on 1972, a tourist lodge was built on the island, on Lodge Beach. on 1988, the Lodge changed hands to MK resorts which renovated it to a Luxury resort with 20 rooms. on 2005, the resort was sold to LUX resorts which renovated it and added a spa in 2008 The island management was transferred to The Desroches Foundation, which developed tourist activities on the island, in a sustainable manner with environmental care. The Foundation have built a small guesthouse on the village The Foundation allowed expansion of the LUX hotel for free in return of building a new Conservation center and a tortoise restoration place on the island. the LUX managed resort was expanded to 60 rooms in 2008 in 2016 the resort was sold to Collins group hotels. Collins group are adding more rooms in Lodge beach, but the Madame Zabre Beach units are sold as residential buildings, and a new neighborhood will be formed in this area by 2017
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