St Brandon
| Native name: Saint Brandon | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 16°35′S 59°37′E / 16.583°S 59.617°ECoordinates: 16°35′S 59°37′E / 16.583°S 59.617°E |
| Total islands | 16 |
| Major islands | Albatross Island, Raphael, Avocaré, Cocos Island and Île du Sud |
| Area | 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
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Mauritius
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| Largest settlement | Île Raphael (pop. 35) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 63 (transient) (2009) |
| Pop. density | 48 /km2 (124 /sq mi) |
Saint Brandon, also known as the Cargados Carajos shoals, is an archipelago comprising a number of sand banks, shoals and islets. It is a group of outer islands belonging to Mauritius and is administered by the Outer Island Development Corporation (OIDC). Saint Brandon is located in the Indian Ocean about 430 km to the northeast of Mauritius. The islands have a total land area of 1.3 km². 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 km². The islands have a small transient population, mostly fishermen, 63 in number on census night (Census of 2001). The majority of the population (~40) lives on Île Raphael, with smaller settlements existing on Avocaré, Coco, and Île du Sud. A former settlement existed on Albatross Island, but was abandoned in 1988. The islands are rich in flora and fauna. They are classified as a dependency of Mauritius, which is more than 300 km to the south, and are administered from Port Louis. Cargados Carajos is part of the Mascarene Islands.
In the past, Cargados Carajos was a large, volcanic island (part of the Mascarenes, caused by the Réunion hotspot). Over time however, the island eroded until it became submerged and a coral atoll was left behind.
Individual islets on the reef include, roughly north to south, the following:
A number of unnamed islands and sand cays complete the Cargados. The total number of islands on the reef is close to 40.
Siren Island, Île du Sud, Pearl Island (Île Perle), and Frigate Island (Île Frégate) are west of the reef, while North Island (Île du Nord) is about 4 km northeast of the northern tip of the reef.
Albatross Island, about 18 km north, is geographically a separate single coral island at location 16°15'S, 59°35'E.
Albatross Island is the highest (its highest point is 6 m above sea level) and the largest of the islands in the group, with an area of 1.01 km², followed by Raphael, Tortue, Avocaré, Coco Island and Île du Sud.
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Wikipedia