The islands were already known to the Persians and Arabs, from whom they got their name. Cousin Island is an internationally-owned island and belongs to Birdlife International. There are also a few very small islets located between Grand-Terre Island and Picard Islands. The atoll is the largest raised coral reef in the world with an elevation of 8 metres (26 ft); and the second-largest atoll in the world after Kiritimati Atoll. Higher elevations of the atoll are characterized by the pemphis shrub while shrubs, trees, and herbs dominate the lowlands. Uninhabited and extremely isolated, Aldabra is virtually untouched by humans. [7] In 1888, first settlement was established after the Concession was granted by the Seychelles authorities. Old maps of Aldabra Island on Old Maps Online. [42][43][44][45], At least 13 species of cetaceans, including dolphins, orcas, and especially humpback whales,[46][47] have been known in the waters. [6][56], BirdLife International declared Aldabra as an Important Endemic Bird Area (IBA) in 2001 on account of its large seabird colonies under categories A1, A2, A4i, A4ii and A4iii, covering an area of 33,180 hectares (82,000 acres) overlapping with the special reserve area of 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres) of Aldabra Atoll.[23][57]. News articles about the project Millions of dollars needed to clean up tuna nets and flip flops from one small island state (10 September 2020) Island Under Siege: the story of the Aldabra Clean-Up Project (5 May 2020) Aldabra The Atoll was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its biodiversity, scenic beauty, and land forms. [8], Aldabra, along with Desroches and Farquhar, was part of the British Indian Ocean Territory from 1965 until Seychelles' independence in 1976. The remote wilderness of Aldabra Atoll, one of Seychelles’ most distant islands, is over 1000 km southwest of the main island of Mahé. Aldabra is situated in the dry zone of the south-west Indian Ocean. [6] As there are no surface freshwater sources on Aldabra, the interests of the explorers (no proof of any explorer's visit prior to 1742) was only to exploit the species of tortoise, turtle and fish, and not to inhabit the atoll. The islands of Aldabra, the lagoon they surround, and their outlying coral reefs house thousands of giant tortoises along with other intriguing fauna. Covering 25,100 ha (over half the area of the whole atoll) the wetland ecosystem of Aldabra include the extensive shallow lagoon inside the atoll, which is carpeted with lush seagrass beds and patchy coral reefs, the intertidal mud flats, the coral reefs outside the lagoon, freshwater pools, beaches, and 2000 ha of mangrove stands. Aldabra has a large population of the world's largest terrestrial arthropod, the coconut crab (Birgus latro); and hosts the white-throated rail, the only surviving flightless rail species in the Indian Ocean. Aldabra is the largest of the Seychelles islands, with a land area of around 155 km2. [6] Many species of butterflies also flutter around Aldabra. Today, Aldabra Expeditions offers the adventurous traveller the chance to see the remote world of Aldabra and other little-known islands and atolls of the western Indian Ocean. After completion of their assigned work, the Royal Society left and the Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF), a public trust of Seychelles, took over the management and protection of the atoll in 1979. [6] Around the rim of the lagoon are the larger islands of the Atoll. [59] As of 2012[update], an average of 900 tourists visit the atoll a year. 02/02/10; 43,900 ha; 09°24'S 046°20'E. Aldabra is a breeding ground for the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). The earliest study of the flora and fauna, and also the geomorphological structure is dated to 1910. Goats were eradicated from the atoll in 2012 after a long-term eradication program. The atoll constitutes a refuge harboring viable populations of a range of rare and endangered species of plants and animals. Aldabra is one of the world's largest raised coral atolls comprised of four main islands. The main population of the Aldabra giant tortoise resides on the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. [6][23] This flora includes 19 endemic species and 22 species that are only common to neighboring islands, and several of these species are on the IUCN Red List. Being the second largest coral atoll in the world, Aldabra is the most far-flung island of the greater Seychelles Archipelago. Aldabra lies in the Indian Ocean, and belongs to the Seychelles. Unlike granitic Seychelles (the ‘inner’ islands), Aldabra was never part of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, whose tectonic migration over 200 million years ago left the granitic islands in its wake. The Atoll lies off the coast of Africa near Madagascar and Comoros Islands.The heaviest rainfall on the Atoll is recorded between November and March. Ship rats were introduced and recorded before 1870, and house geckos were noted from the 1970s. The Aldabra Atoll has 4 larger islands, plus 40 smaller ones, all inside its lagoon. Due to its remoteness and inaccessibility, the atoll has remained largely untouched by humans and as such is an outstanding example of an oceanic island ecosystem in which evolutionary processes are still active. The Atoll is situated in the dry zone of the southwest Indian Ocean. In the remaining months, the south-easterly trade winds are recorded. [36] Sharks, manta rays, barracuda can be found in the seas surrounding the island. These have been continuously raised above sea level for the last 125,000 years. 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