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Cargados Carajos Shoals
Native name: Saint Brandon
Geography
Location Indian Ocean
Coordinates 16°35′S, 59°37′E
Total islands 16
Major islands Albatross Island, Raphael, Avocaré, Cocos Island and Île du Sud
Area 1. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface 3 km²


Administration
Flag of Mauritius Mauritius


Cargados Carajos Shoals (also known as the Saint Brandon Rocks) are a group of about 16 small islands and islets on an extended reef in the Indian Ocean northeast of Mauritius. Mauritius (pronounced məˈrɪʃəs L’île Maurice /il mɔ'ʁis/ Mauritian Creole: Maurice) officially the Republic of Mauritius, République In nautical terminology a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water (six fathoms or less at low water The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface Mauritius (pronounced məˈrɪʃəs L’île Maurice /il mɔ'ʁis/ Mauritian Creole: Maurice) officially the Republic of Mauritius, République 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 population of Creoles, made up mostly of natives as well a small group from Mauritius, and are rich in flora and fauna. The islands are classified as a dependency of Mauritius, which is more than 300 km south, and are administered from Port Louis. The islands are part of the Mascarene Islands. The Mascarene Islands (or Mascarenhas Archipelago) is a group of Islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius

In the past, Cargados Carajos was a large, volcanic island (part of the Mascarenes, caused by the Réunion hotspot). The Réunion hotspot is a Volcanic hotspot which currently lies under the Island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Over time however, the island eroded until it became submerged and a coral atoll was left behind.

The formation might be considered an atoll. An atoll (pronounced /ˈætʌl/ is an island of Coral that encircles a Lagoon partially or completely Individual islets on the reef include, from north to south, with their respective locations:

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, Pearl Island (Île Perle), 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.

Albatros Island, about 18 km north, is geographically a separate single coral island at location 16°16'S, 59°35'E. Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many

Albatros 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, Avocaré, Cocos Island and Île du Sud.

The main settlement is on Raphael, comprising a privately owned commercial fishing station (with a minimum of 35 resident employees), a coast guard and meteorological station (with eight residents in 1996). Smaller settlements exist on Avocaré, Cocos, and Sud; the settlement on Albatros was abandoned in 1988.

Coconut trees can be found on a few islands as well as bushes and grass. The Coconut Palm ( Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family

The islands are covered with white granular sand from eroded coral, and a thick layer of guano can be found in most places. Corals are Marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small Sea anemone –like Polyps typically in colonies of many Guano (from the Quechua 'wanu' via Spanish) is the Feces of Seabirds Bats and seals Sea turtles take advantage of the low population of the islands and lay eggs on their beaches. Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. It's problematic how long this refuge will exist without international protection, as the Mauritius economy is among the fastest growing on earth. The price of sugar (Mauritius's main crop, introduced by the French; it represents 17% of Mauritius's exports) is dropping and tourism is filling the economic gap. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. Mauritius (pronounced məˈrɪʃəs L’île Maurice /il mɔ'ʁis/ Mauritian Creole: Maurice) officially the Republic of Mauritius, République Mauritius (pronounced məˈrɪʃəs L’île Maurice /il mɔ'ʁis/ Mauritian Creole: Maurice) officially the Republic of Mauritius, République

The atoll may have been discovered c. 600s CE by Arabian sailors. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) It was named in 1506 by Portuguese sailors who put ashore for provisioning on their way to India. In voice Telecommunication, provisioning means to provide telecommunications services to a user or customer including transmission, wiring and equipment India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country In 1598 the Dutch occupied the islands. The islands became a French protectorate in 1722 and passed to British hands in 1810. However, the name Cargados Carajos is Spanish for "[heavily] loaded crow's nests". A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the Mainmast of a ship that is used as a lookout point

Pirates have used the islands as a refuge. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering In modern times the islands were mined for phosphates (guano). A phosphate, an Inorganic chemical, is a salt of Phosphoric acid. Guano (from the Quechua 'wanu' via Spanish) is the Feces of Seabirds Bats and seals Mining ceased mid-twentieth century.

Cargados comprises about 190 km² of reefs. It has perhaps the largest algal ridge in the Indian Ocean. Coralline algae are Red algae in the Family Corallinaceae of the order Corallinales. The reefs of Mauritius have been overfished and have suffered from the effects of tourism and other development. Overfishing occurs when Fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level Mauritius plans to establish two marine reserves of coral reefs that were proposed for protection in 1974, when Mauritius was still a British protectorate. Marine Protected Area (MPA is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of marine areas with some level of restriction to protect living non-living cultural and/or historic Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water This may demonstrate the pace of protection of natural resources in the area, slowed by the complications of new independence.

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