| D'Arros Island | |
| Map: | Seychelles |
| Native Name Lang: | fr |
| Nickname: | --> |
| Location: | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates: | -5.4°N 71°W |
| Archipelago: | Seychelles |
| Waterbody: | Indian Ocean |
| Total Islands: | 1 |
| Area Km2: | 1.71 |
| Coastline Km: | 5.1 |
| Length Km: | 2.0 |
| Width Km: | 1.0 |
| Elevation M: | 3 |
| Country: | Seychelles |
| Country Admin Divisions Title: | Group |
| Country Admin Divisions: | Outer Islands |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 1: | Sub-Group |
| Country Admin Divisions 1: | Amirante Islands |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 2: | Sub-Group |
| Country Admin Divisions 2: | D'Arros Island Marine Protected Area[1] |
| Country Admin Divisions Title 3: | Districts |
| Country Admin Divisions 3: | Outer Islands District |
| Country Largest City: | D'Arros |
| Country Largest City Population: | 42 |
| Population: | 42 |
| Population As Of: | 2014 |
| Density Km2: | 24.5 |
| Ethnic Groups: | Creole, French, East Africans, Indians. |
| Timezone1: | SCT |
| Utc Offset1: | +4 |
| Iso Code Type: | ISO code |
| Iso Code: | SC-26 |
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.[2] D'Arros Island bears the name of the Baron d'Arros, Marine Commandant of Île de France (now Mauritius), from 1770 to 1771.
D'Arros Island is located only 2.3km (01.4miles) west of the northern part of St. Joseph Atoll, but it is a separate geographical unit, separated by 60m-62mm (200feet-203feetm) deep water of a 1km (01miles) wide channel, which is deeper than much of the Amirantes Bank.
The land area of the island occupies 1.71km2. D'Arros Island is an oval-shaped, flat coral sand cay, oriented northeast–southwest, 2km (01miles) long and 1km (01miles) wide, and nowhere higher than 3m (10feet).
The island stands on a detached patch coral reef similarly orientated, with maximum dimensions of 2.6km (01.6miles) and 1.4km (00.9miles). A shallow sand spit extends 0.2km (00.1miles) northeast from it. The island stands on the northern sector of the reef atoll. There are drying reef flats 200m-370mm (700feet-1,210feetm) wide on its south side, but only a narrow fringing reef about 75m (246feet) wide on its north side.
The island belongs to Outer Islands District.[9] 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.
The island has a permanent population of 42. There are several buildings on the island, with one large house used by the owner and a number of smaller, permanently occupied houses for the staff. A small area of the island is cultivated for personal consumption of the residents.The small village is on the north coast.[10]
Much of the island area is covered by vegetation. The tree tops reach heights of 27m (89feet). The vegetation is dominated by the native coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), and introduced horsetail beefwood (Casuarina equisetifolia) trees.
In 1965, five Seychelles fody (Foudia sechellarum) birds from Cousin Island were introduced to D'Arros and they have since increased to a population of a few hundred.[11] [12] [13]
The Save Our Seas Foundation D'Arros Research Centre mainly undertakes research on sharks, rays and turtles year-round but the centre also hosts visiting research groups and university students.[14]
A 975m (3,199feet) unpaved airstrip bisects the island in the southwest. The island is serviced by an Island Development Company (IDC), Air Seychelles or Zil Air aircraft from Mahé.
The inhabitants on the island are engaged in very small scale farming and fishing which are mainly for the island consumption.