View source for Glorioso Islands

{{Short description|Archipelago in the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox country
|conventional_long_name = Glorioso Islands
|native_name = {{native name|fr|Îles Glorieuses}}
|image_flag = Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.svg
|flag_caption = [[Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]
|alt_flag = Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
|image_coat =
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|national_motto = {{lang|fr|[[Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]}}<br />{{small|"Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood"}}
|national_anthem = "[[La Marseillaise]]"
}}
{{Infobox island
|disputed = yes
|name =
|image_name = Glorioso Islands ISS002-E-6913.JPG
|image_caption = The Glorioso Islands seen from the [[International Space Station|ISS]], 2001. Grande Glorieuse (left) and Île du Lys (right)
|image_map = Iles eparses de l'ocean Indien.svg
|map_caption = Map of the [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean]]
|etymology =
|location = [[Mozambique Channel]]
|coordinates = {{coord|11|33|S|47|20|E|region:TF|display=inline,title}}
|area_km2 =
|length_km =
|width_km =
|width_mi =
|coastline_km =
|country = {{FRA}}
|country_admin_divisions_title = [[Overseas territory (France)|Overseas territory]]
|country_admin_divisions = [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]
|country_admin_divisions_title_1 = District
|country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean]]
|country1 = {{COM}}
|country2 = {{MAD}}
|population =
|population_as_of =
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}}
The '''Glorieuses''' or '''Glorioso Islands''' ({{langx|fr|Îles Glorieuses}} or officially also {{lang|fr|Archipel des Glorieuses}}) are a group of islands and rocks totaling {{Convert|5|km2|sqmi}}. They are controlled by France as part of the [[Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean]] in the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]], a [[Overseas territory (France)|French overseas territory]], but are also claimed by [[Comoros]], Madagascar and formerly by [[Seychelles]]. They are geographically part of the [[Comoro Islands]] between the French [[Overseas department and region|overseas region]] of [[Mayotte]] and the nation of [[Madagascar]].
==Archipelago==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2019}}
[[File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 n-6a.jpg|thumb|left|Map including the Îles Glorieuses ([[Defense Mapping Agency|DMA]], 1985)]]
The [[archipelago]] consists of two islands, Grande Glorieuse ({{Coord|11|34|46.54|S|47|17|54.14|E|type:isle|name=Grande Glorieuse}}) and [[Île du Lys]], as two rock islands, ''Roches Vertes'' and ''Île aux Crabes'', along with two sandbanks that emerge at low tide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Les Glorieuses |url=http://www.taaf.fr/rubriques/districts/ilesEparses/iles_LesGlorieuses.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taaf.fr%2Frubriques%2Fdistricts%2FilesEparses%2Files_LesGlorieuses.htm#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |archive-date=24 February 2011 |access-date=11 November 2024 |website=www.taaf.fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mulochau |last2=Conand |date=October 2008 |title=Holothurians and other echinoderms of the Glorieuses Islands (Scattered Islands of the Indian Ocean) |url=https://inpn.mnhn.fr/docs-web/docs/download/24422 |journal=SPC Beche de Mer Information Bulletin |issue=28 |pages=34 |via=Inventaire national du patrimoine naturel}}</ref> They form part of a [[coral reef]] and [[lagoon]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Battistini |last2=Cremers |date=December 31, 1972 |title=GEOMORPIIOLOGY AND VEGETATION OF ILES GLORIEUSES |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/4830/00159.pdf |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |location=Washington, D.C. |issue=159 |pages=3 |via=repository.si.edu}}</ref> Grande Glorieuses is roughly circular in shape and measures about {{Convert|3|km|mi}} in diameter. It is verdant, mostly by the coconut plantation remains and [[casuarina]] trees.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jorry |first=Stephan J. |last2=Camoin |first2=Gilbert F. |last3=Jouet |first3=Gwenaël |last4=Le Roy |first4=Pascal |last5=Claude |first5=Vella |last6=Prat |first6=Sophie |last7=Fontanier |first7=Christophe |last8=Paumard |first8=Victorien |last9=Boulle |first9=Julien |last10=Caline |first10=Bruno |last11=Jean |first11=Borgomano |display-authors=6 |date=18 February 2016 |title=Modern sediments and Pleistocene reefs from isolated carbonate platforms (Iles Eparses, SW Indian Ocean): A preliminary study |url=https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00292/40329/38830.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Acta Oecologica |volume=72 |pages=131 |doi=10.1016/j.actao.2015.10.014 |issn=1146-609X |via=Archive Institutionnelle de l'Ifremer}}</ref>
Île du Lys, located at {{Coord|11|30|59.35|S|47|22|36.02|E|type:isle|name=Île du Lys}} about {{convert|8|km}} northeast of Grande Glorieuses, is about {{Convert|600|m|ft}} long and consists of sand [[dune]]s and scrub with some [[mangrove]]s. It was formerly quarried for [[phosphate]] ([[guano]]).
The Glorieuses have an [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] (EEZ) of {{Convert|48350|km2|sqmi}}. There are anchorages offshore, and Grande Glorieuse has a {{Convert|1300|m|ft|adj=on}} long [[airstrip]].
==Climate==
The climate is tropical and the terrain is low and flat, varying in height from sea level to {{Convert|12|m|ft}}. Île de Lys in particular is a nesting ground for [[Bird migration|migratory]] [[seabird]]s, and [[turtle]]s lay eggs on the beaches. In the ocean, migratory species such as [[humpback whale]]s and [[whale shark]]s may appear.<ref>[http://u555u.info/other/glorioso-islands.awp Glorioso Islands (images)]. Retrieved 16 September 2017.</ref>
==History==
While probably earlier known to Arab (perhaps especially Yemeni) navigators, the Glorieuses were named and settled in 1880 by a [[Frenchman]], Hippolyte Caltaux, who established a [[coconut]] plantation on Grande Glorieuse. The archipelago became a French possession in 1892<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOKTJkg6ApoC |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |year=2008 |page=211 |access-date=2024-03-03}}</ref> when Captain Richard of the ''Primauget'' made a formal claim. In 1895, the Glorioso Island became a part of the [[Mayotte|colony of Mayotte and dependencies]].
Historically flora on the islands mostly consisted of [[Dalbergia maritima|bois de rose]], [[Thespesia populnea|portia]], [[banyan]] and other large native trees, many of which were felled following the establishment of the French settlement and plantation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abbott |first=W. L. |date=1894 |title=Notes on the natural history of Aldabra, Assumption and Glorioso Islands, Indian Ocean |url=http://repository.si.edu/xmlui/handle/10088/13354 |journal=Proceedings of the United States National Museum |publisher=Smithsonian Libraries and Archives |doi=10.5479/si.00963801.973.759 |issn=0096-3801}}</ref>
From 1914 to 1958, concessions to exploit the islands were given to [[Seychelles]] companies. The islands are today [[nature reserves]] with a [[meteorological station]] garrisoned by the [[French Foreign Legion]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte {{!}} French Foreign Legion Information|url=http://foreignlegion.info/units/foreign-legion-detachment-in-mayotte/|access-date=2021-02-03|language=en-US}}</ref> Despite the Glorioso Islands never having been a part of the [[Malagasy Protectorate]] but a part of the colony of Mayotte and dependencies, then a part of [[French Comoros]], [[Madagascar]] has claimed sovereignty over the islands since 1972.<ref>{{cite web|title=Disputes - International|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2070.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020141454/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2070.html|archive-date=2011-10-20|access-date=8 November 2011|publisher=CIA World Factbook}}</ref> The Comoros claims Mayotte and Glorioso Islands.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Comoros hits back against France over visa suspension|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://jp.reuters.com/article/us-comoros-france-immigration-idUSKBN1IA1NP|access-date=2021-04-11}}</ref> The Seychelles claimed the islands too before the [[France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement]] in 2001.
In 2012, France founded [[Glorioso Islands Marine Natural Park]], a [[marine protected area]], to preserve the endangered flora and fauna of the islands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Parc naturel marin des Glorieuses |trans-title=The Glorieuses Marine Natural Park |url=http://www.aires-marines.fr/L-Agence/Organisation/Parcs-naturels-marins/Parc-naturel-marin-des-Glorieuses |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909084202/http://www.aires-marines.fr/L-Agence/Organisation/Parcs-naturels-marins/Parc-naturel-marin-des-Glorieuses |archive-date=2019-09-09 |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=Agence des aires marines protégées |language=French}}</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery widths="220px" heights="130px">
File:Iles glorieuses 76.jpg|Map
File:Iles glorieuses.jpg|Island overview
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement]]
*[[Moheli Marine Park]]
*[[Glorioso Islands Marine Natural Park]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{commons}}
{{French overseas departments and territories}}
{{Outlying territories of European countries}}
{{Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean}}
<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Glorioso Islands| ]]
[[Category:Indian Ocean atolls of France]]
[[Category:Atolls of Seychelles]]
[[Category:Atolls of the Comoros]]
[[Category:Atolls of Madagascar]]
[[Category:Disputed islands of Africa]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of France]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Madagascar]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of Seychelles]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of the Comoros]]
[[Category:Comoros–France relations]]
[[Category:France–Madagascar relations]]
[[Category:France–Seychelles relations]]