Europa Island

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Europa Island (French: Île Europa) is a 28 km² low-lying tropical island in the Mozambique Channel, about a third of the way from southern Madagascar to southern Mozambique, at [22°20′S 40°22′E]. It has 22.2 kilometers of coastline, but no ports or harbours. Anchorage is possible offshore. The airstrip is 1,500 metres long.

Map of Europa Island

The island is surrounded by coral beaches and a fringing reef and encloses a mangrove lagoon of around 9 km². Its vegetation also consists of dry forest, scrub, euphorbia and the remains of a sisal plantation.

Europa Island is a nature reserve and host to migratory seabirds. It is one of the world's largest nesting sites for green turtles (Chelonia mydas). It is also home to goats introduced by settlers in the late 18th century.

Satellite image of Europa Island

The island takes its name from the British ship Europa which visited it in 1774. It has been a possession of France since 1897, but is also claimed by Madagascar. Ruins and graves on Europa island attest to several attempts at settlement from the 1860s to the 1920s.

Its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is contiguous with that of Bassas da India, is 127,300 km². The island, garrisoned by a detachment from Réunion, has a meteorological station and is visited by scientists.

Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean
Bassas da India | Europa Island | Glorioso Islands | Juan de Nova Island | Tromelin Island

Overseas French departments and territories
Département d'outre-mer>Departments : Guadeloupe¹ · French Guiana · Martinique · Réunion
These overseas departments are also overseas regions.
¹Guadeloupe currently includes Saint-Barthélemy and Saint Martin, who have voted to become separate collectivités d'outre-mer in 2003; the change will be implemented in early 2007.
Overseas community : Mayotte (collectivité départementale) · French Polynesia (pays d'outre-mer) · Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (collectivité territoriale) · Wallis and Futuna (territoire)
Each overseas community has its own status.
Special status : New Caledonia
Uninhabited lands : French Southern Territories (Amsterdam Island, Saint-Paul Island, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, Adélie Land) · Clipperton · Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean

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