Grand-Îlet
IUCN.[2] |
Grand-Îlet (officially in French: Grand-Îlet des Saintes) is an island in the Îles des Saintes archipelago, in the Lesser Antilles. It belongs to the commune (municipality) of Terre-de-Haut into the French department of Guadeloupe.
Geography
Grand-Îlet is located, 1,200 m (0.75 mi) south of Terre-de-Haut Island.
Of triangular shape, It ends by three headlands: Grosse Pointe in the east is an abrupt cliff which plunges into
Grand-Îlet Passage is formed by Basse Pointe headland and
Fauna
The island is frequented by sea turtles, which come to reproduce there, but it is the home of the seabirds: magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), brown booby, masked booby, terns, double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), pelican, petrels nest on the cliff of the island. Red-footed booby (Sula sula) and blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) are only observable on Grand-Îlet, among the islands of Guadeloupe department. The waste of these birds results in a strong concentration of guano on the rocks and beaches.
The beaches of the island are rich in crabs, in particular the
The wading birds of Lesser Antilles live in the large pond of the island.
Natural reserve and diving
Since 1994,
The xerophile forest of all the islands of the archipelago of les Saintes is also protected, in particular woodlands of Eugenia axillaris, an important species among the Lesser Antilles.
Grand Îlet is included in the area of the natural reserve of the islands of les Saintes.[6] It is a remarkable site of submarine observation, due to the presence of a diving sec in full swell. It is a submarine mountain which the base is at less 25 m (82 ft) and the top at less 5 m (16 ft) below sea level. The place abounds in an incredible variety of sponges, gorgonians, corals and fishes of the Antilles, attracting the divers.[7]
Notes and references
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Monographie sur les Saintes (Dépendance de la Guadeloupe) / Sauzeau de Puyberneau. 1901.
- ^ "Conservatoire du littoral". Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Conservatoire du littoral". Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "Sec Grand Ilet - Fonds sous-marins - les Saintes".
- Conservatoire du littoral (2010), Dacota (ed.), La Guadeloupe entre terre et mer
- Sylvestre, Richard (2010), Association génération découverte avec la participation du Parc national et la Région Guadeloupe (ed.), Sept trésors des Antilles, vol. tome 1