Silhouette Island
UTC+4) | |
ISO code | SC-15 |
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Official website | seychelles |
Silhouette Island lies 20 km (12 mi) northwest of
Geography
The island is mountainous with five peaks over 500 m (1,600 ft) in elevation; Mont Dauban 751 m (2,464 ft), Mont-Pot-a-Eau 621 m (2,037 ft), Gratte Fesse 515 m (1,690 ft), Mont Corgat 502 m (1,647 ft) and Mont Cocos Marrons 500 m (1,600 ft). As such, it has some of the most dramatic scenery of the islands.
Though superficially similar to neighbouring islands, much of Silhouette is made up of younger syenite dated from 63 million years ago. Between Point Ramasse Tout and Point Zeng Zeng lies the only surface volcanic ash in Seychelles.
Demographics
The population of 200 lives in 3 villages, Grand Barbe (no longer inhabited), which is on the west coast, Anse Mondon (no longer inhabited) and La Passe on the east coast.[1]
History
The crew of an
From the mid-19th century until 1960, the island was owned by the Dauban family, who were originally from France but had settled in Mauritius in 1830. The Dauban family were responsible for developing extensive plantations on Silhouette. There is a mausoleum built in the style of La Madeleine in Paris,
Flora and fauna
Silhouette Island is one of the richest biodiversity points in the western Indian Ocean with many endemic and threatened plant and animal species. Among the most important is the Critically Endangered Seychelles sheath-tailed bat.[3] Two roosting caves have been located, part of a single system of passages in a boulder field. Another roost complex was discovered in 2005 and 32 bats recorded. Most of the 75 or so endemic plants of the granitic islands of Seychelles are found on Silhouette, some of them unique to the island. One of the rarest of these is the Critically Endangered Impatiens gordonii, a white-flowered relative of the well-known garden plant Busy Lizzie, only ever recorded on Mahe and Silhouette. In 1987 the surrounding waters were declared a Marine National Park. In 2010, Silhouette National Park was created protecting 93 percent of the landmass. The island is also an Important Bird Area and is considered by the Alliance for Zero Extinction[4] to be an important site for the survival of Critically Endangered species. Conservation of the island is managed by the Island Conservation Society.[5]
Species of interest
- Seychelles sheath-tailed bat
- Seychelles giant tortoise
- Astropanax procumbens
- Seychelles kestrel
- Seychelles blue pigeon
- Lychas braueri
Gallery
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Map 1
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The Beach at Silhouette Island
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The Beach at Silhouette Island
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Beach near La Passe, Silhouette
References
- ^ "Historical Information on Silhouette". Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2006.
- ^ "Official site". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ "Silhouette island". Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.zeroextinction.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Island Conservation Society". Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
External links
- Silhouette Island travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Silhouette island information