Zabargad Island

Coordinates: 23°36′35″N 36°11′45″E / 23.60972°N 36.19583°E / 23.60972; 36.19583
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other islands called Saint John's Island, see St. John's Island (disambiguation).
Zabargad Island, Egypt.

Zabargad Island (

upper mantle material. The nearest island is known as "Rocky Island". The island is slightly north of the Tropic of Cancer
, and its highest point is 235 metres (771 feet).

History

Before the mid 270s [BCE]

Berenice I.[1]

Geology

Historic specimen of forsterite var. peridot, 1.3 cm × 0.7 cm × 0.4 cm (0.5 in × 0.3 in × 0.2 in). Mining of peridot seems to have begun around 300 BC.

The island is considered

hydrous Cr-diopside pyroxenites can be found too on the island.[citation needed
]

Pliny, XXXV, chap. 22 says that, according to Juba, the island "Topazus in the Red Sea", also had mines producing sandarach (realgar) and ochre, "but neither of them are imported to us from that place."[2]

Nature

The island is part of the

Elba National Park
meaning the island is conserved. However, the island was closed to the public for one year due to damage to corals and the disturbance of birds who breed on the island.

Birds

The island serves as a breeding ground for at least nine known species of birds. The most recent discovery was that of 150 pairs of sooty falcon (Falco concolor) in October, 1994.

Plantlife

There is very little vegetation on the island due to the lack of soil.

Corals and sealife

The corals surround the island and act as a barrier for the fish and other sea life which live among it. However, the corals recently became damaged due to increased tourist activity and the expansion of the diving industry on the island. The coral is located approximately 25 metres below the surface.

Fish that can be found within the nearby waters and corals are:

Tourism

The island is near coral reefs, which are a popular diving attraction for tourists. The diving industry on the island has increased as well as the tourism industry on the island in general resulting in construction of hotels and diving shelves. The beaches are often quiet and are relatively unspoilt by development. However, most tourists go to this island as a "stop-off" before going to Rocky Island in the south.

References

  1. Agatharchides of Cnidus
    . Translated from the Greek and edited by Stanley M. Burstein. The Hakluyt Society. London. 1989, p. 6 and n. 2.
  2. ^ The Natural History by Pliny the Elder. Vol. VI. Translated by John Bostock and H. T. Riley. Henry G. Bohn, York St., Covent Garden, London, pp. 239-240 and n. 34.

External links

23°36′35″N 36°11′45″E / 23.60972°N 36.19583°E / 23.60972; 36.19583

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