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{{Infobox World Heritage Site
| WHS         = Aldabra Atoll
| Image       = [[Image:NASA Aldabra Atoll.jpg|300px|Aldabra Atoll]]
| State Party = [[Seychelles]]
| Type        = Natural
| Criteria    = vii, ix, x
| ID          = 185
| Region      = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Africa|Africa]]
| Year        = 1982
| Session     = 6th
| Coordinates = {{coord|9|25|0.05|S|46|24|59.94|E|type:landmark|name=Aldabra Atoll|display=inline,title}}
| Link        = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/185
}}
'''Aldabra''', the world's second largest [[coral]] [[atoll]], is in the [[Aldabra Group]] of islands in the [[Indian Ocean]] that form part of the [[Seychelles]]. Uninhabited and extremely isolated, Aldabra is virtually untouched by humans, has distinctive island [[fauna (animals)|fauna]] including the [[Aldabra Giant Tortoise]], and is designated a [[World Heritage Site]].

==History==
[[Image:Aldabra Tortoise Image 002.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Aldabra tortoise]]]]
Aldabra was visited by Portuguese navigators in 1511.  The islands were already known to the [[Arabs]], from whom they get their name.  In the middle of the 18th century, they became dependencies of the French colony of [[Réunion]], from where expeditions were made for the capture of the [[giant tortoise]]s.  

In 1810 with [[Mauritius]], Réunion, the Seychelles and other islands, Aldabra passed into the possession of [[Great Britain]]. Réunion was returned to France, and Mauritius gained possession of Aldabra as well as the rest of the Seychelles. The previous inhabitants were emigrants from the Seychelles. Sailors landed on the atoll in the 19th century and attempted to raid the island for tortoises as food; in 1842, two ships were reported to have taken 1200 of them.  By 1900, the tortoises were nearly extinct, and a crew would often have to hunt for three days to find one.<ref>Carpin, Sarah,(1998) ''Seychelles'', Odyssey Guides, p.162, The Guidebook Company Limited, Retrieved on June 22, 2008</ref> 

The Aldabra Atoll, along with [[Des Roches]] and [[Farquhar Group|Farquhar]], was part of the [[British Indian Ocean Territory]] from 1965 until Seychelles independence in 1976. In the 1960s. As a part of their 'Ocean Island Policy' the British government considered establishing an [[RAF]] base there and they invited the United States to help fund the project in return for shared use of the facility. Simultaneously (mid 1960s) the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] became interested in Aldabra as a possible site to locate transmitters with which to rebroadcast the [[BBC Overseas Service]] into the African mainland. The BBC mounted a fact finding expedition (Expedition Turtle) to assess its suitability for this purpose. The BBC were dependent upon the RAF for developing the atoll and without this their own ambitions would not have been feasible.  After an international protest by ecologists, however, the military plans were abandoned and the wildlife habitat instead received full protection.<ref>Carpin, Sarah,(1998) ''Seychelles'', Odyssey Guides, p.162, The Guidebook Company Limited, Retrieved on June 22, 2008</ref> Aldabra was designated a [[World Heritage Site]] on November 19, 1982, and is administered from Mahé by the Seychelles Island Foundation.<ref>[http://www.sif.sc/index.php Seychelles Islands Foundation], Retrieved on June 22, 2008</ref>  

The abandoned settlement '''Picard''' on the southwestern tip of West Island is now home to the Research Officer, the Island Manager and their rangers and staff.  There is no other permanent population.

==Geography==
[[Image:Aldabra islands seychelles 76.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Map of Aldabra Atoll]]
[[Image:Se-map.gif|thumb|300px|left|Map of Seychelles]]

Aldabra is a [[raised coral atoll]] more than {{convert|700|mi|km}} from [[Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé]], the principal island of the Seychelles and is closer to the coast of Africa and is {{convert|265|mi|km}} northwest of [[Madagascar]] and a similar distance northeast from the [[Comoro Islands]]. 
The atoll is located at {{coord|9|24|S|46|22|E|region:SC_type:landmark}} and belongs to the [[Aldabra Group]], one of the island groups of the [[Outer Islands (Seychelles)|Outer Islands of the Seychelles]], which includes the island of Assumption and the atolls of Astove and Cosmoledo.<ref>Carpin, Sarah,(1998) ''Seychelles'', Odyssey Guides, p. 161, The Guidebook Company Limited, Retrieved on June 22, 2008</ref> 

The atoll is the second largest in the world by land area, after [[Kiritimati]].  It is 34&nbsp;km long, 14.5&nbsp;km wide, and up to 8 meters above sea level, and has a land area of 155.4&nbsp;km².  The [[lagoon]] measures 224&nbsp;km² in area, of which roughly two thirds fall dry during low tide. The atoll consists of a ring of four larger islands: counterclockwise, they are South Island (Grand Terre, 116.1&nbsp;km²), Malabar or Middle Island (26.8&nbsp;km²), Polymnieli or Polymnie Island (4.75&nbsp;km²) and Picard or West Island (9.4&nbsp;km²).
[[Image:Aldabra Atoll and Assumption Island.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Aldabra and Assumption Island]] Additionally, there are some forty smaller islands and rocks, all inside the [[lagoon]], except a few very small islets at the West Channels between South and Polymnie Islands, the largest of those being Îlot Magnan. The largest islands inside the lagoon are Île Michel (Michael Island), in the east (0.34&nbsp;km² or 0.16 sq mi) and Île Esprit (Spirit Island), in the west (0.41&nbsp;km² 0.13 sq mi). 

The islands consist of limestone uplands, sand dunes and beaches based on the remains of a coral reef.

==Flora==
Aldabra has a number of endemic plant species. The higher areas are covered in species of [[pemphis]], thick coastal shrubs, while the lower areas which are home to the giant tortoises, are a mixture of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses.

==Fauna==
The atoll is home to the world's largest population of [[giant tortoise]]s, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise ''([[Dipsochelys dussumieri]])'', numbering some 100,000 individuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/odyssey/voice/20040405_vfts_transcript.html |title=Losing Aldabra |accessdate=2008-10-21 |last=Payne |first=Roger |coauthors= |date=2004-04-05 |work=Voyage of the Odyssey |publisher=PBS }}</ref>  They are also known for their [[Coconut crab]] ''(Birgus latro)'', the world's largest land crab, and [[hammerhead shark]]s, [[manta ray]]s, [[barracuda]] and as a breeding ground for [[green turtle]]s and [[hawksbill turtle]]s; in older times, its dominant land predator was the crocodillian ''[[Aldabrachampsus]]''. Birds of Aldabra include the [[Dryolimnas|Aldabra rail]], the last surviving flightless bird of the Indian Ocean region, and the endangered [[Malagasy Sacred Ibis]] as well as large numbers of nesting seabirds. Two species of bats, ''[[Paratriaenops pauliani]]'' and ''[[Pteropus aldabrensis]]'', are known only from Aldabra.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Goodman|first1=S.M.|last2=Ranivo|first2=J.|year=2008|title=A new species of ''Triaenops'' (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Hipposideridae) from Aldabra Atoll, Picard Island (Seychelles)|journal=Zoosystema|volume=30|issue=3|pages=681–693}}</ref>

==List of smaller islands in the lagoon==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
*Île aux Cendres
*Île Michel (Coconut Island)
*Île Esprit (Euphrates Island)
*Île Moustiques
*Îlot Parc
*Îlot Emile
*Îlot Yangue
*Îlot Dubois
*Île Lanier
*Champignon des Os
*Euphrate
*Grand Mentor
*Grand ÎIot
*Gros ÎIot Gionnet
*Gros ÎIot Sésame
{{col-3}}
*Heron Rock
*Hide Island
*Île aux Aigrettes
*Île aux Cèdres
*Îles Chalands
*Île Fangame
*Île Héron
*Île Michel
*Île Suacco
*Île Sylvestre
*Île Verte
*Îlot Déder
*Îlot du Sud
*Îlot du Milieu
{{col-3}}
*Îlot du Nord
*Îlot Macoa
*Îlot Marquoix
*Îlots Niçois
*Îlot Salade
*Middle Row Island
*Nobby Rock
*North Row Island
*Petit Mentor
*Petit Mentor Endans
*Petits ÎIots
*Pink Rock
*South Row Island
*Table Ronde
{{col-end}}

==See also==

*[[Addyaita]] – a giant tortoise of Aldabra. It was at least 250 years old when it died at [[Kolkata|Kolkata (formerly Calcutta)]] [[Zoo]] on March 24, 2006.
*[[Geography of Seychelles]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Aldabra|Aldabra Atoll}}

==External links==
*[http://www.env.gov.sc/html/aldabra.html Aldabra at the Ministry of Environment, Seychelles]
*[http://www.sif.sc/aldabra/frm_aldabra.htm  Aldabra at the Seychelles Islands Foundation]
*[http://www.aldabra.org  Aldabra Marine Programme]
*[http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=185  Aldabra Atoll at the UNESCO World Heritage Site]
*[http://www.fathomspub.com/cgi/articlesFullView.pl/42/ "Expedition Aldabra"] (Gordon, Ethan, ''Fathoms Online'', Issue #8)
*[http://www.galenfrysinger.com/aldabra.htm Photos of Aldabran wildlife]
*{{WWF ecoregion|name=Aldabra Island xeric scrub|id=at1301}}
*[http://www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas/data/wh/aldabra.html WCMC Natural Site Data Sheet]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-BXrQrAwU4 Save Our Seas Foundation Promotional Video for Aldabra]
*[http://www.amarcord.ru/pictures.html Pictures of Russian Robinson Radio expedition to Aldabra]

[[Category:Atolls of Seychelles]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of Seychelles]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Seychelles]]
[[Category:Former populated places in the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Seychelles]]

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