Pianosa

Coordinates: 42°35′N 10°05′E / 42.583°N 10.083°E / 42.583; 10.083

The small island of Pianosa (Italian pronunciation: [pjaˈnoːza]), about 10.25 km² (3.96 sq mi) in area, has a coastal perimeter of 26 km (16 mi), forms part of Italy's Tuscan Archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Geography

Once named Planasia (plain) because it is flat, its highest point stands at 29 m (95 ft) above sea level. It has a triangular shape, it is placed at 14 km (9 mi) south west of Elba and is frazione of the municipality of Campo nell'Elba. Pianosa is the fifth island of the Tuscan Archipelago for extension and the only to be formed by sedimentary rock of the Neogene and Quaternary; frequent are the fossils as echinoderms, mollusca and bryozoa of the Pliocene.

Flora

The vegetation consists mainly by Mediterranean species as lentisco, fennel, juniperus, rosemary and pinus halepensis that was introduced on the island in the 1900s.

Fauna

The animals living on the island are largely small mammals as hedgehog, hare introduced in the 1800s as the phesant and the red-legged partridge; along the coast nest the magpie and the Audouin's gull which are protected by the National Park. The island is a place where the bird migration take a stop along their seasonal movement from North to South. The sea around Pianosa is rich in fish because once the coast was unapproachable while today is not allowed to fish by the National Park regulations. The fish species in the area are: grouper, dory, dentex, moray, crawfish and many others.