Tromelin Island

Coordinates: 15°53′32″S 54°31′29″E / 15.89222°S 54.52472°E / -15.89222; 54.52472

Tromelin Island (/ˌtroʊmlɪn ˈaɪlənd/; French: Île Tromelin, pronounced: [il tʁɔmlɛ̃]) is a low, flat, uninhabited island in the Indian Ocean, about 450 kilometres (280 mi) east of Madagascar. The island is administered as a French overseas territory. Mauritius claims sovereignty over Tromelin Island; France and Mauritius reached an agreement for the co-management of the island without prejudice to the respective positions of the two governments on the issue of sovereignty. Tromelin has a weather station and is a nesting site for boobies and green sea turtles.

Description

Very much like a large sandbank and only 7 metres (23 ft) high at its highest point, Tromelin is about 1,700 metres (1.1 mi) long and 700 metres (0.43 mi) wide, with an area of 80 ha (200 acres), covered in scrub dominated by octopus bush and surrounded by coral reefs. There are no harbours or anchorages, so that access by sea is difficult. A 1,200-metre (3,900 ft) airstrip provides the island's link with the outside world.