Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean Îles Éparses de l'océan Indien  (French)
Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands Coat of arms
Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"
Anthem: "La Marseillaise" "The Marsellaise"
Maps of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean. Anti-clockwise from top right: Tromelin Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Bassas da India, and Europa Island. Banc du Geyser is not shown.
Status	District of French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Disputed with Madagascar, the Comoros, and Mauritius

The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (called Îles Éparses in French) are a group of small coral islands, an atoll (a ring-shaped coral reef), and a reef. They are found in the Indian Ocean. These islands are the fifth district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. However, some countries like the Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius also claim ownership of some or all of them.

No one lives on these islands permanently. But the French armed forces keep small groups of soldiers on some of them.

Two of the islands, Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island, and the Bassas da India atoll are in the Mozambique Channel. This is a sea area west of Madagascar. Another island, Tromelin Island, is about 450 kilometres (280 mi) east of Madagascar. The Glorioso Islands are about 200 kilometres (120 mi) northwest of Madagascar. Also in the Mozambique Channel is Banc du Geyser. This is a reef mostly underwater. France and the Comoros consider it part of the Glorioso Islands.

Island Facts

The Scattered Islands are protected as nature reserves. This means their natural environment is kept safe. All the islands, except Bassas da India, have weather stations. These stations help gather important weather information. The stations on the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova, and Europa Island work automatically.

The station on Tromelin Island is very important. It gives warnings about cyclones (big storms) that might hit Madagascar, Mauritius, or Réunion. Most of the islands also have an airstrip longer than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). This helps people get to and from the islands.

Overview of the Islands

This table shows some key facts about each island or atoll:

Island / Atoll	Staff at Station	Land Area (km2)	Lagoon Area (km2)	EEZ Area (km2)	Coordinates	Location
Glorioso Islands (with Banc du Geyser)	11	5	29.6	48,350	11°33′S 47°20′E / 11.550°S 47.333°E / -11.550; 47.333 (Glorioso Islands)	Northern Mozambique Channel
Tromelin Island	19	0.8	–	280,000	15°53′S 54°31′E / 15.883°S 54.517°E / -15.883; 54.517 (Tromelin Island)	Western Indian Ocean
Juan de Nova Island	14	4.4	(1)	61,050	17°03′S 42°45′E / 17.050°S 42.750°E / -17.050; 42.750 (Juan de Nova)	Central Mozambique Channel
Bassas da India	–	0.2	79.8	123,700	21°27′S 39°45′E / 21.450°S 39.750°E / -21.450; 39.750 (Bassas da India)	Southern Mozambique Channel
Europa Island	12	28	9	127,300	22°20′S 40°22′E / 22.333°S 40.367°E / -22.333; 40.367 (Europa Island)	Southern Mozambique Channel
Total	56	38.4	118.4	640,400

Individual Islands

The Scattered Islands include:

• Bassas da India
  • This atoll has ten small, unnamed rock islets.
• Europa Island
  • This island is also called Île Europa.
  • It has eight small, unnamed rock islets around it.
• Glorioso Islands
  • This group includes Banc du Geyser.
  • It also has Grande Glorieuse and Île du Lys.
  • Other parts are South Rock, three Verte Rocks islets, and Wreck Rock.
  • There are three more unnamed islets.
• Juan de Nova Island
• Tromelin Island

How the Islands are Managed

Since 2005, a senior administrator from the French Southern and Antarctic Lands manages the Scattered Islands. This administrator is based in Réunion. Before 2005, the islands were managed by the prefect of Réunion. This change happened after Madagascar became independent in 1960.

France keeps about 14 soldiers on each of the islands in the Mozambique Channel. These islands are claimed by Madagascar. French navy ships from Réunion support these troops. They patrol the area and bring supplies about four times a year. The Comoros also claims the Glorioso Islands. Mauritius claims Tromelin Island.

France has an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around each of these small islands. An EEZ is an area of the sea where a country has special rights to explore and use marine resources. This zone extends 200 nautical miles (about 370 km) from the coast. When combined with the EEZs around Mayotte and Réunion, France controls over one million square kilometers (about 400,000 sq mi) in the western Indian Ocean. However, these EEZs sometimes overlap with the zones of neighboring countries.

Who Claims What?

Several countries disagree with France about who owns these islands.

• Mauritius claims Tromelin Island. Mauritius says that France discovered the island in 1722. But they believe France did not officially get the island in the Treaty of Paris in 1814.
• Madagascar claims the Glorioso Islands, including Banc du Geyser. These islands were never part of the Malagasy Protectorate. They were part of the Colony of Mayotte and its dependencies. Later, they became part of the French Comoros, which was a separate colony from Madagascar after 1946.
• The Comoros also claims the Glorioso Islands (including Banc du Geyser). They see it as part of the disputed French region of Mayotte.
• Madagascar has also claimed Bassas da India, Europa Island, and Juan de Nova Island since 1972. In 1979, the United Nations passed a resolution. It asked France to give these islands to Madagascar. This resolution, however, was not legally binding.
• Seychelles also claimed a part of the Scattered Islands for a time. This changed after they signed a maritime boundary agreement with France.

See also

In Spanish: Islas Dispersas del Océano Índico para niños

• Administrative divisions of France
• French Southern and Antarctic Lands
• List of territorial disputes
• Overseas France