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Bassas da India | |
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| Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" (French) (English:"Liberty, equality, fraternity") | |
| Anthem: La Marseillaise ("The Marseillaise") | |
| Status | District ofFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| Disputed island | |
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 Map of theScattered Islands in the Indian Ocean | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Mozambique Channel |
| Coordinates | 21°29′S39°41′E / 21.483°S 39.683°E /-21.483; 39.683 |
| Administration | |
| Overseas territory | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| District | Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean |
| Claimed by | |
Bassas da India (French pronunciation:[basadaɛ̃dja];Malagasy:Nosy Bedimaky) is an uninhabited, roughly circularatoll located in the southernMozambique Channel, about halfway betweenMozambique andMadagascar (about 385 km [239 mi] farther east) and around 110 km (68 mi) northwest ofEuropa Island. It is administered by France as part of theFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands, though it is claimed byMadagascar. The rim of the atoll averages around 100 m (330 ft) in width and encloses a shallow lagoon of depth no greater than 15 m (49 ft). Overall, the atoll is about 10 km (6.2 mi) in diameter, rising steeply from theseabed 3,000 m (9,800 ft) below to encircle an area (including lagoon) of 80 km2 (31 sq mi). Itsexclusive economic zone, 123,700 km2 (47,800 sq mi) in size, iscontiguous with that ofEuropa Island.[1]
The atoll consists of ten barren rockyislets, with no vegetation, totalling 20 hectares (49 acres) in area. Those on the north and east sides are 2.1 to 3.0 metres (7 to 10 ft) high, while those on the west and south sides are 1.2 metres (4 ft) high. The reef, whose coastline measures 35.2 km (21.9 mi), is entirely covered by the sea from three hours beforehigh tide to three hours afterward. The region is also subject tocyclones, making the atoll a long-time maritime hazard and the site of numerous shipwrecks.
Jaguar Seamount andHall Tablemount lie about 40 and 70 kilometres (25 and 43 mi) further southwest.
The Bassas da India was first recorded byPortuguese explorers in the early sixteenth century as the "Baixo da Judia" ("Jewess Shoals"). TheJudia ("Jewess", for the ancestry of its ownerFernão de Loronha[2]) was the Portuguese ship that discovered the feature by running aground on it in 1506.[3] The name became "Bassas da India" due to transcription errors by cartographers. TheSantiago broke up on the shoal in 1585.
It was rediscovered by theEuropa in 1774, whence the name "Europa Rocks".[4] TheMalay was lost 27 July 1842 on the Europa Rocks.[5]
In 1897, the shoal became aFrench possession, later being placed under the administration of a commissioner residing inRéunion in 1968.Madagascar became independent in 1960 and has claimed sovereignty over the shoal since 1972. The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean are partially claimed by the Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius.[6] The Malagasy and Mauritian claims, however, are significantly later than their access to independence. However, the agreement reached in October 2024 on the restitution to Mauritius of the Chagos Islands by Great Britain, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, notably home to the American base of Diego Garcia, has relaunched the debate in Madagascar.[7]
The presence ofGalapagos sharks was reported in 2003, which is a first in theMozambique Channel.[8]
Mooring at Bassas da India requires a permit from the French Government.[9] Fishing without such a permit may result in the boat being expelled or even confiscated.[10] Several illegal tourism charters departing from Mozambique or South Africa have been seized since 2013 by theFrench navy.[11][12]
Bassas da India, sometimes named Europa rocks, was discovered by the shipEuropa in 1774.
Wikimedia Atlas of Bassas da India | ||
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| Other | |
