Farquhar Atoll

Farquhar Atoll

Farquhar Atoll is located in Seychelles Location of Farquhar Atoll in Seychelles
Geography
Location	Indian Ocean
Coordinates
Archipelago	Seychelles
Adjacent bodies of water	Indian Ocean
Total islands	11
Major islands	North Island South Island
Area
Highest elevation	23 m (75 ft)
Sovereign state
Seychelles
Group	Outer Islands
Sub-Group	Farquhar Group
Districts	Outer Islands District
Largest settlement	Grande Poste (population 20)
Demographics
Demonym	Creole
Population	20 (as of 2014)
Density	2.4 /km2 (6.2 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Creole, French, East Africans, Indians.
Additional information
Time zone	SCT (UTC+4)
Official website	www.seychelles.travel/en/discover/the-islands/outer-islands
ISO Code = SC-26

The Farquhar Atoll is part of the Farquhar Group of islands in the Seychelles that are part of the Outer Islands. It is located 770 kilometres (478 miles) southwest of the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island.

History

The atoll was named in honor of Robert Townsend Farquhar in 1824. Previous visitors had named it after Portuguese explorer João da Nova who commanded that nation’s third expedition to India during which he encountered Farquhar (in the year 1504). Administration of the atoll was a grey area for many years, with both Mauritius and Seychelles claiming the right to administer it. In 1881 the authorities in Seychelles suggested Farquhar, along with several other outer islands, be administered from Victoria in Seychelles rather than from Mauritius. There were objections as the owners were based in Mauritius but after considerable argument, the owners lost their case and administration was passed from Mauritius to Seychelles. Fishing camps were established on north islands in 1850 In 1960, the village on the northern tip of South Island was abandoned. From 1965 to the independence of the Seychelles in 1976, Farquhar was a part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. In 2004 there were renovations in the village. In 2014 Island Conservation Society opened a Conservation Centre on North Island.

Geography

The atoll is located at . It is the most southerly part of the Seychelles. The total area of the atoll, including the large lagoon, is 170.5 square kilometres (65.8 square miles). The land area is 8.357 square kilometres (3.2 square miles). Farquhar Atoll is notable for its high sand dunes, some of which reach to over in height.

List of islands

The main group of islands form a long curve which describes the eastern side of the atoll. Largest of these are North Farquhar and South Farquhar, with the smaller Manaha islands between them. Farther south is Goëlettes.
To the extreme western side of the atoll lies the island of Sable, and near it a small group known as Trois Islands.

	Island	Sobriquet	type	Location	Area (hectares)	Coastline (km)	Length (km)	Width (km)	elevation (m)
1	North Farquhar	Île du Nord	island		354.40	17.90	5.0	0.6	12.2
2	South Farquhar	Île du Sud	island		419.50	14.10	5.40	0.80	23
3	North Manaha	Île du Manaha Nord	island		3.00	0.85	0.10	0.35	0.5
4	Middle Manaha	Île du Manaha Milieu	island		7.90	1.15	0.21	0.45	0.5
5	South Manaha	Île du Manaha Sud	island		4.20	1.05	0.43	0.12	0.5
6	Goëlettes		island		32.00	2.35	0.60	0.80	3
7	Rabbit	Île Lapin	sand cay		0.80	0.50	0.25	0.05	0.00
8	Sand Trois	Banc de Trois Îles	sand cay		0.30	0.30	0.05	0.02	0.00
9	Middle Trois	Île de Milieu de Trois Îles	sand cay		0.70	0.33	0.11	0.08	0.00
10	Dépose		sand cay		1.14	0.43	0.12	0.12	0.00
11	Sable	Grande Caye	island		11.70	1.50	0.66	0.21	0.00
	Farquhar Atoll		Atoll		835.70				23

Demographics

There is a small settlement called Grande Poste on North Island, near Rocky Point.

Administration

The island belongs to Outer Islands District. Being an island with a small population, there are not any government buildings or services. For many services, people have to go to Victoria, which is a difficult task.

Transport

North Farquhar is bisected by a 1,170 metres (3,840 ft) paved airfield (ICAO: FSFA) that is located near North East Point. The island is occasionally serviced by an Island Development Company (IDC) aircraft from Mahé. There is a jetty in the settlement

Economics

The inhabitants on the island are engaged in very small scale farming, livestock, salted fish production and coconut processing which include production of copra, pounac and coconut oil.

Flora and Fauna

The islands of Farquhar (excluding North, South and the Manahas) have been designated as an Important Bird Area. Goëlettes is the most interesting for birds with a huge seasonal colony of about 300,000 pairs of sooty tern and around 10,000 pairs of brown noddy. In 2006, Island Conservation Society recorded a previously unknown colony of black-naped terns at Sable Island. with 15 breeding pairs, the largest population on any one island in the region. Black-naped terns also breed on Goëlettes.

Farquhar is also an important nesting site for turtles. Surveys conducted in the early 1980s when adult turtles were intensively hunted estimated 425 nesting green turtle females and 27 hawksbill turtles per annum. A survey conducted in 2007 suggests increases in nesting numbers thanks to the protected status of turtles in Seychelles since 1994. Other fauna of interest includes the gold-dust gecko and coconut crab.

Tourism

There is a small lodge on the island. in 2017, The lodge will transfer hands to a new owner which will establish a 30-room new eco-resort, and some more residential villas on the island

Image gallery

• 

  Map 1

• Outer Islands in Seychelles.svg

  District Map

• NASA Farquhar Atoll.jpg

  NASA photo of Farquhar Atoll

• Farquhar atoll.jpg

  Farquhar Atoll map

External links

• Island guide 2
• National Bureau of Statistics
• 2007 visit to Farquhar Atoll