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Europa Island (French: Île Europa, pronounced [il øʁɔpa]), in Malagasy Nosy Ampela[1] is a 28-square-kilometre (11 sq mi) low-lying tropical atoll in the Mozambique Channel, about a third of the way from southern Madagascar to southern Mozambique. The island had never been inhabited until 1820, when the French family of Rosier moved to it. The island officially became a possession of France in 1897, though it is claimed by Madagascar.
Europa Island | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" (French) (English: "Liberty, equality, fraternity") | |
| Anthem: La Marseillaise ("The Marseillaise") | |
| Status | District of French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| Disputed island | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (Europa Island in the southwest, marked by its French name Île Europa) | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Mozambique Channel |
| Coordinates | 22°22′S 40°22′E / 22.367°S 40.367°E |
| Administration | |
| Overseas territory | French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
| District | Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean |
| Claimed by | |
The island, garrisoned by a detachment from Réunion, has a weather station and is visited by scientists. Though uninhabited now, it is part of the Scattered Islands of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands administrative region.
Europa Island was the setting of "Search in the Deep", a 1968 episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau,[2] partly focusing on the breeding habits of the green sea turtle.
Description
editEuropa is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) in diameter, with a maximum altitude of 6 metres (20 ft), and has 22.2 kilometres (13.8 mi) of coastline. It is surrounded by coral beaches and a fringing reef and encloses a mangrove lagoon of around 9 square kilometres (3.5 sq mi) and open to the sea on one side.
There are no ports or harbours but anchorage is possible offshore. Its exclusive economic zone, contiguous with that of Bassas da India, is 127,300 square kilometres (49,200 sq mi). The airstrip is 1,500 metres (4,920 ft) long.
Ecology
edit| Designations | |
|---|---|
Official name | Île d’Europa |
| Designated | 27 October 2011 |
| Reference no. | 2073[3] |
The island is a nature reserve. Its vegetation consists of dry forest, scrub, Euphorbia, the mangrove swamp, and the remains of a sisal plantation. It is one of the world's largest nesting sites for green sea turtles. It is also home to goats introduced by settlers in the late 18th century.
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports a large and diverse population of breeding seabirds and other waterbirds. It is the only known breeding site outside Aldabra and Madagascar for Malagasy pond herons. Seabirds include the second largest colony in the western Indian Ocean of great frigatebirds (with up to 1100 pairs), tropical shearwaters (up to 100 pairs, probably of the subspecies Puffinus bailloni bailloni previously considered endemic to the Mascarene Islands), dimorphic egrets and Caspian terns.
Europa is home to an endemic subspecies of white-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus europae), three kinds of landbird (including an endemic subspecies of the Malagasy white-eye)[4] and its own species of hissing cockroach.[5]
Climate
editEuropa Island's climate is affected by the Agulhas Current with water temperatures usually above 30 °C (86 °F), southeast trade winds during the (austral) winter and occasional cyclones. The climate can be described as a semi-arid and tropical combination with wet summers and dry winters.
| Climate data for Europa Island (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–1990, 2006–2023) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.5 (95.9) |
34.9 (94.8) |
35.0 (95.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
31.4 (88.5) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.3 (86.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.7 (94.5) |
35.5 (95.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.8 (87.4) |
31.2 (88.2) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
27.6 (81.7) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.2 (79.2) |
27.1 (80.8) |
28.4 (83.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.2 (86.4) |
28.5 (83.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.5 (81.5) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.0 (80.6) |
25.6 (78.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.6 (70.9) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.7 (72.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
25.3 (77.5) |
26.6 (79.9) |
24.7 (76.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.1 (75.4) |
24.3 (75.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
21.8 (71.2) |
19.7 (67.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
17.7 (63.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
18.7 (65.7) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
23.1 (73.6) |
20.9 (69.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 18.8 (65.8) |
19.1 (66.4) |
17.3 (63.1) |
15.6 (60.1) |
12.2 (54.0) |
10.2 (50.4) |
10.5 (50.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
12.4 (54.3) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
10.2 (50.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 124.1 (4.89) |
101.8 (4.01) |
49.4 (1.94) |
32.1 (1.26) |
22.2 (0.87) |
12.6 (0.50) |
8.0 (0.31) |
6.7 (0.26) |
9.1 (0.36) |
6.6 (0.26) |
34.4 (1.35) |
47.9 (1.89) |
454.9 (17.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.5 | 6.2 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 4.3 | 65 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 80 | 81 | 78 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 78 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 275.9 | 257.1 | 275.9 | 255.0 | 272.8 | 246.0 | 263.5 | 288.3 | 276.0 | 300.7 | 291.0 | 272.8 | 3,275 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 8.9 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 8.8 | 9.0 |
| Source 1: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity and sun 1961–1990)[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[7] | |||||||||||||
History
edit
While the island has probably been sighted by Portuguese navigators since at least the 16th century, the first British ship to describe the island was the HMS Norfolk, in 1764, however it misidentified it as the Bassas da India. It takes its name from the British ship Europa, which visited it in December 1774. It's current name was given by William Fitzwilliam Owen who named it after the ship in 1825.[8][9]
Colonization attempts
editRuins and graves on Europa island attest to several attempts at settlement from the 1860s to the 1920s. The French Rosiers family moved from Tulear to the island in 1860, but subsequently abandoned it.[10]
In 1903, a small colony was created, nevertheless the venture ceased due to the lack of clean water, the colonist who tried to leave the island in a pirogue drowned, the others were collected and brought back to Tulear. In 1910, two married couples from Seychelles, and 3 Malagasy natives venture into the island, however the Malagasy were executed due to being suspected of raping the women, their remains are buried in a small cemetery in the island.[8][11]
After the Second World War, interest in creating a permanent settlement on the island were revived by the development of air transport and the need for a denser global meteorological observation network, particularly to cover vast ocean areas. In the early 1950s, France undertook several projects to establish weather stations on its uninhabited islands, from the Kerguelen islands to the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, thereby asserting a strategic presence in the Indian Ocean. On Europa Island, the first meteorological mission landed under the command of Serge Frolow, an émigré from the Russian Empire, on January 12, 1950, in extremely precarious conditions.[11]
Later that year, a small aerodrome was constructed and inaugurated in November 18, a french copy of the Junkers Ju 52 (the Amiot AAC.1 Toucan), was the first aircraft to land in the island, nevertheless due to it being located in a flood zone, in the steppe plain of the south of the island. It was moved once, but insufficiently, before finding its current and definitive location in the northwest in April 1973, after clearing the Euphorbia of the forest.[8]
Foreign claims
editWhen the French Third Republic annexed Madagascar on August 6, 1896, Europa Island also became a French possession. However, the establishment of the French flag was not notified until October 31, 1897.[12]
During the period of French Madagascar, the administrative attachment of Europa Island was modified several times. It sometimes referred to regions far removed from the island: Tananarive province in 1921, Maintirano province in 1930, Nosy Be district in 1932 and finally Tuléar district in 1949.[13]
After the creation of the Malagasy Republic and shortly before Madagascar gained its full independence in June 1960, the French government unilaterally decreed on April 1, 1960, the detachment of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, placing directly "the islands of Tromelin, Glorioso, Juan de Nova, Europa, and Bassas da India under the authority of the Minister for Overseas Departments and Territories," who then entrusted their administration in September 1960 to the delegate of the Government of the Republic, namely the Prefect of Réunion. This was primarily intended, as De Gaulle stated, for France to preserve strategic positions and retain sites potentially usable for French nuclear tests.[14]
Following the Rotaka in 1972, the new Malagasy government reaffirmed its territorial claim to the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean. France then decided to strengthen its military presence in the area and in 1973 established a small military detachment on Europa Island, as well as on the other French islands in the Mozambique Channel. This detachment remains in place today, even though the meteorological station is now automated.[15]
From 2005, the role of government delegate for the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean was entrusted to the Prefect of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Then, in February 2007, the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, including Europa, were fully incorporated into this Overseas collectivity to form its fifth district.[16]
France exercises sovereign rights over the maritime areas adjacent to the island, in order to ensure the protection of rich biodiversity, cultural and natural assets as well as economic resources for which it is responsible.[17]
In May 2019, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, expressed his willingness to engage in "dialogue to reach a common solution" through the establishment of a joint commission with Madagascar, without resorting to an international court. On November 18, 2019, two delegations met in Antananarivo to begin preparatory discussions within the framework of a joint commission launched in May 2019 by the French and Malagasy presidents. The process was intended to reach an agreement by June 2020, the 60th anniversary of Madagascar's independence, but it failed.[18]
The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean are partially claimed by the Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius.[19] The Malagasy and Mauritian claims, however, are significantly later than their access to independence. The main issue being the exploitation of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ): 127,300 km2 (roughly 50,000 mi2) of Europa Island.[20]
Satellite photo of Europa Island (north at top)
Map of Europa Island
Aerial view of the island
Beaches, north of the island
References
edit- ↑ "Le président Macron envoie l'Armée française sur les îles éparses". KoolSaina. July 27, 2021.
- ↑ "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau - Collection One". DocuWiki. 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
- ↑ "Île d'Europa". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ↑ BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Europa. Downloaded from "BirdLife International - conserving the world's birds". Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2014-03-29. on 2012-01-07.
- ↑ C. van Herrewege. 1973. Contribution à l'étude des Blattaria de la faune Malgache. II. Description de huit espèces nouvelles appartenant aux genres Gromphadorhina Brunner v.W. et Elliptorhina gen. nov. Bulletin de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon, 42nd année, Numéro spécial du 150th anniversaire, décembre 1973. 75-103
- ↑ "Klimatafel von Europa (Insel), Iles Desirades / Indischer Ozean / Frankreich" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ↑ "ILE EUROPA Climate: 1991–2020". Starlings Roost Weather. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- 1 2 3 Alain Hoarau, Les îles éparses, histoire et découverte, Sainte-Marie, Azalées Éditions, 2002
- ↑ Narrative of the voyages to explore the shores of Africa, Arabia and Madagascar performed in H.M. Ships Leven and Baraccouta under the direction of Captain W.F.W. Owen, R.N., Volume 1, éditeur J.&J. Harper, New York, 1833, p. 130-131.
- ↑ "Europa". Districts - îles Eparses. Terres australes et antarctiques françaises. 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-01-31.
- 1 2 Bruno Fuligni. Europa - Scène de crime tropicale. In : Voyage en France australe. Allary Éditions, Paris, 2025
- ↑ Journal Officiel de la République française du 31 octobre 1897 : « En exécution de la loi du 6 août 1896, notifiée aux puissances et déclarant colonies françaises Madagascar et ses dépendances, le pavillon français a été planté sur les îles Juan de Nova, Basas da India et Europa situées dans le canal du Mozambique. ».
- ↑ A. Oraison, À propos du différend franco-malgache sur les îles Éparses dans le canal du Mozambique, 1981.
- ↑ Pierre Caminade in Comores-Mayotte: une histoire néocoloniale, Marseille, Éditions Agone, 2003, page 26
- ↑ Jean-Marc Balencie, Institut de Stratégie Comparée Le renforcement de la présence navale française en océan Indien au début des années 1970 (2005).
- ↑ Loi no 2007-224 du 21 février 2007 portant dispositions statutaires et institutionnelles relatives à l'outre-mer
- ↑ Cols bleus, le magazine de la Marine Nationale #3023. 23 November 2013
- ↑ Restitution des îles Éparses par la France : "Nous ne nous laisserons pas faire", clament les Malgaches [archive] », in Franceinfo, 26 June 2020
- ↑ "Les confettis de l'empire colonial français qui irritent Madagascar". 22 October 2019.
- ↑ Le Monde Diplomatique, « Dérisoires sentinelles sur la route des super-pétroliers [archive] », in mondediplo.net. 6 June 2025
Further reading
edit- Warne, Kennedy (April 2014). "A tale of two atolls". National Geographic. pp. 62–75.
External links
edit
Media related to Europa Island (category) at Wikimedia Commons
