Glorioso Islands

The Glorieuses or Glorioso Islands are a group of French islands and rocks totalling 5 square kilometres (1,200 acres), at 11°33′S 47°20′E, in the Indian Ocean, about 160 kilometres (99 mi) northwest of Madagascar. In 2012, France founded parc naturel marin des Glorieuses, a marine protected area, to preserve the endangered flora and fauna of the islands. The Glorieuses have an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 48,350 square kilometres (18,670 sq mi). There are anchorages offshore, and Grande Glorieuse has a 1,300-metre (4,300 ft) long airstrip.

The archipelago consists of two islands, Grande Glorieuse (11°34′46.54″S 47°17′54.14″E) and Ile du Lys, as well as eight rock islets (Roches Vertes): Wreck Rock (11°30′45.19″S 47°22′54.17″E), South Rock (11°35′43.76″S 47°18′6.66″E) and Verte Rocks (11°34′15.63″S 47°19′54.18″E) and three others that are unnamed. They form part of a coral reef and lagoon. Grande Glorieuses is roughly circular and measures about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) across. It is thickly vegetated, mainly by the remains of a coconut plantation and casuarina trees.

Ile du Lys, located at 11°30′59.35″S 47°22′36.02″E about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northeast of Grande Glorieuses, is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) long and consists of sand dunes and scrub with some mangroves. It was formerly quarried for phosphate (guano).

The climate is tropical and the terrain is low and flat, varying from sea level to 12 metres (39 ft). Ile de Lys in particular is a nesting ground for migratory seabirds, and turtles lay eggs on the beaches.