French territories- E.Africa/Bassas da India /Europa Island/Juan de Nova Island

Bassas da India / called Basse de Judie The reef rim averages around 100 m across and completely encloses a shallow lagoon that has a maximum depth of 15 m Its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 123,700 km2 (47,761 sq mi) is contiguous with that of Europa Island.The atoll consists of ten barren rocky islets, with no vegetation, totalling 0.2 km² (.077 sq mi) in area. Those on the north and east sides are 2.1 to 3 m high, and those on the west and south sides 1.2 m The reef is completely covered by the sea from 3 hours before to 3 hours after high tide. The coastline of the reef measures 35.2 km (22 mi). The region is subject to cyclones. The atoll has long been a maritime hazard and is the site of numerous shipwrecks.About 40 and 70 km southwest of Bassas da India are Jaguar Seamount and Hall Tablemount. * * * * Europa Island is a nature reserve and host to migratory seabirds. It is one of the world's largest nesting sites for green turtles (Chelonia mydas). It is also home to goats introduced by settlers in the late 18th century.The island takes its name from the British ship Europa, which visited it in 1774. It has been a possession of France since 1897, but is also claimed by Madagascar. Ruins and graves on Europa island attest to several attempts at settlement from the 1860s to the 1920s.Its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), contiguous with that of Bassas da India, is 127,300 km². The island, garrisoned by a detachment from Réunion, has a meteorological station and is visited by scientists. Europa, though uninhabited, is formally part of the "Îles Eparses" district ("Scattered Islands") of the TAAF ("Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises") administrative region, which comprises islands such as Kerguelen and the French Antarctic possessions. * * * * * * Juan de Nova Island / locally Île Juan de Nova, about six kilometres long and 1.6 km at its widest, is a nature reserve surrounded by reefs which enclose an area (not a true lagoon like in an atoll) of roughly 40 km². Forests, mainly of Casuarinaceae, cover about half the island. Large numbers of terns (Sterna fuscata) breed there from November to March. Turtles nest in the beaches around the island.The island is named after João da Nova, a Galician admiral in the service of Portugal who came across the island in 1501. It has been a French possession since 1897. Guano (phosphate) deposits were exploited from the start of the 20th century until 1970. The island was abandoned during World War II and was visited by German submariners. Installations, including a hangar, rail lines, houses and a jetty are in ruins.Juan de Nova, with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 61,050 km², is claimed by Madagascar. The island is garrisoned by French troops from Réunion and has a meteorological station (Saint-Christophe.Image of Juan de Nova Island taken from the International Space Station.Juan de Nova, in the sea route between South Africa and the northern tip of Madagascar, is affected by strong currents, and has become the site of numerous wrecks. Most visible are the remains of the SS Tottenham which ran onto the southern fringing reef in 1911.