Aldabra, the world’s largest coral atoll, is located in the Aldabra island group in the Indian Ocean that belongs to the outer islands of Seychelles. Aldabra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on November 19, 1982 and is administered from Mahe by the Seychelles Islands Foundation. Visitors must obtain prior written permission from SIF to visit Aldabra. It is isolated and untouched by humans and preserves distinctive island fauna, including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, whose population is around 152,000.
Aldabra Atoll is made up of four large coral islands that enclose a shallow lagoon and are surrounded by a coral reef. It is 34 km long, 14.5 km wide and has an area of 155.4 km². The lagoon measures 224 km² in area, of which approximately two thirds dry up at low tide. The atoll consists of a ring of four larger islands.
The island is more than 700 miles from Mahe, the main island of the Seychelles and is closer to the coast of Africa and is 265 miles northwest of Madagascar and a similar distance northeast of the Comoro Islands. The investigating officer, the island manager, and their rangers and staff reside in Picard, on the southwestern tip of West Island. There is no other permanent population.
In addition, there are about forty smaller islands and rocks, all within the lagoon, except for a few very small islets in the western channels between the South and Polymnie islands. The islands consist of limestone uplands, sand dunes, and beaches based on the remains of a coral reef.
Aldabra has a number of endemic plant species. The higher areas are covered with pemphis species, thick coastal shrubs, while the lower areas, which are home to giant tortoises, are a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses, and grasses. They are also known for the coconut crab, the largest land crab in the world, and hammerhead sharks, manta rays, barracudas, and as a nursery for green and hawksbill turtles. Aldabra birds include the Aldabra rail, the last surviving flightless bird of the Indian Ocean region, and the endangered Malagasy sacred ibis, as well as large numbers of nesting seabirds. The atoll is made up of four large coral islands enclosing a shallow lagoon; the island group is surrounded by a coral reef. Due to the difficulties of access and the isolation of the atoll, Aldabra has been protected from human influence and thus preserves some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world’s largest population of this reptile.
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