Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean

Islands, atoll, and reef in the Indian Ocean, parts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

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Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean

Îles Éparses de l'océan Indien (French)

Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Coat of arms

Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"
Anthem: "La Marseillaise"
"The Marsellaise"

Maps of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Anti-clockwise from top right: Tromelin Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Bassas da India, and Europa Island. Banc du Geyser is not shown.

Status| District of French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Disputed with Madagascar, the Comoros, and Mauritius

The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean (French: Îles Éparses or Îles Éparses de l'océan Indien) consist of four small coral islands and an atoll, as well as a reef in the Indian Ocean; they constitute the fifth district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands,[1] though sovereignty over some or all of the islands is contested by the Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius. None of the islands have ever had a permanent population, though the French armed forces maintain small troop contingents on some of the islands.[2]

Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean around Madagascar, mainly in the Mozambique Channel, the scattered islands, "confetti of the French colonial empire," are of strategic importance due to the extent of their economic area of interest. France asserts its presence there by basing small detachments of military personnel.[3]

Two of the islands—Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island—and the Bassas da India atoll lie in the Mozambique Channel west of Madagascar, while a third island, Tromelin Island, lies about 450 kilometres (280 mi) east of Madagascar and the Glorioso Islands lies about 200 kilometres (120 mi) northwest of Madagascar. Also in the Mozambique Channel is Banc du Geyser, a mostly submerged reef considered a part of the Glorioso Islands by France and the Comoros.

The islands have been classified as nature reserves. Except for Bassas da India, they all support meteorological stations: those on the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova, and Europa Island are automated. The station on Tromelin Island, in particular, provides warning of cyclones threatening Madagascar, Mauritius, or Réunion. Each of the islands, except Banc du Geyser and Bassas da India, has an airstrip of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).

The Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean are partially claimed by the Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius.[4] The Malagasy and Mauritian claims, however, are significantly later than their access to independence. However, the agreement reached in October 2024 on the restitution to Mauritius of the Chagos Islands by Great Britain, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, notably home to the American base of Diego Garcia, has relaunched the debate in Madagascar.[5]

## Overview

[edit]

Island / Atoll  | Station
Staff  | Area
(km2)  | Lagoon
(km2)  | EEZ
(km2)  | Coordinates  | Location

|
|
|
|
|
|

Glorioso Islands (including
Banc du Geyser) | 11 | 5 | 29.6 | 48,350 | 11°33′S 47°20′E﻿ / ﻿11.550°S 47.333°E﻿ / -11.550; 47.333﻿ (Glorioso Islands) | Northern Mozambique Channel
Tromelin Island | 19 | 0.8 | – | 280,000 | 15°53′S 54°31′E﻿ / ﻿15.883°S 54.517°E﻿ / -15.883; 54.517﻿ (Tromelin Island) | Western Indian Ocean
Juan de Nova Island | 14 | 4.4 | (1) | 61,050 | 17°03′S 42°45′E﻿ / ﻿17.050°S 42.750°E﻿ / -17.050; 42.750﻿ (Juan de Nova) | Central Mozambique Channel
Bassas da India | – | 0.2 | 79.8 | 123,700 | 21°27′S 39°45′E﻿ / ﻿21.450°S 39.750°E﻿ / -21.450; 39.750﻿ (Bassas da India) | Southern Mozambique Channel
Europa Island | 12 | 28 | 9 | 127,300 | 22°20′S 40°22′E﻿ / ﻿22.333°S 40.367°E﻿ / -22.333; 40.367﻿ (Europa Island) | Southern Mozambique Channel
Total | 56 | 38.4 | 118.4 | 640,400 |   |

## Individual islands

[edit]

* Bassas da India
* Ten unnamed rock islets
* Europa Island
* Île Europa
* Eight unnamed rock islets
* Glorioso Islands
* Banc du Geyser
* Grande Glorieuse
* Île du Lys
* South Rock
* Verte Rocks (three islets)
* Wreck Rock
* Three unnamed islets
* Juan de Nova Island
* Tromelin Island

## Administration

[edit]

Since January 3, 2005, the Scattered Islands have been administered on behalf of the French state by the senior administrator of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, based in Réunion. The Scattered Islands had previously been under the administration of the prefect of Réunion since the independence of Madagascar in 1960. France maintains a military garrison of around 14 troops on each of the islands[citation needed] in the Mozambique Channel that are claimed by Madagascar. The troops are supported by French naval vessels based in Réunion conducting patrol missions and re-supply operations about four times per year.[6] The Glorioso Islands are also claimed by the Comoros, while Mauritius claims Tromelin Island.[7]

France has an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles (370 km) around each of the small islands in the Scattered Islands, which together with the EEZ claims for the islands of Mayotte and Réunion totals more than one million square kilometres (400,000 sq mi) in the western Indian Ocean. There is considerable overlap of the EEZ with the neighbouring states.

## Sovereignty dispute

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Mauritius, Madagascar, and the Comoros dispute France's sovereignty over these islands. Mauritius claims Tromelin Island and states that the island, discovered by France in 1722, was not ceded by the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Madagascar claims sovereignty over the Glorioso Islands (including Banc du Geyser), though the island group was never a part of the Malagasy Protectorate, having been a part of the Colony of Mayotte and dependencies, then a part of the French Comoros that had become a separately administered colony from Madagascar in 1946. The Comoros also claims the Glorioso Islands (including Banc du Geyser), as a part of the disputed French region of Mayotte. Furthermore, Madagascar has also claimed Bassas da India, Europa Island, and Juan de Nova Island since 1972,[8] and a 1979 United Nations resolution (without binding force) demanded the cession of these islands to Madagascar.[9][10] Seychelles claimed a part of the Scattered Islands too before the signing of the France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement.[citation needed] A negotiation session between France and Madagascar took place in November 2020.[11] In April 2025, France and Madagascar announced that they would meet in June 2025 to find a peaceful solution to the dispute.[12] President Emmanuel Macron favors a form of co-management with Madagascar, rather than restitution.[13] On June 20, 2025, Malagasy Foreign Minister Rasata Rafaravavitafika chaired a meeting of the scientific committee devoted to Madagascar's claim to the Scattered Islands. The objective of this meeting was to develop arguments for preserving Madagascar's sovereignty over the Scattered Islands, while moving forward in discussions with France.[14] On June 24, 2025, the Malagasy platform "Sehatry ny Raiamandreny" (Sera) affirmed the indefatigability of Madagascar's claim to the territories of the Scattered Islands.[15] The second commission, between France and Madagascar, will meet on June 30, 2025, for bilateral discussions on congestion, or the restitution of the Scattered Islands to Madagascar.[16] On June 26, 2025, France published the lists of negotiators at the meeting of June 30, 2025, between Madagascar and France.[17]

## See also

[edit]

* Administrative divisions of France
* French Southern and Antarctic Lands
* List of territorial disputes
* Overseas France

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "TAAF". Archived from the original on 2010-01-28. Retrieved 2010-02-20. French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) Official website
2. ^ "Le Champlain : un soutien logistique pour les îles Éparses" (in French). Ministère des Armées. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
3. ^ "How France maintains its grip on Africa" May 21, 2010, news.bbc.co.uk, [1].
4. ^ "Les confettis de l'empire colonial français qui irritent Madagascar". 22 October 2019.
5. ^ "Dérisoires sentinelles sur la route des super-pétroliers". 6 June 2025.
6. ^ "Le Champlain : un soutien logistique pour les îles Éparses" (in French). Ministère des Armées. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
7. ^ "Conflict about Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean". Sentinel Vision. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). africa-union.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2009-08-17.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. ^ "United Nations Resolution 34/91" [Question of the Islands of Gloriesus, Juan de Nova, Europa and Bassas da India]. United Nations. 12 December 1979. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
10. ^ "United Nations Resolution 35/123" [Question of the Islands of Gloriesus, Juan de Nova, Europa and Bassas da India]. United Nations. 11 December 1980. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
11. ^ "Îles Éparses, colonisation, contrats… Le programme d'Emmanuel Macron à Madagascar" [Madagascar: l'impatience monte sur la question de la restitution des Îles Eparses]. Radio France International. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
12. ^ "Îles Éparses, colonisation, contrats… Le programme d'Emmanuel Macron à Madagascar" [Scattered Islands, colonization, contracts… Emmanuel Macron’s program in Madagascar]. Ouest-France. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
13. ^ "Madagascar: gouvernement et opposition réagissent au refus de la France de restituer les Îles Éparses" [Madagascar: Government and opposition react to France's refusal to return the Scattered Islands]. Radio France International. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
14. ^ "Îles Éparses : Madagascar prépare la deuxième Commission mixte franco-malagasy" [Scattered Islands: Madagascar prepares the second Franco-Malagasy Joint Commission]. Madagascar Tribune. 21 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
15. ^ "Le sera evoque une souverainete non negociable sur les iles eparses". actu.orange.mg. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
16. ^ "Who will lead the Scattered Islands mixed commission?". Africa Intelligence. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
17. ^ "Madagascar Îles Éparses : Paris met la touche finale à la liste de ses négociateurs" [Madagascar Scattered Islands: Paris finalizes its list of negotiators]. Africa Intelligence. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean at Wikimedia Commons

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