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Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha, colloquially Tristan, is both a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) from the nearest inhabited land, Saint Helena, 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) from the nearest continental land, South Africa, and 3,360 kilometres (2,090 mi) from South America. The territory consists of the main island, also named Tristan da Cunha, which has a north–south length of 11.27 kilometres (7.00 mi) and has an area of 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi), along with the smaller, uninhabited Nightingale Islands and the wildlife reserves of Inaccessible and Gough Islands.

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Myanmar

Macleod Island


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Lesser Sunda Islands

Pulau Alor

Alor (Indonesian: Pulau Alor) is the largest island in the Alor Archipelago located at the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands that runs through southeastern Indonesia, which from the west include such islands as Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo, and Flores.

To the east of the island across the Ombai Strait lie the islands of Wetar and Atauro, the latter belonging to East Timor. To the south, across the Strait of Alor, lies the western part of Timor. To the north lies the Banda Sea. To the west lies Pantar and the other islands of the Alor archipelago, and further yet the rest of the Sunda Islands.

On 12 November 2004, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale occurred, killing 34 people.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

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Maluku Islands

Kai Kecil

Kai Kecil (Little Kai Island) is a part of the Kai Islands group of the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. Its area is 399 km2. The other main island in the group is Kai Besar (Great Kai Island). It contains the major town of Tual.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

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Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Baratang Island

Baratang, less commonly known as Baratang Island, (coordinates: 12°07′N 92°47′E) is an island in the Andaman Islands, India, with an area of approximately 238 square kilometres (92 sq mi). It is one of the main islands of the Great Andaman group, a closely set archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, adjoining the Andaman Sea. Middle Andaman is to its north, and South Andaman to the south. The islands of Ritchie’s Archipelago lie some 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the east.

Port Blair, the capital of the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is located approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the south.

Baratang contains the only known examples of mud volcanoes in India. These mud volcanoes have erupted sporadically, with recent eruptions in 2005 believed to have been associated with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The previous major eruption recorded was on 18 February 2003. The locals call this mud volcano jalki.

There are other volcanoes in the area. The Barren Island volcano which is the only active volcano in South Asia and the Narcondum volcano which is considered to be a potentially active volcano.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

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Kenya

Lamu Island I

Lamu Island is a part of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya. Lamu Old Town, the principal inhabited part of the island, is one of the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has hosted major Muslim religious festivals since the 19th century, and has become a significant center for the study of Islamic and Swahili cultures. The island is linked by boat to Mokowe on the mainland and to Manda Island, where there is an airport. There are no roads on the island, just alleyways and footpaths, and therefore, there are few motorized vehicles on the island. Residents move about on foot or by boat, and donkeys are used to transport goods and materials.

A port was founded on the island of Lamu by Arab traders at least as early as the fourteenth century, when the Pwani Mosque was built. The island prospered on the slave trade. After defeating Pate Island in the nineteenth century, the island became a local power, but it declined after the British forced the closure of the slave markets in 1873. In 1890 the island became part of Zanzibar and remained obscure until Kenya was granted independence from Great Britain in 1963. Tourism developed from the 1970s, mainly around the eighteenth century Swahili architecture and traditional culture.

Lamu Old Town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001 base on 3 criterion:

  • The architecture and urban structure of Lamu graphically demonstrate the cultural influences that have come together there over several hundred years from Europe, Arabia, and India, utilizing traditional Swahili techniques to produce a distinct culture.
  • The growth and decline of the seaports on the East African coast and interaction between the Bantu, Arabs, Persians, Indians, and Europeans represents a significant cultural and economic phase in the history of the region which finds its most outstanding expression in Lamu Old Town.
  • Its paramount trading role and its attraction for scholars and teachers gave Lamu an important religious function in the region. It continues to be a significant centre for education in Islamic and Swahili culture.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

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Marquesas French Polynesia

Ua Pou

Ua Pu (French: Ua Pou, North Marquesan: ’uapou) is the third largest of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located about 50 km (30 mi.) south of Nuku Hiva, in the northern Marquesas. Until the beginning of the 1980s, it was the most populous of the Marquesas Islands, because when the other islands were being ravaged by diseases introduced by European explorers and traders, the Catholic priests on the island finally took to quarantining the remnant of the native population inside their churches whenever visiting ships approached the island, thereby reducing their exposure to external diseases.

The center of the island is characterized by four high basalt pillars that reach high above the surrounding mountains. The highest of these pillars, Mount Oave (French: Mont Oave), reaches to 1,230 m (4,035 ft.) above sea level and is the highest elevation in the Marquesas.

The island covers an area of 106 km (41 sq. mi.), and is located just northwest of the small island of Motu ‘Oa. The population in 2007 was 2,157. The largest settlement is Hakahau, on Hakahau Bay, on the northeast coast.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Union Island

Union Island is part of the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It the southernmost island of the Grenadines. It lies 90 kilometers southwest of Barbados and is within view of the islands of Carriacou and the mainland of Grenada, which lie directly south.

Clifton and Ashton are the two principal towns. The island is home to approximately 3,000 residents. The official language is English, but French and German are spoken by some merchants in Clifton as well.

The island has an international airport which has domestic flights to Saint Vincent and some of the Grenadines and international flights to Barbados, Carriacou, Grenada and Martinique. Airlines flying into Union Island are not IATA members and itineraries will not be visible to more non-regional travel agents – visitors interested in travel to the islands will need to contact the airlines directly or contact a local travel agency. Daytime flights only, as there are no runway lights.

Source: Wikipedia (under GNU Free Documentation License)