The Inner Islands is the collective term for 42 islands with a total area of 243.7 km², 54% of the Seychelles area but with more than 98% of the population.
The Granitic Group consists of 40 granite islands, all within a 56 km (35 mi) radius of the main island of Mahé. These islands are rocky, and most have a narrow coastal strip and a central range of hills rising as high as 914 metres (2,999 ft). The most important islands of this group are:
- Mahé is the largest island, with a size of 142 km2 (55 sq mi). Victoria, the capital, is on Mahé.
- Praslin Island,
- Silhouette Island,
- La Digue,
- Fregate Island,
- Curieuse Island,
- North Island,
- Aride Island.
Two coralline islands, at 90 km to the north, make up the remainder of the Inner Islands:
- Bird Island
- Denis Island
Millions of years ago, the archipelago was created by a combination of the separation of India from Africa as well as undersea volcanoes similar to those from which Mauritius and Réunion were created. Subsequently the vast majority of this huge land area became submerged over time.
Read more about this topic: Geography Of Seychelles
Famous quotes containing the word islands:
“What are the islands to me
if you are lost
what is Naxos, Tinos, Andros,
and Delos, the clasp
of the white necklace?”
—Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961)
“Consider the islands bearing the names of all the saints, bristling with forts like chestnut-burs, or Echinidæ, yet the police will not let a couple of Irishmen have a private sparring- match on one of them, as it is a government monopoly; all the great seaports are in a boxing attitude, and you must sail prudently between two tiers of stony knuckles before you come to feel the warmth of their breasts.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)