A tiny jewel set in the azure seas of the South Pacific, Norfolk Island is just 8 km (5 mi) long, and 1,600 km (994 mi) northeast of Sydney, Australia. It is the biggest of a cluster of three islands on the Norfolk Ridge, fringed by coral reefs and crowned by pristine rainforest and some [...]
Daily Archives: August 18, 2009
The Republic of Mauritius
August 18, 2009 – 11:22 am
Part of the Mascarene Islands, the Republic of Mauritius is off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, 900 km (560 mi) east of Madagascar. The republic consists of five islands: St Brandon, Rodrigues, two Agalegas Islands and Mauritius itself. The latter was originally uninhabited, but the Dutch named the island and established a [...]
Elephantine Island of the Nile River
August 18, 2009 – 6:44 am
Known to the Ancient Egyptians as Abu or Yabu, meaning elephant, Elephantine Island is a truly ancient site resting as it does at the First Cataract of the Nile, and creating a natural boundary between Egypt and Nubia. Being the largest island at Aswan, it was easily defensible and at one time was thought to [...]