 juan de nova island (french: Ãle juan da nova (official), Ãle juan de nova (local)), also known as saint-christophe, is a  low, flat, tropical island in the narrowest part of the mozambique channel, about one-third of the way between madagascar and mozambique. anchorage is possible off the northeast of the island which also has a  airstrip. administratively, the island is one of the scattered islands in the indian ocean, a district of the french southern and antarctic lands. within its exclusive economic zone (eez) of , it is claimed by madagascar. the island is garrisoned by french troops from rÃ©union and has a weather station.http://www.ethnia.org/ethnia-fiche.php?ask=fr-dt-dm-re-xl-ju == description == juan de nova, about  long and  at its widest, is a nature reserve surrounded by reefs which enclose an area (not a true lagoon like in an atoll) of roughly . forests, mainly of casuarinaceae, cover about half the island. sea turtles nest on the beaches around the island. ===important bird area=== the island has been identified as an important bird area (iba) by birdlife international because it supports a very large colony of sooty terns, with up to 100,000 breeding pairs. it also has a much smaller colony of greater crested terns (with at least 50 breeding pairs recorded in 1994). of at least seven species of landbirds present, most are probably introduced.birdlife international. (2012). important bird areas factsheet: juan de nova. downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-01-07. thumb|left|2008 map.  == history == the island is named after juan de nova, a spanish admiral in the service of portugal who came across the island in 1501. it has been a french possession since 1897.http://www.taaf.fr/spip/spip.php?article312 guano (phosphate) deposits were exploited from the start of the 20th century until 1970. the island was abandoned during world war ii and was visited by german submariners. installations, including a hangar, r
Atolls_of_Madagascar Disputed_islands Former_populated_places_in_the_Indian_Ocean FranceaMadagascar_relations French_Southern_and_Antarctic_Lands Important_Bird_Areas_of_the_French_Southern_Territories Indian_Ocean_atolls_of_France Islands_of_France Territorial_disputes_of_France Territorial_disputes_of_Madagascar