Peros Banhos

[3] Île Yeye, located at the northeastern corner of the atoll, is the island of the Chagos Archipelago that is closest to the Maldives.

490 km2 (189 sq mi), most of the remaining surface is occupied by the lagoon, which is connected to the open sea and the reef flat.

Peros Banhos is a medium-sized coralline atoll circled by a regular coral reef, similar to those in the neighboring Maldives.

He was a castaway from the Portuguese ship Conceição under captain Francisco Nobre that ran aground and was smashed on the Peros Banhos reefs in 1556.

[5] 165 survivors were left on a flat sandy island of Peros Banhos before coconut trees were there; among them were two women and five Catholic priests.

After Moresby's survey, the first detailed map of Peros Banhos Atoll was published by the Hydrographic Service of the Indian Navy.

Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, said this was not to embarrass the UK, but "merely an exercise of our sovereignty over part of our territory and that is in accordance with international law.

[8] Entry into this and into the other Strict Nature Reserves, and within 200 metres (660 ft) of the islands therein is prohibited and activities are clearly proscribed by the British Indian Ocean Territory.

It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of its significance as a breeding site for sooty terns, of which 14,000 pairs were recorded in a 2004 survey.