La Digue is the third most populated island of the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

, and fourth largest by land area, lying east of

Praslin Praslin () is the second largest island (38.5 km2) of the Inner Seychelles, lying northeast of Mahé in the Somali Sea. Praslin has a population of around 7,533 people and comprises two administrative districts: Baie Sainte Anne and Gran ...

and west of

Felicite Island Felicitas of Rome (c. 101 – 165), also anglicized as is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Sal ...

. In size, it is the fourth-largest granitic island of Seychelles after Mahé, Praslin and

Silhouette Island Silhouette Island lies northwest of Mahé in the Seychelles. It is the third largest granitic island in the Seychelles. It has an area of 20.1 km2 and has a population of 200, mostly workers on the island. The main settlement is La Passe ...

. It has a population of 2,800 people. Most of the inhabitants live in the west coast villages of La Passe (linked by

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

to Praslin and Mahé) and Anse Réunion. There is no airport on La Digue, so to get there from a foreign country, one must fly to Victoria and continue by ferry, usually via Praslin. It has an area of 10.08 km², which makes it relatively easy to travel around by bike or on foot. La Digue was named after a ship in the fleet of French explorer

Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (22 May 1724 – 12 June 1772) was a French privateer, East India captain and explorer. The expedition he led to find the hypothetical ''Terra Australis'' in 1771 made important geographic discoveries in the south ...

, who visited the Seychelles in 1768.

History

According to modern historians, La Digue was first sighted by the French navigator

Lazare Picault Lazare Picault (fl. mid-18th century) was a French explorer known for his exploration of islands in the Seychelles.

in 1742, but it was not named until 1768. The first people settled on the island in 1789, when French colonists arrived with their African slaves. Most of them went back to France, but some people were left and some of today's inhabitants carry their names. Later, more French deportees arrived, followed by a large number of liberated slaves and Asian immigrants. In 1854, the first Catholic chapel was built on La Digue by Father Theophile. Most inhabitants of the island are of the Catholic faith. French colonists on La Digue manufactured coral lime, and they are believed to be responsible for the decline of the island's coral reefs. They also made copra out of coconuts, and they planted vanilla on their plantations. This tradition has been continued.

Climate

The Seychelles generally have warm temperatures throughout the year. They get frequent and sometimes heavy rainfall. On La Digue, rainfall can be very heavy, but it usually lasts for one hour or less. Daytime temperatures on La Digue normally range from to ; nighttime temperatures are slightly colder. The months with the heaviest rainfall are October to March, with a monthly precipitation of in January. The month with the least precipitation is July, with only of rain.

Culture

The inhabitants of La Digue are called Diguois. The first inhabitants arrived in 1798, exiled from Île Bourbon (now named Réunion) for taking part in a political rebellion there. They were supposed to be sent to the East Indies, but bribed the captain to ship them to Seychelles instead where many had relatives. The population of La Digue is mostly Catholic and the island's feast day on 15 August is a national holiday.

Politics

There is no separate government of La Digue, so it follows the laws and legislation set from the government in Victoria. The Seychelles have a president and the main political sides are the PP and SNP. The law system of the Seychelles is modelled on European legal systems. Panorama Anse Source d'Argent 2015

Government services

Being an island with a population of only 2,800 people, there are few government buildings or services. For many services, people have to go to Praslin. La Digue has a post office which is closed on Sundays. There is a small police station that was mainly set up for tourists. There is a small hospital, although some inhabitants prefer to visit the hospitals in Praslin and Victoria. Women usually go to the hospital in Victoria to give birth.

Tourism

Today, the island's main industry is tourism, and it is known for its beaches, especially Anse Source d'Argent and Grand Anse. La Digue, along with the rest of the Seychelles, saw a major increase in tourism numbers in the late 20th century, which greatly impacted the economy of the Seychelles. Before 1960,

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from co ...

and

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus '' Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the plants produce the fruit from whic ...

production were the mainstays of the local economy, which are commemorated in the island's museum. The Veuve Nature Reserve, in the island's interior, is home to the rare black paradise flycatcher, of which there are only about 100 in existence. La Digue's tallest peak, Belle Vue (Eagle's Nest Mountain), is in the central part of the island, with a summit more than above sea level. La Digue's wide variety of underwater creatures including fish, sharks and rays also attracts many tourists for diving trips. The island has plenty of accommodation and activities for tourists, including more than twenty guesthouses and hotels, restaurants and a dive centre. One can go on a boat trip or a diving trip around La Digue for a half day or a full day. Furthermore, the Veuve Reserve offers tourists hiking trips with guides.

Transport

The primary means of transportation is still the bicycle. It is possible to rent bicycles near the ferry pier. There are a few privately owned vehicles, but most cars and buses belong to hotel companies. Another method of transport on La Digue is the ox-cart, which has a slow pace suited to the island.

Cuisine

Since La Digue is an island inhabited by many ethnic groups, the local cuisine is a mix of world cuisines, with a specific focus on fish. With abundant seafood, the Seychellois people have developed hundreds of recipes using a variety of fish. One can have fish curry, fish fillets, raw fish with lemon, grilled fish, steamed fish, cooked fish and so on. The inhabitants of La Digue also make fried octopus, lobster with garlic and their biggest speciality – bat curry. A commonly used ingredient is ginger. The most popular alcoholic drink on La Digue is palm wine, which most Seychellois people like to make themselves by fermenting the inside of a coconut.

Wildlife

La Digue is the home to the critically endangered paradise flycatcher. However, there are more rare and endangered animals that live on this island. Since the Seychelles are detached from the rest of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, many of the species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to La Digue. There is a significant population of giant tortoises that come from the island

Aldabra Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 ...

. The subspecies that lived on La Digue is extinct. From the

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...

group there is, for example, the Seychelles

coconut crab The coconut crab (''Birgus latro'') is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world, with a weight of up to . It can grow to up to in width from the tip ...

which likes to dig holes in the backyards of the Seychellois people. Among others, there are fodys, sunbirds, terns, fruitbats, sheath-tailed bats, and

geckos Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

. The reefs and lagoons of La Digue offer a large amount of flora and fauna. Green sea turtles live on the very edges of the coral reefs, and they sometimes venture closer to the island. There are

butterflyfish The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. The approximately 129 species in 12 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the Atlan ...

, eagle ray,

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are f ...

and many other species of fish. Divers and snorkellers may be lucky enough to see blacktip reef sharks or even whale sharks, which come mainly in the winter but can be seen all year round. Sadly, the animals that have traditionally lived on La Digue are threatened by animals that were brought there by the first inhabitants: rats, dogs,

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

s etc. The rat population was probably the first animal that was brought to the Seychelles. It quickly made many birds become extinct by eating their eggs and threatening their nests. The dog and cat population is not nearly as much of a threat, but it still is something that the original species of Seychelles are not used to.

Gallery

File:Se-map.gif, Map 1 File:Seychelles large map.jpg, Map 2 File:La_Digue_roheline.png, Map 3 File:Traumhafte Kulisse auf La Digue, Seychellen (25745814908).jpg, La Digue, Seychelles File:Anse Source d'Argent Luftbild La Digue Seychellen (24748770127).jpg, Aerial of Beach Anse Source d'Argent La Digue File:Traumstrand Anse Source d'Argent La Digue Seychellen (39616996591).jpg, Der Strand Anse Source d'Argent auf La Digue File:Strand Petite Anse auf der Insel La Digue, Seychellen (25731869178).jpg, Beach Petite Anse La Digue File:Grand L' Anse Strand Insel La Digue, Seychellen (39616875951).jpg, Beach Grand L' Anse La Digue File:Rock Pools at Petite Anse Cocos La Digue Seychelles (39602455121).jpg, Beach Petite Anse Cocos La Digue File:Strand Anse Patates Cocos auf der Insel La Digue, Seychellen (25745760198).jpg, Beach Patates Cocos La Digue File:La_Passe_town_centre_on_La_Digue.JPG, The La Passe village centre File:La_Digue_Coconut_Plantation_2015.JPG, Coconut plantation File:Grand Anse La Digue 2015.JPG, Grande Anse beach File:Anse_Source_dArgent_on_La_Digue_2015.JPG, Anse Source d'Argent File:Grand_Anse-La_Digue-Seychellen.jpg, The spectacular beach of Grand Anse File:Anse_Source_d%27Argent_3-La_Digue.jpg, the spectacular beach of Anse Source d'Argent File:Anse_Marron-La_Digue-Seychelles.jpg, The lovely beach of Anse Marron File:La_Digue_Union_cemetery.JPG, Cemetery File:Anse_Cocos-La_Digue-Seychelles.jpg, Anse Cocos File:La digue church.jpg, Notre-Dame de l’Assomption Church File:Grann_Kaz_La_Digue.JPG, Historical house of families Rassool / Hossen on the L'Union Estate Farm

References

External links

Official La Digue Island Guide

National Bureau of Statistics

The Islands of the Seychelles
{{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q106097277 Somali Sea Islands of La Digue and Inner Islands Important Bird Areas of Seychelles Lighthouses in Seychelles