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Habibas Islands

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Îles Habibas Lighthouse
Iles Habibas Lighthouse in 1960
Map
LocationIles Habibas
Algeria
Coordinates35°43′14.0″N 1°8′00.23″W / 35.720556°N 1.1333972°W / 35.720556; -1.1333972
Tower
Constructed1878[1]
Constructionmasonry tower
Height13.8 metres (45 ft)[1]
Shapequadrangular tower with balcony and lantern atop 1-storey keeper’s house[3]
Markingswhite tower,
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorOffice Nationale de Signalisation Maritime
Light
Focal height113.3 metres (372 ft)[1]
Intensity180 W[1]
Range20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi)[1]
CharacteristicFl W 5s.[2]
Habibas Islands
Islands viewed from the coast

The Habibas islands ( Arabic: جزر حبيبة) 35°43′29″N 1°8′00″W / 35.72472°N 1.13333°W / 35.72472; -1.13333 comprise a small archipelago of two small, rocky islands, Gharbia and Charguia, located about 12 km off the Algerian coast, north-west of Oran. Administratively, they lie within Bou Zedjar municipality in Aïn Témouchent Province, Algeria. The islands and surrounding waters constitute the Iles Habibas Marine Nature Reserve.[4]

Geography

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The islands are of volcanic origin. The largest, Gharbia, is 1.3 km long. The total land area of the archipelago is about 40 ha.[4] The highest point on the islands is 105 m. There is no permanent population, but there is a small jetty, a lighthouse (built in 1879) and a few small buildings.

Environment

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The islands' scrub vegetation includes Ephedra fragilis, Withania frutescens and Frankenia corymbosa. The archipelago has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations of Audouin's gulls and Eleonora's falcons.[5]

History

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By the end of 2006, a project to rehabilitate and maintain the islands was to commence, backed by Algerian and French funding. The stated objective was to support the local ecosystem.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Ile Habibas". Office Nationale de Signalisation Maritime. Ministere des Travaux Publics. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. ^ List of Lights, Pub. 113: The West Coasts of Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Azovskoye More (Sea of Azov) (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2015.
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Western Algeria". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Iles Habibas Marine Nature Reserve".
  5. ^ "Îles Habibas". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  6. ^ "Visit Oran | Habibas Island Development". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-09.