Alboran Island
Alboran Island (Spanish: Isla de Alborán) is a small islet in the Alboran Sea, part of the western Mediterranean, about 50 km (31 mi) north of the Moroccan coast and 90 kilometres (56 miles) south of the Spanish province of Almería.
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Alboran Sea |
| Coordinates | 35°56′22″N 03°02′07″W |
| Area | 0.07 km2 (0.027 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province of Almería |
| Municipality | Almería |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 21 (military staff only) |
Description
Alboran Island is a small islet in the Alboran Sea, the westernmost part of the western Mediterranean, about 50 km (31 mi) north of the Moroccan coast and 90 km (56 mi) south of the province of Almería, Spain. The island is a flat platform about 15 metres (49 feet) above sea level and about 71,200 m2 (766,390.4 sq ft) in area.
100 m (328 ft) off the northeastern end of the island is the small islote de La Nube (literally, islet of the cloud).
The wall-rocket species Diplotaxis siettiana, called jaramago de Alborán in Spanish, has its only known wild population on the island. It was extinct there during much of the late 20th century but successfully reintroduced from ex-situ conservation stocks in 1999.
History
The island became a power base of the Tunisian pirate Al Borani (hence the name). It became a Spanish possession after the 1 October 1540 Battle of Alboran.[1]
Alborán has been known in error as "Albusama".[2]
Early in WWII, the shape of the flat island with a single building prompted a British bomber crew operating at dusk to bomb the island, mistaking it for a U boat.
In the mid-1960s there were several attempts by Soviet fishing boats to establish a settlement in Alboran, which forced the Spanish army to establish a permanent detachment of Spanish Navy Marines for the control and protection of the island.[1]
It is now home to a small Spanish Navy garrison and an automated lighthouse.
Administration
The island belongs to the municipality of Almería and is part of the Pescadería district.
See also
References
- Citations
- Gutiérrez Castillo 2003, p. 2.
- "Algunos cartógrafos de los últimos siglos han dado a Alboran el nombre de Albusama, confundiéndola con el pequeño islote costero cercano a la ciudad llamada tambien por ellos Albusama." (Marie Armand Pascal d'Avezac de Castera-Macaya, 1846. Historia de las islas de África p. 386); "Alhucema (Albusama): Pequeña isla del Mediterráneo , sobre la costa del reyno de Fez , en frente de la de Alhucema." (Antonio Vegas 1806. Diccionário geográfico universal, que comprende la descripción de las quatro partes del mundo, s.v. "Alhucema").
Captain Leo log August 1974 call sign SVXA sight of rusty torpedoe + local fishermen witnesses
- Bibliography
- Gutiérrez Castillo, Víctor Luis (2003). "Análisis histórico-jurídico de la isla andaluza de Alborán". Revista Electrónica de Estudios Internacionales (6). ISSN 1697-5197.